✈Bali . Indonesia

Where: Bali . Indonesia
When: 14th May 2011 - 18th August 2011
How: By AirAsia (RM250++)
 

Day 1

The flight was punctual and it took about 3 hours to reach. It was night flight, so we touched down Bali Airport at around 9pm. We have already booked a vehicle together with a driver 1.5 months before the trip via email. Surprisingly, the vehicle they provided us was a Toyota Avanza which comfortably fit all of us and the luggages.

Since it was already night, we booked the nearest hotel to the airport, Tune Hotel. Before checking in to our hotel, the driver so called tour guide brought us for late dinner at  Maliboro (Cripsy Chicken), the restaurant is air-conditioned and clean with simple interior setting.

Ayam Tulang Lunak Malioboro
Jl Kediri No 50 I-J Tuban
Kuta-Bali, Indonesia
tel: 61 759 192
Rp. 40K++/ pax
 

 #01 We had Fried Chicken with salted egg sauce, tasted not bad.

After that, we checked in Tune Hotel which is very clean but not worth for that price because you may get similar hotel with lower price around that area with better environment. Tune Hotel was hiding at a place where no night life there. We had to walk few kilometers to hear some noise from the Kuta Town.

Day 2

#02  RM140++ / room / night.

#03 Tune Hotel doesn't provide breakfast, so we had our breakfast at Made's Warung which is famous for fried rice as lunch/ dinner. It is located a very short distance from Tune Hotel. Rp. 30K++/ pax

#04 He claimed that it was the best breakfast he ever had in Bali. We were there too early so we didn't get to chance to try the famous fried rice :(

This warung serves Balinese delights such as Nasi Campur, Gado-gado and Fried Rice. The ambiance is comfy and nice. I believe it is a good place for lunch or dinner.

Made's Warung Kuta
Br. Pande Mas, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
tel: 62 361 755297
website: http://www.madeswarung.com/

RM25++/ pax (include drinks)



 

#05 After breakfast, we walked along the street to Kuta Beach.

#06 Nothing much to do there, the waves were not high and not strong so there wasn't anyone surfing there. And the sea water isn't very clear which is one of the things that I am very disappointed about Kuta Beach.

#07 Next destination was Nusa Dua Beach which is another must-go-beach during your tour in Bali. Nusa Dua Beach is famous for water sports like Banana Boat, Snorkelling, Parasaliling, etc. But we were not interested to do any of the water activities because not only the weather was killing us but the price for each water sport was killing us too. Better prepare a lot of Rupiahs if you intend to be involved in such activities. Then, we took boat trip to Turtle Island which cost us about - RM40++/ pax.

#08 Besides seeing turles,  there are few animals there just like a mini zoo.

Bali is definitely a heaven for any pork lover. I would recommend you to have Roasted Suckling Pig or so called Babi Guling as lunch because most of the warungs operate from 11ish until 2ish. Some local warungs closed on Sunday, Public Holidays and Balenese holidays. I quite enjoyed this meal; it was definitely one of the best meals in Bali. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember what is the name of this stall. We found it when we was on the way to Padang-Padang Beach. It was not difficult to find, I believe your driver or friendly locals are always happy to show you the way. Please do not expect the "warung" to be clean and hygienic. RM12++/pax

#09 They have all kinds of Babi, the above picture shown is Satay Babi. Don't be surprise why are they eating and serving pork in Bali. Almost all of the locals are Hinduism.

#10 Babi Guling with Nasi Campur which is actually suckling pig served with other pork side dishes.

#11 Babi Asap, tasted like the Chinese delicacy - Bak Gua

#12 After lunch, we headed to Padang-Padang Beach which was very crowded with tourists from western countries. It is a great place for swimming, sunbathing and surfing.

#13 Crystal clear sea water :)

#14 Padang-Padang Beach and the nearby town is unlike Kuta and Seminyak, it is not super developed so if you are looking to party or night life, this is not your spot. Instead of hotels, there are homestays and istead of big restaurants there are small warungs that are mostly family run. Thus, Basically you just go to the beach during day and you may rent a scooter to expand your beach exploration nearby.

At around 4pm, we left the beach and went to visit one of the famous hotspots in Bali - Uluwatu Temple

#15 It is a well known temple for its location on mountain cliff. Amazing scenery that you wouldn't want to miss out in your itinerary!

#16 There are countless monkeys there. Hence, this place is horror for those who are already afraid of monkeys because the monkeys there are super vigilant and fierce! The monkeys pull your hair and grab tourists' spectacles and camera. So, please beware of personal belongings including slipper.

#17 We were requested to cover ourselves with Sarung which cost us about RM3.00++/ person as this is a temple.

