Bali is truly a place of relaxation and a great getaway from bustling city life.
This time, I’ve opted to plan a last-minute birthday trip to Bali. I’ve heard of so many wonderful things about this touristy island in Indonesia.
Here are the 5 days 4 nights itinerary for the best experience that you can have, especially for first-time visitors to the lovely island. For this trip, we’ve chosen to focus on Ubud, Seminyak and a bit of Uluwatu.
PRE TRIP
Singaporeans don’t need any visa if they are staying for less than 30 days.
I’d also suggest getting Travel Insurance, the most important of any trip because I’ve heard way too many stories about how people got COVID or felt sick after returning from Bali.
GETTING AROUND BALI
There are many modes of travel around Bali. I’d estimate extra time for the travel as the traffic can get pretty bad with their narrow one-lane streets. For the brave who are comfortable navigating around themselves, you can opt to rent a car or even a scooter for quicker arrival to your next destination.
Otherwise, you can always hire a personal driver as I did for a safer and more convenient way to travel around, especially if you would be traveling to multiple places each day.
The option is also available for you to use their local transport apps: Gojek and Grab for simple A to B journeys.
If you’re more comfortable with hailing a cab, Blue Bird Taxi is recommended compared to others as they use the meter to charge the fare.
For the purpose of this post, I’ll be writing it based on traveling with a driver. I’ve included the days when a driver was hired and indicated it.
OUR ACCOMMODATION
We stayed 2 nights in Ubud and two nights in Seminyak.
Ubud: Alam Wayang Ubud
Gg. Pacekan, Sayan, Kecamatan Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
Seminyak: Kamaniiya Petitenget Seminyak
Petitenget St No.19, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Badung Regency, Bali 80361, Indonesia
DAY 1: CHECK INTO RESORT, OMMA DAY CLUB, THE SAYAN HOUSE
We opted to get a driver to drive us around today.
Upon arriving in Bali, our driver was there to pick us up from Ngurah Rai International Airport.
Our first stop was to head to our hotel in Ubud to drop off our belongings so we could get the necessities to prepare ourselves for the day club after the flight. The ride was around 1.5 hours from the resort. We opted not to have lunch and instead at the day club.
Tip: You can request a travel adaptor at the resort. I brought mine from home but it wasn’t the circular ones that fit into their sockets.
We reached Omma Day Club around 2:30 pm and settled in. Most of the clubs in Bali will require a minimum spend if you choose to sit at one of the tables. Of course, you can also opt for a seat in their free seating areas, which are mostly their dining or bar areas.
Alternatively, you can drive straight to the Day Club and choose to leave your luggage in the car with your driver.
Address: Omma DayClub Bali C7FQ+MV6, Kemenuh, Sukawati, Gianyar Regency, Bali 80581, Indonesia
After swimming, photo taking and eating at the day club, we left around 6 pm to head to The Sayan House to catch the sunset. However, it was raining and cloudy so we didn’t manage to capture the beautiful sun’s rays. Still, the restaurant had a wonderful atmosphere as it was lit with rows of lights in their backyard as the rain eased. While their restaurant lighting was dimmed which created a cozy environment.
Address: The Sayan House Jl. Raya Sayan No.70, Sayan, Kecamatan Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
DAY 2: WHITE WATER RAFTING, ATV, MASSAGE
This day was all planned for the more adventurous ones. You won’t want to miss these activities out.
The package that we purchased on Klook included the two activities [White Water Rafting and ATV] as well as lunch. We did not hire a driver on this day because the package also came with a driver who will pick you up from your hotel.
Tip: It was the monsoon period so I wore slippers the whole time. Do remember to get the nonslip ones as the floors are very slippery, especially when walking down the very steep stairs to get to the raft.
ATV was the other activity that took a while to get the hang of. If you like driving through the terrains, and rice fields, this is just for you. if you aren’t so comfortable riding it yourself, an instructor would be there to help you out!
Address: Surya Bintang Adventures Jl. Raya Payangan, Melinggih Kelod, Kec. Payangan, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80572, Indonesia
We spent nearly the entire day here and were pretty tired at the end of it. We ended the day ordering food at the restaurant and chilling by the pool.
Tip: Get a hotel with a spa, that way, you can relieve a day’s stress right away.
Alternatively, if you still have the energy, you can opt to head out for dinner at the famous Naughty Nuri’s Ubud for some delicious BBQ Pork Ribs.
Address: Naughty Nuri’s Ubud Jl. Raya Sanggingan No.88X, Kedewatan, Kecamatan Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
DAY 3: TUKAD CEPUNG WATERFALL, ULUWATU KECAK FIRE AND DANCE AND THE SOCIAL SEMINYAK
We opted to get a driver to drive us around today as we were traveling quite a bit.
The Tukad Cepung Waterfall is one of the most iconic waterfalls in Bali. However, it was pretty crowded when we got there around 12 pm. Do expect to wait up to 30 minutes at least for the gram.
Tip: Arrive at the Waterfall in the morning before the crowd settles in, for less crowd and better sun rays reflecting off the waterfall (aka better photos), before 9 am.
Address: Tukad Cepung Waterfall Central parkir waterfall tukad cepung, Jl. Tembuku, Tembuku, Kec. Tembuku, Kabupaten Bangli, Bali 80671, Indonesia
It was raining heavily when we went so we chose to skip the Kanto Lampo Waterfall.
