All about Bali, Indonesia - a rest and relax holiday chasing sunrise,sunset, and waves

It was a last minute holiday trip to Bali, Indonesia. I booked it only 2 days prior to departure on Singapore Airlines. I suppose because it was a lull period, I could finally claim my Krisflyer miles. It was a 5 days for 4 nights to Bali, Indonesia with the purpose of complete rest and this was my sample travel itinerary.

Sunrise at Tanjung Benoa, Nusa Dua

Bali Indonesia 5 Days 4 Nights Travel Itinerary
Day 1, Saturday
Arrive at airport - book your airport transfer online
Arrive hotel and explore hotel grounds at Nusa Dua, Tanjung Benoa
Dinner at hotel

Day 2, Sunday
Brunch at Ku De Ta, Seminyak
Discovery Mall, Kuta
Sunset at Kuta
Massage at hotel

Day 3, Monday
Hired a driver to bring me to nature sights
Tegenungan Waterfall
Ubud market
Mount Batur and Lake Batur view at Kintamani - lunch break
Tegallalang Rice Terrace
Uluwatu Temple grounds
Massage at Widi Massage & Body Treatment

Day 4, Tuesday
Laze at beach
Bali Collection for shopping
Beach at Bali Collection
Dinner at hotel

Day 5, Wednesday

Laze at hotel

Depart for airport

It was a rest and relaxing beach holiday, something I have not had for a really long time. Since I booked at the last minute, there was hardly any time to do planning. With the little bits of Bali I saw, that made me want to return again. I visited Bali when I was a child and did not have good memories of the place as I was scared of the temples, dances, and the wood carvings. So this time I strictly avoided those and stayed to only scenic, nature sights.

Day 1 Tanjung Benoa, Nusa Dua

Upon arrival at the Bali airport, I was hugely shocked at the cost of taking a taxi to the hotel. It had cost me 300,000 Rupiah to Nusa Dua, Tanjung Benoa, where I could almost get at the same price with a hotel car pickup or cheaper if I had booked on Viator for an airport transfer. I had no choice, but to suck in and pay the price. The second surprise was that the hotel I stayed in - Grand Aston Bali was at Tanjung Benoa. I had not read carefully that it was not at Nusa Dua where the golden sand beaches were. The beach condition at Tanjung Benoa is not as pretty as the sand is darker and waters dirtier compared to Nusa Dua. I realize also that Nusa Dua is located on the opposite side of Kuta or Seminyak - where the happenings are. In a way it is great for a quiet getaway, but if you want to be surrounded by happenings, Seminyak would probably be a better option. 

Grand Aston Bali, Tanjung Benoa, Nusa Dua

Grand Aston Bali is nice in some aspects such as the largeness of the estate, and friendliness of the staff. However the resort has gotten a little worn over the years, and they do not really upkeep the beach. It is still bearable to spend 5 days there, however in the future, I would probably change hotels every 2 days, just to get a sample of an area and a different hotel. 

Grand Aston Bali, Deluxe Room

Grand Aston Bali, Swimming Pool

Day 2 Seminyak, Kuta

The nice bit about the hotel is the free shuttle service to Discovery Shopping Mall, Kuta. I took the 11.30am bus there and upon arrival, grabbed a cab to Ku De Ta Bali located at Seminyak. It was a place that my friend had said a totally cool place to be at, especially in the evening. However I made it there for brunch and it was just as cool. Facing the very rough sea you could literally chill on the day beds and watch the pounding waves and listen to really good music. Since it was during the day, there were parents with kids with inflatable rides and carousel to occupy the kids. Food was fairly reasonable priced during brunch/ lunch. In fact I had such a great time lazing around I must have spend 3 hours doing nothing! 

Ku De Ta Bali, Seminyak

Ku De Ta Bali - beach front views

Ku De Ta

http://www.kudeta.net/ 

JALAN KAYU AYA 

NO. 9 SEMINYAK 

BALI INDONESIA 80361

I returned back to Discovery Shopping Mall, Kuta to wait for the sun to set and hotel pick up. One could take a walk to the heart of Kuta, but I only made it half way due to the scorching sun. 

Kuta Beach, Bali - super crowded with people

I wondered around around aimlessly at the mall waiting for time to pass and sunset to come. Then together with hordes of people stood at the pavement facing the beach, waiting for the magical sunset moment. Some clouds blocked our view of the final sun set moments, and that was rather anti-climax or us. With the low tide, you could see locals taking advantage of the flatness of the beach to play a game of soccer. Kuta must be one of the most unromantic spots to witness a sunset! 

Sunset at Kuta Beach

Upon returning to the hotel, I tried the massage at Biwana Spa. For the massage alone I spent around 326,000 Rupiah, which I felt had the same quality at the massage at Widi Massage & Body Treatment across the road. But of course if you are talking about privacy and ambiance then one would be expected to splurge a little more.

