Before the start of my last semester in University, I decided to take a 4 days trip to Bali during Recess week with my family. Although that means I had to do some work while I was there, it was definitely worth it! To be honest I was quite apprehensive about the trip initially because I heard many mixed reviews about the place. Some people found their experience in Bali amazing but some felt that it was a disappointment. After the trip I’m glad that I belong to the former category.

Trip Information

Destination: Bali, Indonesia
Time Difference: None (Guide to Bali)
Duration: 4 days
Date: 26th Feb 2015 – 1st Mar 2015
Flight: AirAsia (Singapore Changi Airport to Denpasar International Airport)
Accommodation: Nyaman Villas
Amount Spent: Approximately 700 SGD per pax

Interesting Fact about Bali: Unlike many other cities in Indonesia, Bali is made up of majority (90%) Hindus. 5% are Muslims and the rest Buddhist and Christians.

Cost Breakdown:

Flight – $249 per pax
Booked my flight in late Oct 2014. Booking early helps a lot when it comes to savings on flights! Guide to Bali

Accommodation – $271 per pax (3 nights)
Managed to get a good deal off The Luxe Nomad. Got a villa along seminyak at 60% discount!

Massages, Food, Sightseeing etc – $200 per pax

Accommodation: Nyaman Villas

What’s there not to love about villas with outdoor rain shower, huge bedrooms, walk-in closet in every room completed with your own private pool? If you are a fan of villas, Bali is definitely the place to go! Not only are the villas beautifully designed, they are pretty affordable too.

Would I recommend Nyaman Villas? Definitely! Guide to Bali

Nyaman Villas is located at the heart of Seminyak. Most of the famous restaurants are within a 5min – 15mins radius by car. The beach and Ku De Ta are only 5 minutes away by foot. Thanks to the prime location, we did not have to spend much time travelling.

Apart from the good location, service in Nyaman Villas is good as well. The staff were very friendly and helpful and efficient. One thing that I absolutely love about staying in Villas is that every morning, breakfast would be prepared and served in the comfort of your own Villa!

We were lucky to have gotten a free upgrade from a 2-bedroom villa to a 4-bedroom villa because they ran out of 2-bedroom villas for the period that we were staying. Guide to Bali

Transport

We got around mostly by Taxis. There are a couple of taxi companies around in Bali but I would recommend the blue bird taxi. I never had any problems riding with them and all their drivers seems to be certified. So I guess it should be pretty safe. One thing to note is that you should always check with the taxi driver whether he is charging by meter before you board.

Food in Bali

I wouldn’t say that food in Bali is particularly cheap. It is probably because Bali is a rather touristy place to visit. BUT, i think that food in Bali is quite value for money. Unlike other places in Indonesia like Batam, food found in Bali is generally more international and “ATAS” as Singaporeans would call it. Guide to Bali

1. Fat Chow

This restaurant was recommended by a friend (Liz) who was raving about the place after she went. One other friend also described the meal here as the “highlight of (his) Bali trip”. So even though this place was slightly further away from where my Villa is as compared to other restaurants, I had to try it for myself! Before heading there, I asked Liz what were her recommended dishes. She replied “everything is good”. And true enough, none of the dishes disappoint! Guide to Bali

Fat Chow is an Asian Fusion Restaurant.

Things we ordered (in order of appearance):
– Oriental Burger
– Nasi Campur
– Canton Fried Noodles
– 2x Chicken Wings (It was awesome and we couldn’t resist)
– Thai Green Curry
– Mix Juice & some other drinks

Bill came up to approximately 50SGD. My advice? Try as many dishes as you can! Chicken Wings is a must! Guide to Bali

Address:
Poppies Lane II No. 7C, Pantai Kuta, Bali
Tel: 0361 – 753516

Open: Daily,
Sunday – Thursday:10AM – 10PM
Friday & Saturday: 10AM – 12AM

Website: http://www.fatchowbali.com

2. Ultimo

Ultimo is the place for good Italian food and alfresco dining in Bali.

 Note: There is live band at Ultimo from 8pm – 11pm daily.

Address:
Jalan Kayu Aya No 104X, Seminyak, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 738721

Open: Daily, 4.30PM – 1.00AM

Website: http://balinesia.co.id/index.asp

3. The Bistrot

I didn’t find the food at Bistrot particularly good (at least the dishes that we ordered weren’t very good).  But i really like the decor of the place and there are also many positive reviews on the place. So I guess maybe you could try other dishes.

