Bali
This place was much, MUCH larger than I expected. 4 days here is simply not even close to enough. May as well have been 4 hours. But regardless, with that said, here’s what I’d do:
Rent a motorbike and hop around Ubud:
Honestly just go on Google Maps and search waterfall and see which ones work best depending on where you’re staying. I did so much research and ended up just going to the ones that made the most sense en route. They are all just stunning, Leke Leke being the one that stood out the most. Biking around Ubud and seeing all the temples and rice terraces and the locals is a really cool experience, even if you have to deal with the endless Bali traffic.
Spend an afternoon at Alas Harum:
This place is sort of a one stop shop for everything Instagrammable in Bali. Its got the rice terraces, infinity edge pool, swing (sneaky very fun actually), restaurant, local coffee tastings, etc. etc. So if you don’t have very much time, this is the perfect place to see it all. And if you do want to eat here (food was solid), I’d recommend getting a cabana/daybed, as its like a $30 minimum spend which you’ll hit anyway after a couple drinks and burgers.
Hit a beach club
Bali is full of tons of great beach clubs, with Potato Head and Finns probably being the most famous over in the Seminyak area. But, given our shorter time on Bali, I was more keen for something unique, so Uluwatu it was, where we spent an afternoon at The Edge Dayclub, which is home to one of the most insane pools in the world - cantilevered over the edge of cliffs with a glass bottom!
Dine in a cave
The Edge was also in the same hotel as The Cave Restaurant, which is one of the sickest dining experience I’ve ever had. Its a full, Michelin level dining experience inside a full on natural cave. They’ve decked the place out with a kitchen down there as well, and even went ahead and put on light shows projected on to the cave walls in between the 10 or so courses, all depicting the evolution of the natural environment. So if you want an absurdly cool dining experience, make a reservation well in advance for The Cave.
Day trip to Nusa Penida:
Which we didn’t do. Weather. Lovely. But also, I had Bali belly (you will too, shit sucks), so I wasn’t entirely that upset staying in the villa.
Overall thoughts:
Bali is HUGE. Like shocked me how long it took to get across 1/10th the island. And there are just so many different vibes and experiences you can have here. Yoga and jungle? Ubud. Beach and party? Seminyak. Surf? Canggu. Romance and views? Uluwatu. Family beach vacation? Jemboran Beach. And that doesn’t even tip the iceberg, but you get the point. The people are very friendly, and seemed thrilled to have tourists back on their island after COVID. Tourists are mostly Australians, lots of backpackers, and hippie vibe people who have moved there thanks to the pandemic. Overall, I really liked the vibe here. It, in some ways, felt too forced, like the people and island were trying to manufacture this aura, but I wasn’t complaining about it. All I know is, I’ll have to come back in the future. And for 2 weeks, minimum!