7 days in Bali

They say there has never been a better time to find your own place in the sun.

Bali is famous for its gorgeous beaches, beautiful ocean, amazing diving sites, great waves for the surfer, great shops and restaurants and fun nightlife. Bali has many places to visit and lots of things to do for any holidaymaker. In fact, there are so many fun places to visit and interesting things to do it’s sometimes difficult to choose.

So what’s the ideal way to spend a short break in Bali? We think the simple answer is it depends … on you.

We will depart from a standard itinerary model out there and instead suggest a few different places for different kinds of people — and you can put the pieces together yourself.

Are you looking for 7 days-long laze on the beach with a bit of surfing thrown in or would you prefer bike riding and volcano hiking? You’ve heard of Eat, Pray, Love so perhaps a hideaway in the hills of Ubud with a generous dose of yoga thrown in would do the trick?

Things you need to know

Bali is bigger than you may think and the heavy traffic in the south — makes the going even more time consuming than it should be. This means to make your life easier, we recommend to get around by hire car or taxi.

We’d say with a week, pick three spots at the most as you’ll like otherwise be spending too much of your time in transport, packing and unpacking.

Hints : choose no more than three!

Kuta/Legian/Seminyak/Canggu

This is the heart of the south Bali beach set. Loud, frenetic and brash are just some of the adjectives commonly used to describe Kuta and Legian, the centre of mass tourism in Bali. Think an oversupply of bars and restaurants, some really quite good, some awful. Similarly awful are the touts and dodgy characters. Although this is often the first place many visitors hit in Bali, the region is not for everyone. Kuta has narrow lanes jammed with cheap cafes, surf shops, incessant motorbikes and an uncountable number of T-shirt vendors.
But on the plus side, especially in Kuta you’ll find some very affordable beds (and beers), and the beach, when clean, the beach is quite good for learning to surf on. If you’re young (or young at heart) and like to party, this is where all the action is. The next town north of Legian, Seminyak is more upmarket with mostly luxury accommodation and fashionable high-end restaurants and bars. The atmosphere is much more sophisticated and laid-back than Kuta, and the beach in particular is quieter during the day. Seminyak is also the high end spa and boutique shopping capital of Bali. Nowhere is the upscaling of Bali in recent years more obvious than here.Beyond Seminyak lies Canggu, the beaches in this area have dark grey or black sand and are not particularly good for swimming, but do offer some renowned and challenging surfing spots. Canggu is popular with many expatriates who choose to live here, and a large number of the villas owned by overseas nationals are also located here.

Bukit

The Bukit (as it is commonly referred to) includes the famous cliff-hanging temple at Uluwatu, a number of Bali’s very best beaches including Balangan, and the top surfing spots on the island. Balangan, Padang Padang, Bingin and Uluwatu are just the better knows of some classic Bali breaks for the surfers. Most beaches have a good range of budget beds, but bear in mind you’ll be a long way from the party at Kuta/Legian. Many choose to stay at the latter, commuting for the waves by motorbike.

Nusa Dua

This is Bali’s five-star bubble. This is the place where five-star resorts with six-star food and drink prices located. Like the rest of the Bukit, you’re quite isolated here but this area is popular with families due to its calm waters and self-contained resorts.

Ubud

Ubud is culture, yes. It’s also home to good restaurants, cafes and streets of shops, many selling goods from the region’s artisans. But Ubud is struggling with its popularity. But it’s popular with new agers, yogis, outdoors types and those trying to discover their inner selves with a yoga mat under one arm and a copy of EPL under the other, (if you know what we meant). The town goes to bed early and is known more for its organic food than its party scene. Spend a few days in Ubud to appreciate it properly. It’s one of those places where days can become weeks and weeks become months.

Sanur and Candi Dasa

Both are old school family beach resort areas. Sanur’s beach, while thin, is protected by a reef and breakwaters, so families appreciate the limpid waves. While Candi Dasa is a relaxed spot on the route east, with hotels, restaurants and some good snorkeling spots. Prices are moderate and both can serve as good bases to visit outlying sites. This area is good for slow couple of days with the family.

Amed and Lovina

North Bali has no surf to speak of. Amed is well regarded for snorkelling and its laidback vibe. The pace of life here is slow and the coastal scenery quite stunning making Amed the perfect place for a relaxed holiday in Bali. This is the most commonly used base for visitors wishing to dive the USS Liberty wreck at Tulamben. Lovina famous for its dolphins and incredibly persistent touts. The waves are calm, the beach is thin and over-amped attractions nil. This is where you catch up on your journal and get plenty of R&R, finish a book or simply let one day disappear into the next. The surroundings behind both are beautiful. Both are best with your own transport and Amed has by far the better beaches.

West Bali

Pemuteran and Menjangan Island sit on the far northwest tip of Bali. Pemuteran itself has a pleasant enough beach with some average snorkelling but is otherwise quite unremarkable; nevertheless it’s the best place from which to visit Menjangan Island, which has the best snorkelling and diving spots in Bali.

Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan

These three islands off the coast from Sanur are gaining in popularity. Nearly all the accommodation is on Nusa Lembongan. Nusa lembongan grows in popularity each year, but even though rooms for travellers proliferate, it remains a mellow place. Lembongan and Ceningan are well regarded for their beaches and surf.The water is some of the clearest you will find anywhere, and a vivid aqua blue in colour. Nusa Penida covers a wide area of diving locations, including Penida Bay, Batu Lumbung (Manta Point), Batu Meling, Batu Abah, Toya Pakeh and Malibu Point. However, unlike the neighbouring small island of Nusa Lembongan there is very little tourist infrastructure here.

So what to do in a week?

If you’re looking for a mixed beach holiday but not intending to spend the entire time to learn surfing then we’d suggest Kuta, Legian or Seminyak (depending on your budget/interests) or Nusa Dua(a premium option) for two nights, followed by two nights in Ubud and two nights at one north Bali destination (we’d recommend Amed or Pemuteran over Lovina).

If playing in the water is not your thing, you might start your week in Ubud for two nights, followed by two in Munduk and two in Sideman. You will need your own transport to do this comfortably. If you wanted longer in Ubud, then just skip Munduk.

If all you want to do is surf, then we’d say base yourself somewhere on the Bukit for four nights, trying the various breaks out (we’ve a soft spot for Balangan, but there are lots of other beaches on the Bukit) and spend the other two nights at Nusa Lembongan.

For divers and snorkellers who’d rather be under the waves than over them, we’d suggest one night in Pemuteran (with trips to Menjangan Island), two nights in Amed (with a day trip to Tulamben), and three nights on Nusa Lembongan or Nusa Ceningan.

Also published in blog.backinbali.com