Bali

We spent 14 days in Bali in July and August 2019, with the first week in a villa in Seminyak and the second inland in Ubud. The Seminyak week was mostly beach clubs and massages. The Ubud week was busier, with early starts for waterfalls, a volcano and the Monkey Forest. Splitting the trip that way worked well for us, and we're sure we'll be back.

Seminyak and the Beach Clubs

Seminyak was our base for the first week. We booked a daybed in advance at Potatohead Beach Club, where the booking fee is credited towards food and drinks, and spent a livelier afternoon with live DJs at Finns Beach Club. Other days went on the boutique shops, walks along Seminyak Beach and a Balinese massage. Our first night out was at Motel Mexicola, a loud and fun Mexican place, and the best meal of the trip was the slow-cooked ribs at Warung Nia.

Ubud and the Interior

The drive inland to Ubud swaps the coast for rice fields and jungle, and the town is the cultural centre of the island. We rode a moped to the Sacred Monkey Forest, a rainforest laid out on Hindu principles and full of monkeys, spent a morning at Mason Elephant Park learning about its conservation work, and walked the Tegalalang Rice Terraces, one of the most photogenic places on the island. For the full day-by-day story, see our Bali trip.

Big Days Out

Our two longest days were both with Bali Customized Tours. The first was a day trip to Nusa Penida to look down on Kelingking Beach from the clifftops and see Angel's Billabong, coming back by speedboat in the evening. The second was a seven waterfalls tour, hiking through rice fields to natural rock slides and the Bali swings. We also got up well before dawn to trek up Mount Batur, an active volcano, and had coffee and breakfast at the top while the sun came up, looking across to Lombok.

Food and Drink

Warung Nia's slow-cooked ribs are still the best we've had anywhere, and breakfast at Kynd Cafe in Seminyak set us up well for the drive to Ubud. Look out for nasi goreng and babi guling, and budget for the tax and service charge that restaurants add to the bill. There are more food and money tips on our Things to Know page.

Massages and Rest Days

We had a Balinese massage in Seminyak and another from a local therapist on a rest day by the villa pool. Two weeks of early starts and beach clubs is tiring, so we'd build a couple of quiet days into any Bali trip.

Planning your own trip? Read our 14-day Bali trip day by day, or see things to know before you go.

When We Went

We went in July and August, which is Bali's dry season and also one of its busiest times, so we booked the villa and the tours well ahead. A week on the coast followed by a week around Ubud gave us a good mix of lazy days and early starts.