Each night at the temple, there is a cultural performance, known as Kecak dance. I don't know the price because we did not watch the show but it is a great sight to behold as the sun sink deeper as the show goes on.

Since Uluwatu and Jimabaran are located within short distance from each other, we had seafood dinner at Jimbaran where the seafood is super duper pricey for very normal and simple seafood dinner.

#18 But it ss worth paying for the environment and ambiances because we got to hear the sea waves and enjoy the candle lights seafood dinner with nice songs on the beach.

#19 The portion was really small.

#20

 

#21 The stretch of seafood outlets on Jimbaran might confuse you for some pricier stalls are located on different stretches. Please do survey first because the driver/ tourguide may drop you off at a comparably more expensive stall, for potential commission he may get.

  

#22 We moved to another hotel on the second night - Taman Ayu Legian. The staff at this hotel is really friendly or should I say all the people I've met in Bali have been very nice to us. This hotel is located a the center of Kuta which takes about 5 minutes walk to the night clubs. About 10 minutes walk to Kuta Beach. Although the room looks quite dim but it is very spacious. Anyway, it is highly recommended.

Apart from that, spa and reflexology can be found along Jalan Legian, Kuta. We were quite satisfied with the one near to our hotel. RM10++/ person/ 30 min

 Day 3

 

#23

Taman Ayu Legian
Jl. Raya Legian No. 99, Legian Bali, Indonesia 
USD50++/ room / night
 
On day three we planned to visit Kintanami and overnight at Ubud. On the way to Kintanami, we stopped by Sukawati Art Market where is the cheapest place to shop for arts, craft, paintings and souvenirs but the price is still depends very much on your bargaining skills.

#24 The paintings literally impressed me a lot.

#25 It took us about one hour plus journey to reach Kintanami. In Kintanami, there are quite a number of buffet restaurants built by the cliff, over looking the mountains and the lake. The restaurant dining areas are divided into indoor and outdoor, we were lucky enough to have our lunch at outdoor facing the immensely breathtaking scenery of the active volcano - Mount Batur. The buffet lunch is worth paying for only RM25/ pax, and I really enjoyed the beautiful view and the coffee.

#26 Unbelievably, I was so near to an active volcano.

#27 Behind us is Lake Batur, the largest Crater Lake on Bali Island.

Before going to Tampaksiring - Pura Tirta Empul, the driver dropped us at coffee plantation.

#28 Roasting the coffee beans.

#29 Roasted coffee beans.

#30 They were very friendly and kind to serve us different kind of coffee :) Luwak Coffee is a must buy item in Bali, it is among the most expensive coffee in the world because it is made from coffee beans eaten, partly digested and the excreted by Luwak - Asian Palm Civet

Arrived at Tampaksiring - Pura Tirta Empul at around 3pm. Another well known temple with holy water.

#31 It is very a very interesting temple from historical and cultural point of view.

#32 The Tirta Empul's water is clear and sparkling.

#33 The Balinese Hindu bathing in the large, open pools in well kept grounds built on a natural spring.

I encourage you to spend time here to get to feel the cultures and watch the rituals. Besides the holy spring water, arts and crafts can be found here too. I got a bag for only RM8. Entrance fees RM2++/ person.

On the way to Ubud, we landed ourselves a while on a place called Tegallalang Rice Terrace

#34 The scenic views of Tegalalang Rice Terrace.

Finally, we have arrived Ubud in the evening and checked in Hotel Greenfield. They offer a wide range of options in the rooms categories, the room is spacious but I personally dislike the unpleasant washroom. You may go to the following website to discover more.

Green Field Hotel and Restaurant Dewa Made Santana
Jl. Pengosekan
Ubud - Gianyar 80571
Bali - Indonesia
tel: (0361) 975 798
website: http://www.greenfieldubud.com
email: info@greenfieldubud.com3
Rp. 25K++/ room/ night

#35 I had one hour Bali massage including shower and followed by a ginger tea and fruit. The ambiance is fabulous with beautiful view facing the paddy fields. But we were quite late and couldn't really enjoy the view.

#36 Bath tub for flower bath is decorated with Balinese feel.

Venezia Day Spa and Saloon
Jl. Monkey Forest Street, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
tel: +62 361 975715
website: http://www.veneziadayspa-ubud.com
email: info@veneziadayspa-ubud.com
Rp. 150++/ per (normal Bali oil massage not including flower bath)

After the relaxing massage, we were hunting for Bebek Bengil Ubud. We had no idea how to get there and thankfully the hotel staff is very kind to send a shuttle van here and picked us to the restaurant.

#37 It was dinner time which is another highlight of the day - Bebek Bengil Ubud. Another must-eat-food in Bali

#38 I love the layout of the restaurant due to its stylist combination of tropical lifesytle and the huts lies in between paddy fields.

