Living as expats in Thailand meant having to leave the country every 90 days to do a visa run. While it is a small price to pay to be able to stay in the country legally and to avoid immigration police hunting you down, it can be tedious and it requires advance planning. To make our visa runs more exciting we decided to travel to surrounding countries for each run. One of the countries we visited was Indonesia. Indonesia has always been on our bucket list and thankfully flying Thai Air Asia from Bangkok to Bali was very affordable. We had 15 days and lots to see so we narrowed it down to 4 main spots – Ubud, Gili Meno, Nusa islands and Uluwatu.

Here’s a disclaimer: we are not party people who love to strut our stuff on the beach and drink cocktails all day, we are not couch surfing free spirits who let the day decide what adventures await us and we are definitely not into jumping in a bus full of tourists and following a group of 50 from one site to another. We like our adventures and travelling off the beaten track but we also like some comfort while travelling like staying in a place that has a private bathroom. So if you have the same travel style as us, feel free to read on. But if not, you have to keep on Googling for bloggers who’re more your jam.

UBUD

Ubud to us is the Chiang Mai of Indonesia. What do we mean by that? It’s one of those places where you stay for a few days but you’re hooked for life. Even though it can be saturated with tourists from all over the world, Ubud offers a lot of charm, culture and tradition.

Tegalalang Rice Terraces is a popular tourist spot so plan to get there early (before 10 am) if you want to avoid the crowds. We got there just after 10 am and the place was already crawling with tourists taking selfies. We walked down the path to the bottom of the terraces and when you look up all you see is lush green vegetation and manicured terraces of rice plant.  

Tips: It’s easy to find free parking for your bike along the road beside the terraces. Make sure you wear sturdy footwear as some parts of the path may be slippery and are steep. There are plenty of cafes that offer cool refreshments along side the terraces so it’s easy to keep yourself hydrated.

If you want to avoid tourist traps and hordes of tourists, you can explore the charming countryside. This can easily be done if you hire a motorbike. You drive up and down the small roads off of the main roads and you will immediately get a feel for the local life. We love seeing a glimpse of the area’s slow pace of life, the windy country roads surrounded by green lush jungles and seeing locals go about their daily activities.

Here are some other blogs we consulted when planning our trip in Ubud:

  1. https://www.neverendingvoyage.com/things-to-do-in-ubud/
  2. https://www.saltinourhair.com/bali/things-to-do-ubud/

GILI ISLANDS

Gili Trawagan, Gili Air and Gili Meno are islands located close to Lombok and all offer beautiful beaches, crystal clear water and laid back island life vibes. What sets them apart is their sizes and what they have to offer. Gili T is the biggest and most developed of all 3 islands. If you are looking for an active night life then Gili T is just for you. If you are looking for an isolated, peaceful beach vacation then Gili Meno is the right one for you as and it offers conservation and wildlife spotting if you are an animal lover.

We stayed in Gili Air as we thought it offered the best of both Gili Trawagan and Gili Meno. Gili Air offers relaxed island vibes, beautiful beaches, crystal clear water for swimming, a variety of good restaurants and bars and accommodation at every price point.

What to do and tips in Gili Air:

  • Snorkel at the sculptures and swim with sea turtles – by far our favorite activity in Gili Air. We arranged for a private boat tour with our hotel and the guide took us to the underwater sculptures first (disclaimer: it is packed with tourists) and then we just snorkled along the coast of Gili Meno to spot turtles and that day we spotted not 1 but 4 sea turtles. It was amazing to watch them close but not too close and watch them do their thing in their natural habitat.
  • Explore the whole island – there are no motorized vehicles allowed in the island so you can either rent/borrow a bike or you can walk the entire island. Make sure you stop at different beaches and take advantage of the ocean swings scattered throughout the island. When you need a break stop at any beach front restaurant or bar, grab a bite and beer and lounge on the beach as you digest your food. In the evenings, these beach front bars offer the best seat to watch the sun set for the day so arrive early, grab a lounger and enjoy your drinks while you watch the sun go down.  Also, Gili Air is home to many locals as well so you can easily catch a glimpse of the locals’ everyday island life while you’re exploring.
  • Relax and enjoy a spa day – one of our favorite spots for a good massage in Gili Meno was The Slow Spa. The Slow Spa offers a tranquil haven for when you need a break from the sun and sand.

Tips:

  • Eats: The Mexican Kitchen, Coffee & Thyme, Warung Sunny
  • Stay: Vyaana Resort Gili Air – they offer beach front accommodations, breakfast included and bikes. We booked through agoda.com and it was hassle free and the hotel was as advertised.
  • How to get to Gili Islands: from Ubud we bought fast boat tickets with Blue Water Express which included a pick up from your hotel to Padang Bai port and then it’s a 2.5 hr boat ride from port to port.
  • Others blogs we consulted for our trip:
  1. https://www.saltinourhair.com/bali/gili-air-island-guide/
  2. https://www.journeyera.com/weekly-3-gili-islands/

NUSA ISLANDS

Like the Gili Islands, there are 3 Nusa Islands – Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Cennigan. We decided to base our stay in Nusa Lembongan, hire a scooter and explore all 3 islands.

