Last week my boyfriend and I went to Bali for a quick little getaway to celebrate our five year anniversary. We live in Perth, Australia, so Bali is one of the cheapest destinations to fly to, with one of the shortest flight times.

Our flight was at 7.50am, so we woke up while it was still dark (and absolutely freezing) to get to the airport. I've always quite enjoyed waking up super early in the morning to get to the airport, I think because the only time I ever wake up while its dark in the morning is to go on holidays it just habitually feels exciting.

A quick 3.5 hour flight later and we arrived into the thick and welcoming heat. We stayed in Seminyak for our first 3 nights, in a brand new hotel called Zia Hotel.

We arrived right in time for lunch, so we dropped our things in our room and headed out to find something delicious to eat. Just a little walk down our street were some great cafes, and some of the best rated restaurants in Seminyak at the moment; Sardine and Barbacoa.

That evening we went up to the rooftop bar of our hotel for our complimentary cocktail each, and then went down to the beach and made ourselves comfortable at one of the many beach bars. Bali now have Bintang Radlers, which they didn't have last time I visited, so I was very happy about that addition to the bargain menu.



Our first full day in Bali we took it very easy and had a nice slow morning relaxing in our room, then had lunch down the street at a lovely Greek place, and then headed into Kuta for the afternoon. We headed straight for Jimmy's beach bar. I got a $10 pedicure, Jake got a $3 shoulder and head massage, and we had a few Radlers and Bintangs while watching the surf. Jimmy's bar is right in front of the giant turtle on Kuta beach, where they safely house the turtle eggs and then release them when they're ready. To our surprise they were releasing turtles that afternoon, and we were lucky enough to get to release one ourselves! We then ended the night at one of our favourite restaurants in Bali, Mexicola.




Day two we had a full day booked. We were picked up from our hotel at 8am, taken to a fast boat about an hour away, then after a quick 45 minute boat ride (where we sat on the roof of the boat because it was too full) we arrived in Nusa Lembongan. We then got on a smaller boat with a group of 8 other people and set out to find some amazing snorkling spots. We spent the day soaking up the sun while diving under crystal clear water. A quick lunch and then on to a kayak tour of the mangroves, which was amazing.

We were dropped back to our hotel at around 6pm, making the full activity 9 hours. I would definitely recommend it to everyone; it was my favourite day of the whole trip!




That night we quickly got ready and headed across the road to Sardine, a restaurant I've wanted to try for a few years now. The food was delicious and the setting was magical.

The next day we moved from our hotel in Seminyak to a villa in Ubud. The villa was called Jiwa Klusa and was about 15 minutes outside of the main Ubud area. The villas were beautiful but the location was a real hassle, as a taxi to town and back was about $25, which isn't typical for Bali prices.

The restaurant at the villa had incredibly small servings but at not incredibly small prices, so each meal ended up costing upwards of $50; again not typical cheap Bali prices. The food was also nothing to write home about. We were moved rooms 3 times over 3 nights because our first room had a ridiculously loud broken aircon that made it impossible to sleep, as did the second room. The third room was beautiful and huge and quiet, but we were only moved there on our last night so we barely got to enjoy, it except for a quiet sleep. It didn't really make up for the inconvenience of trying to organise maintenance men and finding out if we had to move or not and then moving twice. They also weren't very apologetic. Overall the villa was really nice aesthetically but I wouldn't recommend it.


Our first full day in Ubud was our five year anniversary! We hired a driver who took us on a tour of the area; including some temples, the butterfly enclosure, rice terrace and Tegenungan Waterfall. The waterfall was my highlight. The surroundings were beautiful and the waterfall itself was so strong and an incredible experience to swim in.





Our last full day in Bali we went into Ubud town. We explored the streets a little and visited the monkey forrest. To be honest I was quite disappointed by Ubud; I had expected lots of healthy organic little cafes, great markets and overall just a great atmosphere, as this is what I'd heard. I found the markets were disappointing compared to Kuta, the cafes were nothing special and the atmosphere was lacking. I'm glad to have tried somewhere new in Bali but I wouldn't stay in Ubud again.


On the final day we had to check out at 8.30am to make the long drive to the airport from Ubud. The trip was a welcome relax and defrost from the freezing weather we've been having back home in Perth this winter. My favourite day was definitely the snorkling and maldives day trip, and then the waterfall visit. I'd definitely do both activities again and recommend them to anyone.

I'd love to hear where you stay if you go to Bali, as I'm always looking for great affordable accommodation there. Or any activities you've done that you've loved.

xx Bec