Uncovering the Hidden Gems of Bali

I was so surprised at how much I loved Bali. When I thought of Bali previously, I thought mainly of Kuta, with its bars full of drunk young Australians. We consciously avoided downtown Kuta, so my actual experience of Bali, was nothing like that.

We flew into Denpasar airport and quickly made our way to our first accommodation, which was literally right next to the airport! The Patra Resort in South Kuta is a large complex with many villas and several wonderful pools right on the beach. Our villa had its own private plunge pool.

We used the resort as our base to explore the south of the island. We didn’t hire a car, we hired a driver instead. The traffic in Bali can be quite chaotic with motorbikes EVERYWHERE! There are plenty of drivers available and the cost is minimal. The resort will be able to recommend and organize a driver for you or word-of-mouth is always a good way to get a great driver for the day.

Uluwatu Temple

Our first stop was a visit to Uluwatu Temple. The location of this temple is stunning. Perched atop a steep cliff, with crashing ocean below, there are many photo opportunities. However, beware the monkeys! They are just laying in wait to steal unsuspecting tourist’s phones as they pull them out to take a picture. Culturally, the monkeys are believed to guard the temple, however, they are brazen, and will grab any small item they can get their hands on – phones, water bottles or even jewelry! Funny how the few locals at the temples are able to get the monkeys to return your valuables to them….. for a small price! The statue at the entrance should serve as a warning – keep your valuables out of sight.

The walk along the cliff’s edge is lovely. It would be a fantastic place to view the sunset, however it does get very busy at that time of the day…. the poor monkeys are run off their feet! We chose to view the temple earlier, when it is quieter.

Jimbaran Bay

We spent several hours at the Uluwatu temple and decided to end our day with a highly recommended seafood BBQ dinner on the beach in Jimbaran Bay. This was a pretty fantastic way to end our first day in Bali. We had a table on the sand at the Made Bagus Cafe, to watch the sunset and ordered the seafood banquet for 2, with a few beverages. The seafood is so fresh, you can literally see it swimming in the tanks out the back as you enter the restaurant! The food was amazing and reasonably priced. Highly recommend.

Tanah Lot

I loved this temple. Even though it is quite touristy, and crowds can be hectic, it still felt like a spiritual place to me. The temple complex actually consists of several temples. Tanah Lot means Land in the Sea, and it is a fitting name for the temples as they are located on rocky outcrops over the sea and were built to worship the Sea God. To access the Pura Tanah Lot temple, you wade through shallow water, so shoes are off and left on a rock on the mainland and when signaled, you cross over to the temple. For a small donation, I received a rice blessing from a local Holy man, where he presses a few grains of rice on the forehead and places a flower behind your ear. This ritual, as well as the stunning location, are perhaps what led to the spiritual vibe I sensed from this place.

Taman Ayun Temple

Just when you thought I was getting templed out, I would like to share with you the final temple we visited while in the Kuta area. Taman Ayun temple is one of Bali’s six royal temples. This temple is located on a square section of land surrounded by a lake, giving the appearance that it is floating. It is made up of many beautiful pagodas and lovely gardens. This temple has a dress code so dress modestly. Upon entry you may be given a sarong or a shawl to wear.

Sanur Beach

According to The Lonely Planet, Sanur Beach was a place worth a visit, so we spent a few hours there. The beach was vast and pretty much deserted, with plenty of traditional Balinese outrigger canoes, or Kanos, anchored offshore. We had a walk along the beach, but apart from beautiful beach, there was not much else to see. There were a number of cafes and restaurants along the beachfront, we grabbed a table under a colourful umbrella, and had a lazy lunch before heading back to our villa.

On our last night at the Patra resort, we enjoyed a lazy afternoon by the pool with a few sundowners at the swim up bar.

Ubud

We had a driver transfer us from Kuta up to Ubud, our base for the next few days, with a few stops along the way. Ubud is the arty, spiritual centre of Bali, surrounded by lush rainforest with numerous waterfalls and vibrant green rice terraces. Our driver took us to an art collective that had only just reopened after Covid. This was the first of several art galleries we visited in Ubud. Walking up the stairs of the co-operative I was in awe of an artist sitting on the landing finishing off a painting of rice terraces. I was drawn to the painting, which is not the usual style of painting that I like, but to me, it epitomized Bali. Finding a very similar finished painting inside, I made an offer. Luckily, with the artist on site, and with sales slow due to the recent closure, I was able to purchase the painting for a bargain price. Happy Deb!

Pura Buseh Batuan Temple

Other stops on our way to our Ubud accommodation included the Pura Batuan Temple. This temple also requires modest dress, and sarongs and shawls are on offer. I loved my sarong, although it was more like a floor length skirt on me with my short legs. The temple has an impressive entrance, with a large gate leading to a courtyard which contains many shrines decorated with intricate carvings.

We stopped at a Batik factory and watched ladies creating beautiful designs. I made another purchase here, but was yet to gain my haggling confidence, so probably paid too much. After the Batik factory we browsed through a wood carving gallery which was fascinating. I especially liked the Balinese take on The Last Supper, but did not buy it!

Last but not least was our visit to the monkey forest. Monkeys everywhere! These monkeys, however, were not overt thieves like the ones at Uluwatu, and we were able to observe and photograph them. For a small fee you can get a monkey selfie, where the monkey handler directs the monkey to sit on your lap, he then takes your phone and places monkey food in his hand. As the monkey grabs for the food, it’s outstretched arm makes it look like it is taking a selfie. Maybe think twice before having a drink from the drinking fountain though ,watch the YouTube short and you’ll see what I mean!

Our Accommodation

Our home in Ubud was the Anusara Luxury Villas. Tucked up amongst rice paddies, away from the hustle and bustle of central Ubud, are these tranquil, luxury villas. Our villa had a gorgeous four poster bed, with a private plunge pool and day bed, overlooking tropical gardens. I made use of the daybed for reading, morning coffees and the best Balinese massage!

Food

There are three standout dining experiences that I wanted to share with you. The first was a bit touristy but worth a visit. The Cafe lotus is notable not so much for its food but for its gorgeous lotus pond. The second was The Clear Cafe, so named for it’s organic, healthy, no nasties menu. I loved this venue for its trendy, hipster vibe and very cool design. Lastly, the Nusantara by Locavore, was definitely all about the food! Great service, fancy cocktails and absolutely delicious food.

Rice Terraces

No visit to Bali would be complete without a visit to the iconic rice terraces. They were actually more visually stunning than I had anticipated, so many shades of green! We combined our visit to the rice terraces with an ATV experience and waterfall tour. The ATV tour was fun, but our vehicle broke down and had to be pushed back to base – not by us though, which is the important detail The cafe and bar at the end of the ATV tour had a fantastic view over the valley below and was a lovely spot to chill out with a beverage.

Finally, we managed to get last minute tickets to see a traditional kecak and fire dancing show. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Which sums up my whole Bali experience really. I didn’t think Bali had much to offer someone of my generation, but it really has a surprising variety of experiences and sights on offer. The people are so lovely and appreciate the tourist dollar so much. It is a fantastic value for money holiday destination.

Bali is actually my first Asian holiday destination, and it has piqued my interest in the continent. Future holiday planning is in progress! We are thinking Sri Lanka and the Maldives…. what are your thoughts?