Nusa Lembongan

Nusa Lembongan offers a variety of accommodations at different price points – from small mom and pop hotels to luxurious private villas and to family friendly resorts so there’s something for everyone.

Things to do:

  • Devil’s tears – it’s an awesome place to see how powerful nature can be and it’s definitely an awesome sunset spot on the island.You can watch the sunset as water gets sucked into the cove and sprayed over the cliffs in one majestic swoop. There are several tidepools you can sit in if you wish – just be careful of those dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. You can easily get to Devil’s tears by motorbike.
  • Sandy Bay Beach Club – we loved this beach club so much we spent a better part of our time in Nusa there instead of beach crawling. The Club offers amazing food, a small infinity pool, beach side loungers and you can easily spend the day grazing, people watching and just enjoying sun and sand!

Nusa Cennigan

Nusa Cennigan is an easy motorbike ride from Nusa Lembongan and you know you’ve reached this next island when you see a big yellow bridge.

Things to do:

  • Yellow Bridge also known as Bridge of Love is a popular photo op location during the day and at night when it’s all lit up. It is used by pedestrians and motorbikes only so you do need to mind traffic.
  • Cliffs at Blue Lagoon – it’s a stunning viewpoint with turquoise blue waters below. There is a small blowhole but not as grand as Devil’s Tears.

Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida in our opinion offered the most natural sites out of all 3 islands. You can explore this island by motorbike if you are brave and know what you are doing but we decided to book a car tour instead. The driver was knowledgeable of road conditions and we felt safer than navigating the hilly, windy roads on our own in a motorbike. We only spent 1 day in Nusa Penida but you can easily spend more days as the island offers so much natural spots to explore. Tip: if you book a car tour, ask the driver to start the tour the opposite way most tours start so you can miss most of the tourists crowd.

Things to do:

  • Kelingking is one of the main attractions on the island and it is jam packed with tourists. From above the rock formation you see what  looks like a T-Rex head and you can use the makeshift stairs to go down to the beach but get ready to work your legs going up and down.
  • Angel’s Billabong and Broken Beach -these two spots are close to each other.  If you want to see the crystal clear tidal pool at Angel’s Billabong, you need to go at low tide.  At high tide, you can watch the water gush over and crash against the rocks but we don’t recommend going down to the tidal pool at high tide as it is very dangerous.  Broken Beach is a cove where you can see a naturally formed arch way that allows water in and out of the bay from the ocean.
  • Crystal Bay Beach – is a popular beach in Nusa Penida.  Swimming and snorkeling are popular activities here.  You can also buy a beer, rent a lounger,  relax and watch the sun go down to end your day.

Because we only had a day to explore Nusa Penida and we booked a car tour, we didn’t get to see all the other amazing spots you can explore in this island.  If you are in for more adventure, visit: https://www.journeyera.com/things-to-do-nusa-penida/

ULUWATU

We were glad we ended our trip in Uluwatu because all we did in Uluwatu was to beach hop and relax at a beach club.  It was the perfect ending to our island hopping trip so far!

Here are the spots we visited in Uluwatu

  • Spend the entire day  at Sundays Beach Club.  This was our favorite spot in Uluwatu.  You can swim, kayak, snorkel, paddleboard, eat, drink and get a massage all in one location.   The beach club is clean, the beach is amazing and the staff offer great service !
  • Single Fin –  is right above Suluban beach.  You can watch the surfers below while you eat your amazing poke bowl and drink your cocktail or you can come back late afternoon and watch the sun go down.
  • Go beach hopping.  Visit Padang Padang Beach, Thomas Beach, Bingin Beach and find out which one is your favorite.
  • Eat fresh seafood at Jimbaran Beach.  We recommend arriving just before sunset and choose from the many restaurants that line the beach offering all sorts of fresh seafood.  You can pick and choose whatever you want to have for diner like lobster. crab, mussels, fish, clams, etc. and have the kitchen make each dish however you like.  You can then enjoy your fresh seafood while watching the sun go down.  After dinner, you can go for a stroll by the beach before heading home.

Here’s another blog we visited to read up on Uluwatu and what it has to offer:  https://almostlanding-bali.com/things-to-do-in-uluwatu-bali/

We loved our trip to Bali, Indonesia so much we plan to go back and explore other parts of Indonesia.  What about you- have you been or will you go?  Share your trip experiences and plans with us because we’d love to hear from you!

Here are some more of our trip to Bali: