Bali had been at the top of my list of places to visit for years – it seemed so beautiful, magical and exotic. We finally had the chance to go in November and we spent 10 amazing days there. It not only lived up to the hype but it was also special for reasons outside of Bali itself. Trips take on the meaning of the greater context that surrounds them and that felt especially true for Bali. Josh had just come home from his second deployment in two years and it was a really hard one for both of us. I had worked nonstop leading up to our trip so it was the first time I had been able to fully relax for a long time. Going into our trip I wasn’t happy with my work or how much I was shooting and our trip made so many things clear to me. Being able to disconnect and be in a beautiful, inspiring place completely changed and shaped my business going into 2020. It gave me so much clarity and direction and I really needed that. I even bought a film camera while I was there! This trip filled us up and I know it will always hold a special place in our minds because of that.
In the last couple years, tourism in Bali has exploded. Thanks to Instagram and influencers, people are flocking to Bali in the millions and over 50% of the islands revenue comes from tourism. I’ll admit that that’s the main reason it was on my radar as well. I had heard complaints from people saying that it was disappointing, that it’s dirty, that it caters to Instagram too much, that everyone is taking selfies and that the famous spots are always packed. I had concerns so we made some conscious decisions about our trip. We decided not to do any of the overtly tourist/Instagram spots. That meant none of those famous temple, swing or rice terrace pictures. We spent most of our time relaxing in our Airbnb’s. We didn’t take pictures every day. We swam, laid in the sun, ate amazing food, and spent uninterrupted time together.
Below are some questions I had going into our trip and all the things I was googling ahead of time. Then I’ll also give you a rundown of each area we stayed in and share some of my favorite pictures which help show how beautiful this place really is.
What is the best area to stay in? My favorite was Ubud – I’ll go into more detail below. We stayed about 3 nights in each place we visited.
Hotels or Airbnb’s? We did both. The Airbnb’s are beautiful in Bali and very affordable. Just make sure you read all the reviews and avoid any places if you see red flags.
Is it hard to get around? Most people rent/use motorbikes but we did not. It wasn’t worth the risk of getting hurt on one. It would be really bad for Josh’s work if he were to get hurt and I am paranoid about going to a hospital in a foreign country so it was a no for me. It’s very easy to find drivers even just doing a google or Instagram search but all the places we stayed had someone that could drive us around.
Is it too touristy? It didn’t feel any busier to me than any other place we’ve been. We are early risers and like to get to places before they get too busy anyways so we did temple visits early and would get back to the Airbnb to relax by early afternoon. Like I said above, we didn’t go to any of the Instagram spots so no waiting 2 hours in a line to get a picture taken or anything like that.
What was the weather like in December? It was supposed to be rainy season when we were there but they were in a drought so the only place it rained was up north. Up north it was much cooler which was a nice break from the heat in Ubud. It’s humid in Bali and was very hot in the afternoons. Even if it had rained more when we were there I wouldn’t have minded it.
Was there a lot of construction? This was a huge concern of mine and something I read a lot about. We spent a ton of time looking at the Airbnb’s on satellite maps to see if we could tell if there would be construction going on around us. Our first Airbnb in Ubud had none, the second place we stayed was a resort so it was very quiet and Canggu had some construction right next door but it was just during the day and it wasn’t bad at all. We were never woken up to it or anything like that.
UBUD
What did you do? Outside of relaxing by our pool, we did a few other activities that I loved. In Ubud we took two cooking classes through Airbnb – vegan cheese making and making raw vegan chocolate. Both were amazing and I definitely recommend them if you’re looking for something to do. We also visited the Ubud Monkey Forest, the Saraswati Temple and the Pura Gunung Lebah Temple.
Where did you eat? The food in Bali is one of the best parts about it, there are tons of vegan and raw restaurants and cafes around. My favorites in Ubud were Moksa and Alchemy.
Where did you stay? We stayed at an amazing Airbnb. It was inside a complex with other villas so it was super quiet and we had our own pool. They brought us fruit and coffee every morning and had a driver that gave us rides anywhere we wanted to go.
What was it like? Ubud is the center of yoga retreats, raw vegan food and it has the best energy. It’s very calm and laid back and that’s why I loved it so much.
BULELENG
What did you do? When we went up north we only went to the floating temple (Ulun Danu Beratan Temple). Apparently it’s not always floating though – we accidentally went at low tide so it wasn’t nearly as impressive as the photos we had seen. The rest of the time we stayed at our hotel because it was amazing.
Where did you stay? Munduk Moding Plantation – it was absolutely beautiful and super relaxing.
Where did you eat? We ate every meal at our hotel. Breakfast was included and lunch and dinner weren’t too expensive. The food was good for hotel food but it just didn’t compare to the food we ate before and after so that was the only downside to this place.
What was it like? This resort is very secluded and incredibly beautiful. If you want to get away from the busyness and truly relax and be catered too, this is a great place. There are tons of activities you can take part in as well. We just wanted to lay around by the pool and read though, plus it rained while we were here so we didn’t do much.
CANGUU
What did you do? In Canggu we did another Airbnb class learning how to make JAMU which is an Indonesian health drink. This class was amazing, we went to the market right after and bought all the ingredients to make our own. We also relaxed a ton, did some shopping and swam every day.
Where did you eat? Our favorite place was The Shady Shack because it was walking distance from where we stayed but Peloton Supershop was also amazing.
Where did you stay? We stayed at another Airbnb – it was beautiful but I wouldn’t stay there again. The cook and manager would just come in and out of the house and it freaked me out. We heard them in the house at like 11pm one night and I was super uncomfortable with that. It put me on edge a little bit.
What was it like? It felt a lot more lively and busy compared to the first two places we visited. I really liked it but not as much as Ubud. There is a ton of shopping, cafes and stuff to do.
If I were to go back I would just go to Ubud, the vibe there was amazing. It wasn’t as busy as Canggu and the food was the best. I doubt we will go back to Bali after we move back to the states so I’m really grateful that we had the opportunity. If you love the idea of Bali but it’s too far for you, I found it very similar to Tulum, Mexico which was another one of our best vacations ever.
