Bali

[Dumplinghead]

Heading to Bali next month. Big group…partner, my dd 13, his twin dd and DS 20 in one house. My sister, dn 19, dn 17 and his gf 17. Meeting up with my friend from Oz, dh and their 2 girls, 11 and 9. Staying in Seminyak in separate pool villas. What did you do? Any recommendations? Planning Ubud, waterbom and a trip to one of the islands, possibly Nusa Penida. Maybe Uluwatu. Looking for hidden gems and fab reasonable restaurants! Thanks!

We climbed Mount Batur, def worth the climb.

We also went to a cooking experience that was a village outreach project. It was set in the paddy fields and really fun

ATV tour in Ubud
double six rooftop in seminyak for sunset views & plantation grill for fancy dinner
chez gado gado for dinner
wild habit pizza
la plancha for sunset

Spring Spa in Seminyak square is fantastic for all treatments. Give Bodyworks a miss unless you are/want to be surrounded by “influencers”. It’s overpriced and over hyped.

There is amazing food in Seminyak, La Lucciola on the beach is great and really reasonably priced. Lots of beach clubs, we like Ku de Ta because we have been coming for years but your group would probably like Finn’s in Canggu. Potato Head is a good in between option. For the love of all that is holy please, please do not hire mopeds (or even get on the back of bike Grabs). My FB feed is full of “go fund me’s” as insurance probably won’t cover any accident and there are many serious injuries and deaths. There are many reputable drivers available for day trips, as a guide 800,000Rp would be average for a driver for the day for a car that seats 5. Get your villas to arrange travel from from the airport, you can probably find cheaper but arrivals at Denpasar can be a bit chaotic and some villas can be hard to find for drivers who don’t know them. Also on the subject of Canggu the taxi mafia is alive and well, they will not allow Grab or Bluebird taxis to come pick you up but will insist on you using local drivers who overcharge so plan your transport well.

Traffic is a shocker (and August is high season), if you are going to Ubud for a day trip leave early and be prepared for it to take you up to three hours to get back.

I would do Nusa Lembongan rather than Nusa Penida but if at all possible an overnight would be great. Rocky fast boat is the only one where you won’t have to get into the water and wade to shore.

Most restaurants now are plus plus (tax and service, so around 17% on the bill). There is no need to tip. Smaller warungs (not many left in Seminyak) don’t charge service so a tip is appreciated. Over tipping is a real bone of contention, the local view is that young people are less likely to want to stay in education to get a good job when they can make a lot of money in hospitality because people throw money around thinking they are doing good.

Make sure you understand the paperwork you need. If you can do e-visas before you arrive you can use the e-gates, you also need your customs declaration and to pay the tourist tax. I’m an Aussie so won’t advise you on visas but just make sure you use the official sites if doing things in advance so you won’t get ripped off. We usually spend August in Bali as we try and escape Aussie Winter but we are France this year.

That was a really helpful post! Things to think about. Have been twice before but it’s eight years since the last visit. A lot of people are coming on my recommendation!!