Bali was an (un)romantic trip for three; with me, the Mr., and wait for it… Mr. Vacay’s good buddy joining us. In reality, a third wheel worked out perfectly – each of us had company when we wanted it, from beach walks to bike rides and from breakfast to surf sessions. And, with a motorbike mishap, the trip gave our good buddy inspiration for a wedding reception toast.*

This was our two-week itinerary in Bali:

Sanur

Our hotel, The Oasis Lagoon Sanur, was lovely. They greeted us with a welcome cocktail, and a comfortable two-story room which offered all of us just the right amount of privacy. An incredible breakfast was included, and evening dips in the pool were divine. The beach in Sanur is packed on the weekends, and parking is at a premium with streets and curbs jammed full of motorcycles. Entire families enjoy the beach together, but only tourists wore swim suits while the locals were fully clothed, motorcycle helmets included. Sanur was a great first stop, walk-able and convenient.

Nusa Lembongan

We chartered a boat from Sanur to the island-off-of-the-island. The boat pulled up to our hotel, The Tanis Villas, and once again we were greeted with a welcome cocktail. The hotel was rustic and perfect. The Mr. and I upgraded our room to a suite, with a view of the pool, and a setting straight out of a fantasy-land (outdoor bathroom and all). The hotel restaurant is where I first fell in love with Jaffles – stuffed and sealed griddle sandwiches. You can order them sweet with bananas and peanut butter, or savory with tomato and herbs, the options were endless! And later, after returning home, the Mr. would surprise me at Christmas with my own Jaffle maker!

Uluwatu

Our hotel, the Pink Coco Bali in Nusa Dua, was relatively new, and absolutely perfect. We had air conditioning and a TV, nice indulgences but probably unnecessary for our stay. Neighboring roosters were our morning alarm, and geckos were in-room entertainment.

Uluwatu is famously known for surf, but it’s also known for the series of warungs all precariously built on the edge of a cliff with wood and stone steps leading the way. The shops are filled with surf gear and souvenirs, and the stands are selling Jaffles and smoothies. You can buy black market DVD’s, get a shoulder and foot massage, a cocktail or a snack, all on the cheap while watching the surf!

Kuta

Kuta is full of shopping, clubs, restaurants, and tourists. It gave us an opportunity to stock up on gifts for family and friends, and gave us a good excuse to escape with a day trip to Ubud and a dinner outing to Jimbaran Bay.

Jimbaran Bay was one of my all-time favorite, delicious, and memorable meals. The setting can’t be beat, with dining tables set in the sand, on the beach. You walk through the restaurant, pick the fish you want, they prepare it, and deliver it to your table. We stayed until well after our meal was complete, enjoying the view, and the final hours of our holiday.

Highlights:

  • Monkeys – they steal what they want, sunglasses, sodas… your heart.
  • Jaffles – made in “pie-irons,” reportedly an import from Australia or South Africa depending on who you ask.
  • The Balinese people – modest, spiritual, kind and helpful.
  • Massages – everywhere, all the time.
  • Kecak – dance and “musical drama” performance in Ubud.
  • Bulgari Resort in Uluwatu – the premier and secluded location boasts beautiful sunset views, and an ocean front restaurant and bar with delicious appetizers, and creative cocktails.

Lowlights:

  • Disparity between how tourists vacation in Bali and how the Balinese live in Bali.
  • Swarms of motorbikes.*

Travel tips for getting there and around:

I ordinarily book my own travel – typically finding everything I need online – but flights for our preferred dates were expensive.  Somehow we were lucky enough to find an agent, Jim Omi Cramer, who helped us work everything out.  “Bali Jim,” super zen and fantastic, was able to find flights that beat everything we found through our searches.  We flew from LA, on the longest flight I’ve ever been on, stopping in Taiwan, then arriving in Denpasar. Amen for in-flight movies and eye masks.

At the suggestion of a good friend, we hired a private driver, Ketut Darma, for our trip. Ketut picked us up at the airport, and took the boys and their boards to the best surf spots and beaches – Cucukan (a volcanic black sand beach), Padang Padang, Impossibles, Nusa Dua, and Bingin. And he was accommodating and flexible when we decided we only needed an occasional driver (rather than a driver for the full duration of our stay). He booked himself another group, and found us an “on-call” driver for our day-to-day needs.

*A cautionary tale about transportation, specifically scooters and motorbikes. Bali is buzzing with them. A family of four will pack onto a scooter that is seemingly designed for only one person. We rented motorbikes in Nusa Lembognan on day 2 (day 5 of our 14+ day trip). And minutes into our ride, we hit new, loose gravel, on a downhill s-curve. The Mr. and I went down together. He’s a seasoned rider (he got back on a bike the following day but it took me a little longer, and some heavy coaxing). Needless to say, he was bummed, I was scared, and we both have a few scars to go with our story. One of the two Dr.’s on the island-off-the-island owned our hotel, so we got the best care available. Bandages, disinfectants, antibiotics, a few broken ribs, and instructions to stay out of showers & pools (whaaaat?!) all followed us on the remainder of our trip. The moral of the story – wear protective gear, pants, shoes, and a helmet. Don’t be afraid, but be safe. And make the best of the situation.

We’ll plan a “do-over” trip to Bali – I plan to soak in the pools we missed!