Address:
Jl. Kayu Aya No. 117, Seminyak, Kuta, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 73 83 08

Open: Daily,
Breakfast: 7.30-11.30.
Lunch : 11.30-18.00.
Afternoon tea : 15.00-18.00.
Dinner : 18.00-23.00 (last order 22.45).
Tapas and Dessert until 24.00 (last order at 23.45)

Website: http://www.bistrot-bali.com

4. Made’s Warung

You can’t go to Bali and not have any Indonesian food. Made’s Warung is very popular for their local cuisine. Guide to Bali

Spoke to some of the staff and realised that the daughter-in-law of the owner of Made’s Warung opened a spa on second floor of the building. If you dine in the restaurant, you will be able to get discounts on certain services/massages in the spa (Kaiana Spa). I went to the spa on the first day of my trip and went back straight for 3 days in a row. More on the spa below!

Address:
Br. Seminyak, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
Tel: + 62 361 732130

Open: Daily, 9AM – 12AM

Website: http://www.madeswarung.com

5. Ku De Ta

This is the place where you can sip on a glass of cocktail while watching the sunset! Ku De Ta is located in the heart of Seminyak and is a very popular location for drinks.

 Note: I did not have time to visit Potato Head Beach Club during my trip. But like KU DE TA, that is another popular location for hanging out and chilling by the beach with friends.

Address:
JL. Kayu Aya No. 9 Seminyak Bali, 80351, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 736969

Open: Daily, 8AM – 1AM

Website: http://www.kudeta.net/

6. Other Noteworthy Places

• Naughty Nuri’s (I visited Naughty Nuri’s during my trip but did not manage to get any good pictures because of the dim lighting. They have really good ribs and I love their corn on cob – I had 2 of those.)
• Sarong (one of the places that our butler recommended. Was supposed to go there for dinner the night before we return to SG. But the restaurant was fully booked 🙁 Managed to get a glimpse of the place and the interior looks really posh and nice. If you plan on going there, do make reservation beforehand!)
• MAMA San (also one of the places recommended by our butler. Many good reviews of it online. But we didn’t have enough time to visit. 4 days in Bali is simply not enough)
• Soleil (one of the places that I really wanted to go. The pictures of the Sunday Champagne Brunch looks REALLY GOOD! Unfortunately I wasn’t there on a Sunday.)

Attractions in Bali

We hired a car at the rate of about RP500,000 for one whole day. The driver brought us to two temples – Ulun Danu and Tanah Lot.

1. Ulun Danu

Ulun Danu is approximately 2hours drive away from Seminyak. It is 1,200m above sea level and weather there is very cooling. I enjoyed the trip there (mainly because of the nice weather) but the travelling time was a big turn-off for me.

2. Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot is a temple that is only accessible during low tide. It is much nearer to Seminyak as compared to Ulun Danu (About 30mins away) and there are also more shops where you can buy local products and souvenirs. So if you have to choose between the two, I would recommend going to Tanah Lot. But if you have the luxury of time, you can consider heading to Ulun Danu as well.

Ubud is another place that is popular day-trip location from Seminyak. In fact, some people choose to stay in Ubud instead of Seminyak because of the tranquility that it offers. If you are looking to get in touch with nature, Ubud may just be the place for you!

Massages in Bali

I don’t know about you but I feel that a trip to Bali will not be complete without a pampering massage/spa session! Before going to Bali, I did my research and noted down some of the popular massage/spa places. My first meal in Bali was at Made’s Warung (refer to above). After the meal, one of the lady from Kaiana Spa approached us and mentioned that we could get 40% discount off some of the services since we dined at Made’s Warung. Naturally, after hearing the 40% discount, we decided to try out their services. (Note that the discount varies from time to time) After going to Kaiana Spa, I did not try out the other spas on my list because my family and I were satisfied with what we found.

I went to Kaiana Spa on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd day of my trip. (I love massages what can I say.) Tried 3 of their massages:

1. Balinese Massage (1.5hr) Original Price: RP400,000 – Good for people who prefers lighter massages in the form of long-strokes. To me it was slightly too light.
2. Deep Tissue Massage (1.5hr) Original Price: RP440,000 – Similar to Balinese Massage except that there is more kneading involved. This would be better for relieving of aches in muscles. Personally, I prefer this over the first one.
3. Healing Stone Theraphy (2hrs) Original Price: RP550,000 – Consists of 1 hour of normal Balinese Massage and 1 hour of massage using Hot Stones. I found this massage very therapeutic and relaxing.

Hope this Guide to Bali has been useful for you! I enjoyed myself a lot in Bali and I hope you would too. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or email me.

• « Guide to Hallstatt
• Guide to Narita (成田) »