f you follow Smaggle on Instagram you’ll probably have noticed that I just spent the last week in Bali with my business boss ladies Hair Romance, Secret Bloggers’ Business and Bombshell Bay Swimwear. We did actually go there to work (promise!) but in between our work-shopping we ate amazing food, saw some incredible stuff and spent an unholy amount of time in our private pool. I had heaps of people asking about where to stay and what to do so here are 9 awesome things to do in Bali.
Stay at Villa Teman Eden
We stayed at Teman Eden villa that we found on AirBnB. It was really cheap (about $400 per person for 5 nights) and we had our own private pool and a lovely lady that came to the villa every morning to cook us breakfast. We each had our own room with our own bathroom (which you REALLY want when you’re in Bali if you can read between the lines… I’m raising my eyebrows right now… on the same page yes?). It was perfect. 2 mins away from the Seminyak action but still quite and secluded. I’d stay there again in a second.
Eat at Bistrot
We ate out for every meal except for breakfast and this was by far my favourite. The atmosphere in the place was gorgeous, the drinks were delicious and it was the perfect mix between traditional Indonesian food and modern western cuisine. I also liked Mexicola and this dear little side of the road joint we stopped by in Ubud but Bistrot was awesome.
Get your fortune told by Agus in Ubud
Strangely this was one of the highlights of my trip. It was so weird. We got a private car to take us there and his house is like a magical little land of awesomeness. You can read the full details here but I highly recommend it as a cool life experience.
Have a drink at Single Fin in Ulluwatu
The view from this place is stunning. We must have sat here for about 2 hours taking photos and drinking Bintang. Just a warning though – if there’s construction workers building underneath the patio, they can see up your skirt. Just FYI.
Go swimming at Padang Padang
There had just been a major storm in the area the night before so it was kind of full of garbage when we went there but everyone assures us it’s gorgeous when you’re not fighting for space with empty juice boxes and cling film. Padang Padang is bright, colourful and packed full of very brown and beautiful people. Definitely worth a visit.
See the Tirta Empul Temple in Ubud
When you enter into the temple you need to have a sarong tied around your waist and women who are menstruating aren’t permitted to enter. I would have loved to visit more temples but we didn’t have time – this one was gorgeous and very serene. You can also stop by and see rice paddies on the way.
Shop in Seminyak
The shopping in Seminyak is awesome. There are lots of bargains to be had especially with Australian designer fashion. They also have a Religion store and I’m always stoked to grab an hour or two in there.
Grab a table at Potato Head at sunset
Most Bali regulars will say you need to do Potato Head or Ku De Ta when you’re in Seminyak and they’d be dead right. Both are beautiful, with gorgeous beach views and sun lounger table type things where you can just chill out like a queen and drink pretty cocktails. It’s awesome.
Hire a private driver for the day
Driving in foreign countries freaks me out and motorbikes/scooters are death traps so we hired a private driver to take around on days when we wanted to visit other towns. We did this twice and it was about $70 between three of us for a full day. Utter bargain. We could have got it cheaper but honestly we felt like such assholes, we were more than happy with $70 for the day.
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Have you been to Bali? Where did you stay? What did you eat? Tips?
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