A Bali blog. It’s a long one ????
We flew Singapore to Bali with Singapore airlines just over 2 hours in Business class this service was BRILL.
On arrival we paid for the VIP meet & Greet worth EVERY PENNY! The Queues were around 2/3 hours for immigration, visas passport control etc with the Vip you are met off the plane and ushered through a VIP section I think it was about £25pp the same VIP staff member stays with you and helps with everything including walking you to a driver if you book the VIP with my contact. We were in the taxi from arrival within 40 mins compared to the 2/3 hour queues and checks.
If you don’t book a VIP service even locating your driver if you have one looked tricky as about 150 people holding name signs in arrivals it’s a bit overwhelming.
The driver you can use for any trips and to get you around Bali you can reach them via Watsap and were super reliable highly recommend you use them.
Visa is around £27pp on arrival and they glanced at our Covid vaccines ( we’ve had 2 and no tests etc required )
Pack tissues and hand gel is a top tip.
Our first stop was Sanur in a serviced Villa, The Villa was HUGE if I am honest a bit too big for us two but it was great, a tad too far from Sanur front we walked it but was very dark coming home.
Sanur has a nice front with lots of bars and eateries nothing too lively just a nice vibe, as you can imagine lots of shops selling tourist tat, massages galore and some nice beach bars where you can sit in the sand.
We booked a trip to Nusa Penida from here its about 30 mins ferry from Sanur we booked a driver with a tour of the west it was packed with Tourist and felt more about getting the right picture for your facebook rather than enjoying the island, too busy for us and I wouldn’t go back. Not for the faint hearted or injured as the roads are very uneven so not a comfortable ride.
We then moved to Ubud and stayed at the Viceroy this was a SUPERB HOTEL highly recommend this place and our villa was breathtaking with views into the jungle & a free shuttle to town. Ubud was special it’s famous for a reason you have to see it to believe it I loved the vibe here its more a hippy , back packers & spiritual it’s a Vegetarians & Vegan haven loads of funky bars and quirky places to eat and SOOO CHEAP! Lots of trendy bars too and this was a little more costly but still not expensive.
We visited one of the Coffee Plantation and had a tour and sampled some of the Teas and coffees this was great and really interesting.
We also did a Cycling Tour from the Hotel to the Rice fields and that was great.
So much to do here from Giant Swings over plantations, Temples galore, Shopping, ATV, Rafting, Walking, Cycling, Animal Attractions ( we didn’t do this it makes me sad ☹ )
From Ubud we moved to Seminyak and stayed at the Oberoi This is a more traditional older Hotel its over 40 years old and feels a little tired but it was due to be refurbished then Covid hit , the staff and breakfast was great and right on the beach.
Seminyak is very lively and appeals to families who like lively and younger crowds wanting funky beach clubs without paying the Ibiza price tag lots of restaurants and shopping and also some more higher end Shops here too I was surprised how many top brand shops there is plus a champagne bar. Something for everyone here.
Sadly the beaches are not great as plastics are a problem here and lots of litter on the beach is swept up daily some of the Hotels are doing a clean up job but it’s very sad to see what is happening with litter from the sea. Apparently in the summer May – Sep it’s much better and the beach is protected for the Turtles ???? it seems to be winter is a problem when the sea is rough and they have rain.
For our last 2 days we stayed at Raffles Bali in Jimbaran Bay. What can I say WOW this place is the height of luxury and intimate service it was impressive. The room was incredible.
Walk or taxi into into Jimbaran bay. Plenty of beach restaurants and shops the tourist shops plus the further you get in the bigger shops.
The Bali people have nothing so will tout you for Taxis, shopping, fans and the normal lookie lookie style products as well as more traditional products.
The traffic is unbelievable so a 30km journey might take 1.5 hours to 2 hours it’s mental.
The smell of incense is literally everywhere and will always remind me of Bali. I also loved the temples and the Bali traditions it’s mesmerising passing all the temples as each family has their own in their grounds.
Washing is super cheap so get it done before you come home we paid the equivalent of £1 per kg for washed and pressed who wants to wash when you get home when it’s so cheap. Shop around though or barter as they will try charge you more. We found the places with prices printed more reasonable than those picking figures out of the air.
Pack light and relaxed it’s not a dressy place so you need very little most people out in shorts and vests only hotels or the snazzy restaurants people get dressed up really. Leave the heels at home as it’s sliders , flip flops or trainers all the way the streets are so uneven you would literally break your neck ( unless eating in the hotel )
I’ve not straightened my hair or worn any make up in 2 weeks it’s just so relaxed ????.
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