#39 Two thumbs up for this Crispy Duck for RM25++.

#40 Chicken Kebab served with mushroom sauce is very tempting.

#41 This was the best meal I had in Bali. Unfortunately, we did not get try the most famous delight - Smoked Duck because we did not make reservation earlier. Bebek Bengil is an absolutely marvelous restaurant.

Bebek Bengil Restaurant (Dirty Duck Dinner)
Jl Hanoman, Padang Tegal Ubud.
tel: (62-361) 975 489
website: http://bebekbengil.com
email: info @bebekbengil.com
RM30++/ pax

Day 4

#42 The paddy fields beside the hotel.

#43 You can swim while enjoying the sight seeing of paddy fields.

We visited another temple - Taman Ayun means beautiful garden.

#44 A huge greenish field inside the temple.

#45 I love its garden and architecture.

#46 Nothing much to say about this place, it is a photogenic temple.

We did not want to waste so much there and continued our journey to another temple - Uludanu Temple - Beratan Lake another beautiful Hindu Temple uniquely set on the water lake surrounded by breathtaking scenery of Beratan Lake and green hill.

#47 It is a very cooling place with entrance fee RM3++/ person

It was lunch time and we totally had no idea where to eat. The driver dropped us at a warung along the way back from Uludanu Temple.

#48 Very spicy Nasi Bakar with reasonable price.

#49 Bainese Nasi Campur. It was superb!

We rushed to another hotspot - Tanah Lot to see one of the most popular spots for sunset-watching in Bali.
 

#50 It was low tide, we walked around the temple but we did not went up.

#51 Tanah Lot temple is regards as one of the best destinations in Bali because of its amazing landscape.

#52 The weather was good, we could see the perfect sunset that could make your eyes stop blinking. The perfect time to visit this place is 4pm, so that you can witness the naturally beautiful view of sunset accompanied by an unforgettable adventure experience with a stretch of steep cliffs.

#53 Spare Ribs, marinated well enough to be savored alone without the need of any additional sauces. The must-try at Nuri's Warung is no doubt the Barbecued Pork Ribs for RM21++. I would recommend you to only try the ribs and give everything else a miss.

#54

Naughty Nuri's Warung
Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
tel: 361 997 547
operations hours: 9am-10pm 

Day 5

It was the last day of the trip. Our flight was scheduled at 9pm and we were getting bored and lazy to visit the temples. Thus, we woke up quite late that day, packed our luggage and looked for a place for lunch.

#55 I got to know this Pizza Bagus from my research about Bali. It was recommended by few bloggers who had been to here.

#56 Pizza Bagus, memang bagus! An Italian restaurant that serves authentic, thin-crust style of pizzas unlike the commonly-acquainted Pizza Hut's version with more dough than toppings. It was indeed a good try!

Pizza Bagus Delivery & Cafe
Tlp. 978520
Jl. Raya Pengosekan
80571 Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
operations hours:9am-11pm
RM10++/ pax

Since we had no plans, on the way back to Kuta, we landed ourselves again at Sukawati to do final shopping.

#57 Arts and crafts at Sukawati

#58 Impressive paintings

#59 We wandered around Kuta Town and walked into Hard Rock Hotel, the swimming pool is really huge and fun.

#60 Hard Rock

Everyone says that Bali is an romantic island with sandy beaches but I personally did not feel the romance. The beautiful sea is beyond my expectation, I prefer Phi Phi Island or Lang Tengah at Malaysia a lot more. In fact, what I had experienced and discovered in Bali are all about the temples, cultures, people and food.

Overall, our drivers from Galung Crew provided us super good service in these five days with very fair price. The drivers have been very sincere and nice to us throughout the trip, they actually helped us a lot. I couldn't remember their names but two thumbs up for them!

Galung

tel: +6281 236 445 49

email: info@balifundirver.com

Rp. 325K (Full day from 8.30am-8pm)

You may draft your itinerary and send it to them to make reservation first. My advice is to plan and do research before you go. The driver may set an itinerary customized to suit you based on the place you stay. But you can chose your preference places to visit and set an itinerary because you are the one who is paying for the trip, feel free to drop at places you are interested and discuss openly with the drives to maximize your traveling time.

Another thing I want to mention here is their currency - Rupiah with so many digits and commas, you should get yourself prepare a small paper sheet of currency conversion calculated in your hand instead of using your phone's currency converter because it is much easier and faster for you the get RM instantly.

Don't be lazy to draft an itinerary for each vacation. Drafting itinerary is one of my hobbies, even though it makes me mentally exhausted sometimes but it is absolutely a great experience and lesson :)