Address: Kanto Lampo Waterfall F89J+6W2, Jl. Kaliasem lingk.kelod kangin, Beng, Kec. Gianyar, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80513, Indonesia
Tip: Do check the weather before heading out and make contingency plans. Most importantly, be flexible about the situation.
We decided to make last-minute plans to watch the Uluwatu Kecak Fire Dance and got the tickets hours before the show.
Before entering, you’ll need to get the entrance tickets to enter the area where the performance is, alongside the temple. You’ll be required to wear a sarong before entering, it will be provided at the entrance.
Tip: Buy them off Klook and skip the queue, otherwise you might not even get any tickets for the show. You can also choose to reach there earlier to walk around the Temple which you would have purchased entrance tickets. This is separate from the tickets to the performance.
Address: Uluwatu Kecak Fire and Dance Show Kawasan parkir Pura Uluwatu, Jl. Uluwatu, Pecatu, Kec. Kuta Sel., Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Do beware of the natives (aka the cheeky monkeys) living around the area. They are notorious for snatching loose items off unsuspecting tourists.
For the performance, I’d suggest going either much earlier or much later so you can sit closer to the front at the amphitheatre. Also, to reach the programme outline beforehand to better understand the storyline. We were a bit confused while watching it.
We headed back to Seminyak and found a bar [The Social] near our place for some late dinner and to catch the game since the World Cup was on. This place closed quite late, unlike the other places.
Address: The Social Seminyak Jalan Petitenget No.10 D, Seminyak, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Badung Regency, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Tip: We’ve heard that it was not very safe for females to be out too late. So we kept some money in our pockets and walked without our bags. We also opted for a hotel which was conveniently situated near a few nice restaurants which we could walk to and fro. Do remember to check their operating hours and whether the restaurants are still open because some of them closed down during the pandemic.
DAY 4: SHOPPING, PARASAILING, JETSKIING, BANANA BOAT, NAILS, JEMME JEWELLERY AND DINING
We opted to get a driver to bring us around today.
On our way to the beach, we stopped by Agung Bali Oleh-Oleh (which we learned, meant souvenirs) to buy some snacks and dreamcatchers to bring back to Singapore.
Address: Agung Bali Oleh-Oleh Jl. Sunset Road No.18, Kuta, Kec. Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
This was also another day of adventure and hanging around the beach. We wanted to experience some of the watersports including parasailing, banana boat and jet skiing. Again, we bought this package from Klook.
The package also comes with lunch, a 10 min massage and a driver. However, we were told that there would a surcharge for the driver to pick us up, thus we opted to hire our personal driver.
Tip: Do check to see if there are additional costs for the drivers to pick you up. Even though Seminyak was part of the places which didn’t have this surcharge, we were still prompted to pay.
At the end of the activities, we did want to add another one, the Flying Fish. The quote for that individual activity given was much more than the package that we purchased beforehand.
Tip: Do purchase the packages beforehand instead of paying them on the spot to save on the cost. You can also consider purchasing through Klook while you are there.
We did our nails [gel mani and normal pedi] and lashes extension, nearby our hotel. All in all, it was quite affordable. We paid 1950k rupiah [~SGD 170] for both of us.
Address: The Cottage Beauty House Jl. Batu Belig No.9, Kerobokan Kelod, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
The rain once again derailed our plans of heading to one of the beach clubs so we had a nice dinner at Jemme Jewellery and Dining. The place was pretty atas but there wasn’t any dress code necessary.
Address: Jemme Jewellery & Dining Jalan Petitenget No. 28, Seminyak, Kuta, Kerobokan Kelod, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
DAY 5: FINNS AND BACK TO SINGAPORE
We opted to get a driver to drive us around for half of today.
We did not visit any other beach clubs during the trip (The day club didn’t count). We checked out of our hotel and left our luggage in the car with the same driver we had the entire trip in Bali, before heading to the renowned Finns Beach Club.
Address: Finns Beach Club Jl. Pantai Berawa No.99, Canggu, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Tip: Don’t go there too early, especially if it is raining. Again, this place has minimum spending and there are areas that cost more to sit at. They were also pretty strict with the rules which you can read about it here.
We then headed to the airport straight from Finns. There are showers that you can use to change before the flight, although there were only 2 showers in the place that we saw.
Tip: If you don’t want to feel FOMO, I would suggest that you leave a full day to chill at a beach club. We really didn’t want to leave the place because the crowd started streaming in around 3 pm (the time we left).
I’d also suggest leaving extra time to get to the airport as the roads are infamous for getting jams. It took us more than twice the amount of time to get to the airport. And you wouldn’t want to miss your flight. We reached about 2 to 2.5 hours before our flight to check in and got some lunch within that time.
OTHER TIPS
Bali has a tipping culture. Typically, we tip around SGD 2, or higher depending on what help we received. We chose to tip our driver slightly more because he drove us around beyond the allocated 10 hours. We generally don’t tip at the restaurants because they have charges for service already.
Get used to the currency. Bali’s currency is the Rupiah which is in larger denominations. Oftentimes, in the thousands. I’ve made so many blunders while paying for things, even overpaying at some points in time. Do take note that sometimes, if you overpay, they might not return the change as they may think that it is their tip.
CONCLUSION
Be it an explorer or someone who just wants to chill at the beach clubs, this itinerary has a bit of everything for everyone. I hope that the tips and tricks in this post will help everyone in planning their trip for a wonderful experience in beautiful Bali.
0 Comments