Bali Part 2
Cities of Bali:
Canggu:
Canggu was definitely my favorite city that we visited and we spent the most time here. The vibe was super chill, as is most of Bali, but a perfect mix of gorgeous beaches, spas, yoga, surfing, shopping and beach clubs. The traffic wasn’t too crazy here compared to some other cities. Batu Balong beach is the main beach in Canggu, great for swimming and beginner surfing. We took surf lessons one of our last days there and that was one of my favorite things we did. The lesson lasted 2 hours and was around $23 per person (WhatsApp number text Rido +62 878-6157-0051), he was so much fun! They have local markets for shopping as well as nicer boutiques. If you visit any markets in Bali, bargain with them! You should only be paying 1/3 of their starting price. Here are some places worth visiting in Canggu!
Spas:
Amo Spa (moderately priced)
Marissa’s Spa (cheap prices)
Yoga:
The Practice - Tantric style practice
Food:
Cafe Organic - amazing options for all hours of the day
Nalu Bowls - endless smoothie bowl options
Gypsy - cute cafe for breakfast/ lunch
Deus Ex Machina - biker type bar, good atmosphere, live music
Taco Casa - amazing burritos
Nude - cute cafe for coffee/ juice
Koloni - chill dinner spot with vegan options
Buddha bowls - smoothie bowls
Beach Clubs: all have great vibes, good music and food!
Old Man’s - good for during the day or night, check signs around town for best night to go
The Lawn - gorgeous lay out and decor, great view from pool overlooking beach
La Brisa - countless pools and gorgeous greenery everywhere
Uluwatu:
Uluwatu was a fun, fast-paced town full of surfers, shopping, cafes, day clubs and crazy traffic. Padang-Padang beach is a nice beach to walk down to, however you do need to pay to get in (less than $1). The swimming isn’t that great, the water is pretty rocky but it is gorgeous and pretty well known in the Uluwatu area. Here are some good food spots and beach clubs in Uluwatu!
Spa:
Laniakea Spa
Food:
Bukit cafe - went here nearly every morning for breakfast, all the juice and coffee options
Thruster club - good coffee
Nalu bowls - smoothie bowls
Beach Clubs:
Single Fin - super fun during the day with great view overlooking water
Omnia - very Vegas like with minimum spend and dress code, not too strict but definitely a nicer beach club. Infinity pool, DJ and gorgeous sunset.
Ubud:
Ubud is a completely different atmosphere than any other city we visited in Bali. Ubud is rich with culture, rituals, yoga and spirituality. The city and streets are much calmer throughout Ubud. The Monkey Forest is in the center of Ubud, so you will likely see monkeys while walking through Ubud Center. The streets are lined with shops and markets, the main market area is known as Ubud Center, again, bargain here! There are also plenty of options for yoga and meditation in Ubud. The city itself is so green and full of energy. Here are some recommendations for Ubud!
Food:
Zest -amazing food, people and dessert
Bridges - nice more formal restaurant
Alchemy - smoothies and bowls
Yoga Barn - good breakfast
Yoga:
Yoga Barn - amazing studio, very large space, great vibe and amazing class!
Seminyak:
Seminyak is great for shopping, you’ll definitely find plenty of boutiques and amazing things to buy. The price range varies, but overall boutiques are relatively the same as shopping in the US, just a much better selection for the island life. Endless swimsuit options! Seminyak, similar to Uluwatu and Canggu has plenty great food options and beach clubs. See my list below!
Spas:
Eden Spa (moderately priced) - so beautiful
Food:
Kynd Community - cute spot with amazing food, get the fries! You can request smoothie bowls to say whatever you want and they have letters cut in fruit.
Cafe Organic - amazing vegan options again anytime of day *favorite spot*
Sea Circus - cute breakfast spot with fun decor, the matcha latte frozen - amazing!
Neon Palms - great food and one of my favorite decorated places
Ku De Ta - beautiful dinner spot, can hear waves crashing on the shore
Motel Mexicola - turns into fun bar at night
La Favela - amazing bar, such a cool layout with gorgeous decor
Beach Clubs:
Mano Beach Club - pretty chill atmosphere, small pool, right on the beach
Potato Head Beach Club - great set up and view, swim up pool overlooking water
Kuta:
We only visited Kuta for one night, it reminded me a lot of NYC. It was crazy busy everywhere. The streets were lined with cars, everything was loud and bright. We did manage to do the 5GX which is a sling shot ride ride straight up into the air overlooking the city, so that was pretty great. Sky Garden is a cool bar with a couple different floors, lots of dancing and fun!
Nusa Islands:
The water color was insane on the Nusa Islands, the shades of blue and crystal clear water was breathtaking. We used Scoot fast boat to get to the first island, Nusa Lembongan. Our boat was delayed about 45 minutes, aside from that we had a good experience with Scoot. We started at Nusa Lembongan, one of the smaller islands of the 3, but we found this island to be most alive. Yoga, surfing, restaurants, spas, etc. The second day on the islands we booked a day trip to Nusa Penida, the largest island to visit some must see spots all in one day which was perfect. The tour was around $20 per person and included transportation by boat and car. We had our own driver that took us to Broken Beach, Angel’s Billabong, Klang Klang and Crystal Bay. After the day tour we headed back to Nusa Lembongan for the night. The third day we visited the smallest island of the 3, Nusa Ceningan for a few hours which you can access by crossing the cute yellow bridge by foot or scooter. This island was very quiet, but we still managed to find some life at a beach bar in town to watch the gorgeous sunset. We used Blue Water fast boat from Nusa Lembongan back to Bali and had a very good experience, everything was on time and they had a nice sundeck on the boat! The boat ride from Lembongan to Bali is about 40 minutes, boats were large enough so the ride wasn’t too bad. Here are a few good spots throughout the Nusa Islands!
Food (Lembongan):
Hai - good for dinner on the water, free transportation
Ohana’s - good for breakfast, right on the beach
Ginger & Jamu - good for dinner, great spot for sunset
The Deck - go on a Sunday for live music, Sunset Sessions, great vibe and amazing view!
*Fun fact: All the food in Bali is amazing, there are vegan and vegetarian options nearly everywhere you go. The coffee is so good anywhere you go and most places have home made mylks (almond, coconut, cashew, soy, etc - some made with dates) which makes my heart sing.
Please reach out if you have any questions about the cities we visited or anything else Bali related, I am happy to help!
Anayat ❤