Day 3 Ubud, Uluwatu

Today is the day I did most of the sightseeing around Bali. I managed only to cover a few places out of my to-visit-list as the island is far bigger than I had expected. I started the day at 8.30am with the driver picking me up at the airport. He asked if I wanted to do the usual things like watch a local dance, go to turtle island, go to the coffee plantation, see batik making in progress, all of which I rejected since it was pretty touristy. I had already submitted a list of places via email to him earlier and on the way to the Tegenungan Waterfall, I did agree to seeing see art at a family compound. I almost purchased a piece of art (you have to bargain for everything!) until I saw the piece was moldy. I have to say that the Balinese are generally very artistic as you see houses and houses that sell their art and craft along the entrances when you drive by. Upon reaching Tegenungan Waterfall, I realize I have to climb quite a lot of stairs up and down. This made me regret not wearing my sneakers. It's best to have a hiking stick with you if you are not so confident with steps (no railings). The view is amazing, almost like a lost amazonian world feeling. There was only one other person I met on the trail, hence you get to enjoy perfect seclusion, just you and nature. 

Tegenungan Waterfall, Bali

After that we headed to Ubud Market. Because I had so many things to accomplish, I only gave myself half an hour here. Ubud was not like how I had envision, ie high up the mountains with fresh cool air and lots of greenery. It is nice still to spend a day here just browsing through the little shops and the Ubud Market. I managed to get a few cloth pouches which I later saw in Bali Collection, just a little cheaper than what I had bargained down (whew!).

Ubud Market

After Ubud Market we drove to Mount Batur and Lake Batur view at Kintamani where I let the driver choose the meal destination (I am sure he gets a cut). The buffet lunch was fairly decent or you could order a lar carte if you refused the buffet (I found out later). The view was simply fantastic, it was indeed a great idea to stop for lunch here! Perhaps the next time I would want to stay overnight at  Lake Batur.

 Mount Batur 

Lake Batur

After lunch, we headed to Tegallalang Rice Terrace, Ubud. I think the driver thought I only wanted to take a picture, but what is the point of coming to the rice terrace without stepping on it? I managed to climb down the many stairs to the bottom of the rice terrace, but after that it was just too hot to continue. I would recommend starting this walk first thing in the morning when it is less hot.

Tegallalang Rice Terrace, Ubud

Next it was to onward to Uluwatu Temple which is by the cliff. By that time I was tired and because I saw the drive into Uluwatu was not lighted, I decided to leave the grounds at 5.30pm (when the sun sets at 6pm). Uluwatu Temple is definitely not a place to be missed if you have seen countless beaches. The temple is set on the cliff, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the pounding of waves on the cliff. Next time I will likely stay a night at Uluwatu just to watch the waves! 

Uluwatu Temple

Upon reaching back to the hotel, I had a massage across the road called Widi Massage & Body Treatment for only 65,000 Rupiah. I ended the day with dinner across the road Coco Bistro, Tanjong Benoa. I am glad I made this choice, food was not that expensive, with a grilled Jimbaran style red snapper and green juice costing me 152,460 Rupiah. I realize what Bali restaurants do differently is by providing live bands, and Coco Bistro was no different, with a different band on each day. They also have free wifi, so don't be afraid to ask for the password! 

Notes:
Driver fees do not include entrances and highway toll fee, so bring plenty of small change with you. Each stop/toll I had to spend about 10,000 Rupiah.

If you are spending the day with nature trails and not by the sea, I would recommend using an insect patch.

Day 4 Tanjung Benoa, Nusa Dua

Today I told myself I had to stay at the hotel and enjoy the hotel grounds at Grand Aston Bali. After a morning walk, which you could actually check out different hotels as they are just next to each other, I stayed by the beach until it got too noisy with all the water sports going on. I thought the beach was calm and quiet, but was mistaken, its only quiet during low tide when water sports cannot be done. I decided to go to Bali Collection to beat the heat and have lunch. Bali Collection offers frequent shuttle service which is a 5 minute ride away. The concept of the mall is different, instead of being in a mall, it is spaced out with different shops. You can find quite a good selection of arts and craft and some shops. But nothing is cheap here as they are all fixed price. However if you are poor at bargaining, its still a better option to get your souvenirs if you are not planning to head down Discovery Mall at Kuta.

Bali Collection - open air shopping

I walked around the mall and then decided to explore the beach. And I was certainly glad I did. The beach at Bali Collection (8 minute walk away) is perfect - clear blue waters, golden sandy beaches. There are 2 sides to it, one is calmer, great for kids, and another has stronger waves.  The next time I would bring my beach mat! 

I decided to lunch at Pirates Bay Bali which is a cool restaurant that not only gives you a great view of the beach, but is a great place for kids and adults alike. You could sit on the tree top, in the tent, or the log benches outside. You can also explore the pirates boat. 

I also explored the little island that housed a temple. There was perfect greenery, perfect silence and got me as far out to the sea as possible. 

Beach near Bali Collection, Nusa Dua

Little temple island at Nusa Dua

Pirates Bay Bali, Nusa Dua

I ended the day having dinner at the hotel dining at the Bali Luna Restaurant. Food was decent, though the fish fillet was a little tough for my liking. 

Day 5 Airport

I almost did not come to Bali, but I am glad I did. I have now a different impression of Bali that instead of the dark culture, Bali is beautiful with the magnificent sunrises, sunset, beaches, and nature trails. Some day soon I would like to return again some day.