Bali
3 weeks in Bali covering Canggu, Ubud and Uluwata, 3 completely different parts of the island with very different vibes and experiences
11/10/2023
Three weeks in arguably the most popular place to visit in the whole of SE Asia, specially in the Digital Nomad community. Bali divides opinion, and I'm no different.
On one hand it's absolutely stunning, I only scratched the surface of the island with the 3 places I visited, Canggu, Ubud and Uluwatu. It has so much variety and things to do, it's like an adult playground. As it's so built up no it has a lot of western comforts, medical centers, coworking places, high-spec gyms, padel tennis clubs, and not to mention the thousands of cafes and restaurants. You can really see why so many people flock here.
However, and you probably saw this but coming, with the popularity, comes the crowds, and wow this is one of the most densely populated places I've ever been. For example it takes around 1.5 hours from the airport to Canggu which is around 20 miles. In a way it seems a shame that there are so many tourists, as of course a lot of them don't respect it as they're only here for a quick holiday.
My personal opinion is that it's too much, it's too crowded, it's taking away some of the culture but I can see it being an amazing place if you found a good community and good bunch of people to spend your time with.
Canggu
I had two stints here, one solo and a few days at the end of the three weeks with my friend. I first stayed at a great hostel called Nyaman, it was basically like a boutique hotel, very clean, nice pool, cafe upstairs and comfortable rooms all for $12 a night, would definitely stay here again. I then stayed at a homestay as I normally like my private room after a week in a hostel, called The Ambara, which was great, top location, nice pool, couple chairs outside your room and comfy bed.
We could be here all day talking about Canggu, so here is what I did;
Bali Padel Academy - A sport that has absolutely exploded, it's been around for a number of years but it's got so popular now as it's social, good way to meet people, it's a relatively easy game to play amongst beginners, great workout to burn some extra calories and they are full on clubs now with gyms, saunas, ice baths etc.
Beaches - You have Echo Beach surf spot, which has some cool steps that a lot of people sit on and watch the surf for sunrise or sunset. Patu Balong beach, a super popular spot where you see the famous beanbags, and you go down for sunset with friends or even solo. Canggu beach which has an abundance of sunbeds to choose from, some beginner surf spots and in general a pretty clean and pretty beach.
Restaurants and Cafes - It is true, that you could eat out everyday in Canggu, and still not go to all of the restaurants and cafes, such a wide variety of cuisine, and this is why Bali is so popular as some Asian countries, the food can get pretty repetitive right. My favourites were;
Amo Spa - A great recovery and relax spot. It has two saunas at different temperatures, three cold plunges at different temperatures and a pool with a number of sun beds and relax areas.
Beach Clubs - A number to choose from and all with their own vibe, I went to three. Las Brisas which was my favourite, a very relaxed setting in a rustic looking beach club and a number of different seating areas making it feel small but it's actually a large club. The Lawn has a pool, restaurant and comfy beanbags on the beach with some great vibes. Lastly, the famous Finns which was a fun day, big party place, get ready to drink and dance in the pool.
Raw Gym - A big part of the lifestyle in Bali is health and fitness, there are over 10 top quality gyms to choose from, ranging from all prices and workout styles. I went to Raw gym as it had an indoor section, outdoor section, weights, cardio, sled track and was one of the most reasonably priced.
Ubud
Probably the second most popular area to visit in Bali, a 1.5 hour taxi from Canggu inland into the countryside, where people go for yoga, temples, rice fields and to get away from the crowds of Canggu, even though it feels just as busy.
I stayed at another amazing hostel called Kuna, which again looks like a boutique hotel, high quality decor, nice pool, roof terrace, great facilities and comfy bedrooms. I also stayed at Pondok Anastasia when my friend arrived, a great two bedroom villa with a nice pool and outside seating area.
I spent around a week in Ubud, which I think is the ideal amount of time, gives you enough days to embrace the town which is two main high streets full of restaurants, cafes, bars and boutique shops, and also enough time to explore the surrounding area for a few days as there are some great spots around 2 hour return away.
Gymnasium Bali is an incredible complex, it's like a small city with apartments, restaurants, cafes, co-working places, gym and spa.
Tegallalang Rice Terrace is arguably the most famous, it is stunning, only a 20 minute drive from town, you can have a coffee in the cafes above looking over the valley, also walk down into the valley through the rice fields and of course jump on those big instagram swings.
Jatiluwih Rice Terrace is a good hour drive from the town, but it's a beautiful drive and well worth it for scenes. It's a very large complex, where you can choose different walking routes ranging from 15 minutes to around 2 hours, I chose somewhere in between as yes it's stunning but an hour walking around rice fields is enough for me.
Kintamani is a good hour drive from town too, pretty much uphill the whole way, it's essentially a bunch of coffee shops on top of a hill with incredible views, believe it or not for the drive on the scooter you needed a jumper as you go through some cloud/lower temps. I had my coffee at Paperhills which was great, and I also checked out Ritatkala for a juice.
Tirta Empul is a temple complex with the main attraction being the fountains that people try a ceremony, where the fountains cleanse any bad luck, negativity etc.
Mount Batur Sunrise Volcano Hike, this is where you seriously question yourself, is a 2am wake up call going to be worth, I'l tell you it is! The hike itself isn't that difficult, it probably only takes around 2 hours, with most of it in the pitch black, but that makes it even more exciting not knowing exactly where you are. You then wait for sunrise with your group, and take in the beauty for as long as you'd like, before a gentle walk back down.
Quad biking tour, this was a lot of fun and quite different to all the other times I've been on a quad bike. The terrain is super unique, flowing through trails in the jungle, going through rivers and driving under waterfalls and back up via self-made ramps.
Uluwatu
The last of the big three in Bali, Uluwatu is south east of the island right along the coast line, known for it's surfing, laidback vibe and a few spectacular beach clubs. The town is the smallest out of the 3 but still has an abundance of eating options, with some of the islands most spectacular sunset bars.
We stayed at a great two bedroom villa called Adany, good location, really nice pool, quiet and a massive outdoor seating area.
Surfing, the reason why people flock to Uluwatu, it has so many different surf spots for all abilities. We decided to pay a little more for a recommended guy from Brazil, who also knews the locals on a private more secluded beach so we could catch waves without all the other tourists. Being a snowboarder for the past 15 years, I picked this up pretty quickly, but of course had a few wipeouts which shows you why it's such a good workout.
Suluban beach is a cool little spot, that hugs some rock formations meaning you can only get round there when it is low tide, and be sure to make it back before the tide comes in!
Island Padel, we of course had to play some more padel, this was another really cool venue with a cafe/bar, sauna and ice baths as well for recovery.
Restaurants and Cafes
Single Fin (which is the best place to watch the sunset)
Karang Boma Cliff, is a cool spot to check out, high up on the cliff with a great view across the ocean and back toward Canggu, the drive is also pretty fun as well being off-road for around 15 minutes.
Savaya was our big night out seeing Defected Records there, it's a super fancy beach club with the center piece being the bar that hangs over the cliff edge.
Sundays beach club is very unique, you have to take a lift that goes diagonally down the side of the mountain, to the beach where it's a super relaxed beach club vibe.
Melasti Beach is an adventurous day, you drive through some small villages, alongside the coast and roads that will likely still be under construction as there is a lot going on round there. It's also got a really nice beach to have lunch or sunbath.
