In May 2019 I traveled to Bali and Lombok, flying with Qatar Airways from Barcelona, to surf and relish for four weeks. Spending three weeks in Bali and one week in Lombok, the neighbor island. An impressive journey, experiencing South East Asia for the first time. Marked by special Balinese culture and diversity of religions and beliefs. The most humid places I´ve ever been to, with spectacular conditions for surfing and a huge variety of nature. These islands offer a lot within relatively small space. Here the places I have visited, worth to discover.
Kuta:
The airport is here, very welcoming with its plants and colours. But also extremely busy when I was there. Long queue to get through immigration. Patience needed 😉 I spent one night only in Kuta, arriving in the evening and resting in a simple, but great guesthouse next to the airport, called Asta House. Delicious banana pancakes with fresh fruit for breakfast, clean simple room, super welcoming hosts and interesting, detailed Balinese decoration. Perfect start for this journey!
Jimbaran:
My first real destination in Bali, spending there two nights in Kubu Kak Dudung Villas, nice small wooden bungalow. With shower, electricity, some luxury in nature for low budget. I highly recommend here to get a traditional Balinese massage, it was outdoors in the green garden, within nature. Easy to relax fully and get energized, still feeling the long flight from Barcelona in my bones and muscles. There is a large and quite clean beach closeby, but here the waves were too small for surfing. At least when I was there. Also I visited the Garuda Wisnu Cultural Park, which I recommend. It is huge, much to discover, see amazing statues, traditional Balinese dance and a good place to get first impressions of Bali.
Uluwatu:
In terms of beautiful and breathtaking nature, Uluwatu is my favourite place in Bali. Amazing view of the ocean from cliffs and bars/restaurants located there. Laid back people, many with experienced surf background. I stayed in the Tregge Surf Camp. Which is not really a surf camp, not offering surf lessons or rental of boards. But a nice guesthouse indeed. Big garden, good breakfast and helpful owner. Supporting with transport and information about the nearby Uluwatu temple with its traditional Kecak dance (on picture below). Uluwatu has the most impressive waves and surf culture I have ever seen. But very crowded, even more than the rest of the island, busy Bali.
Nusa Dua:
Nusa Dua is famous for its luxury resorts and even hosted a G20 summit in October 2018. But of course there are not only five star accommodations. It is also low budget friendly, I recommend the hotel called Puri Clinton Bali. Chose it due to great reviews and did not regret it. Although spending there one night only. Not too far from the beach and Nusa Dua´s famous lagoon. This town has huge green areas and is amazingly new.
Ubud:
Ubud is famous for its big yoga community and spiritual people coming from all over the world. Very green in the surroundings, spectacular rice fields and temples, like the holy water temple Pura Tirta Empul. The center of Ubud is very busy, but still offers impressive outdoor places to relax. Loads of great restaurants with healthy food and the Monkey Forest is a must see. It is touristy, yes. But a huge area with many monkeys living in a natural habitat. Really enjoyable to watch these funny creatures, playing around and not caring about visitors who are staring at them.
Bedugul:
Bedugul is located North from Ubud and is much less frequented by tourists. Almost free from foreigners. A green, idyllic paradise in nature, probably the most impressive place in Bali which I have been to. You really feel the energy of nature here. I recommend anyone to visit Bedugul, especially staying in Pondok Nyoman Hotel with amazing view of rice terraces. Also to visit the “Hidden Garden Agriculture”. Which is between Ubud and Bedugul and a highly welcoming place for tasting local teas like lemongrass, mangosteen, turmeric etc. and the famous Luwak coffee. You can even buy these tasty teas and coffee and take it home as a souvenir. Great views included. Finally, the gorgeous temple Pura Ulun Danu Bratan is another highlight in this area. Green, clean and just wow!
Balian Beach:
From Bedugul it took me a drive of almost three hours to reach Balian Beach on the West Coast of Bali. Balian is famous for being a good place to learn and improve surf skills. Not as advanced as Uluwatu. And much more calm, less crowded by tourists. I stayed at Surya Homestay in a nice small house within nature. And got a free upgrade to a bigger house, air conditioned and free from insects. Outdoors there are many of them. But also other animals, many chickens running and other birds flying around. Perfect if you like to get away from the noisy and busy places of Bali.
Also I took two surf lessons with Roni, a friendly local surf teacher who showed me the best spots to catch waves. Some were really strong and pushed me almost to the ground. I felt sometimes like in a washing machine, protecting my head with my hands. When the power of the ocean was too strong and not controllable. But I survived 😉
If you like to read about more places and recommendations in Bali and Lombok, but also other destinations, feel free to visit my blog: zikon.space.
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