Legendary Trip to Bali – my real life fairy tale

Bali has become one of the most famous destinations for couples especially for honeymoon. We were one of those couples who decided to visit Bali for our honeymoon. But I left the whole trip plan to my husband as I thought it is similar to any other honeymoon destinations where you spend time in the beaches enjoying the sun and the drinks.

To my surprise, our trip to Bali has not only become one of my favorites but also like any other bride’s dream, I now have a real time storybook that I can always be excited to share with.

Below is the map with destinations I covered in the trip

Before, I dive into my story; here are few things to be planned ahead of the trip:

1. Currency: Both Rupiah (Indonesian Currency) and US Dollars are acceptable in Bali but make sure US dollars are not torn or crushed. I recommend getting your country money into USD in your respective country and then convert them to Rupiah at Bali airport or other local currency exchanges in Bali.
2. Sim card: One can easily get a sim card in Bali, you can get a sim card on the way to your hotel from airport.
3. Hotel Booking Links:
   1. Ahimsa Beach Hotel, get discount with flight booking – https://www.expedia.com/Bali-Hotels-The-Ahimsa.h6362042.Hotel-Information
   2. Let-it-b Airbnb – https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/8008747?location=Let%20it%20b%2C%20Bali%2C%20Indonesia&guests=1&adults=1
   3. Hideout-Bali – https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/5904771?guests=1&adults=1

   Last two hotels are pretty famous and have to book few months before the trip.

4. Transportation: Most of the hotels provide free/paid pick up services, make use of them. Also, most of the water activities provide pick up services. But I strongly recommend renting bikes as many days as possible, this is the best way to enjoy the beauty of Bali to the best.
5. Food: Balinese food is delicious but if you are vegetarians, then I suggest having some snack food with you.
6. Safety: Bali is filled with tourists and resorts so I would say there is no concern of safety.
7. Affordability: It is definitely an affordable place.
8. People: Balinese people are very friendly and their culture is wonderful to experience. So, if you are lost or need any help, don’t have to hesitate to ask, they will assist you.

So, here’s my Bali trip plan that I recommend all couples especially newly married to make use of, to surprise your loved ones.

Day 1: Our stay at hotel Ahimsa Beach

Upon landing in the airport, we exchanged some US currency to Rupiah (Indonesian currency) and also got a sim card on our way to the hotel. My husband booked a private pool villa at Ahimsa beach hotel. The price is reasonable but the hotel is very luxurious. I still can’t forget the ambiance of the villa.  It has an open bathtub surrounded with beautiful plants and flowers.

On day 1, we just enjoyed most of the morning spending time in the villa and then in the evening got a complimentary Balinese massage from the hotel, just felt like heaven. Later that evening, we went on a walk to the nearby Jimbaran beach (just 5 minutes walk) and spent some time there. There are many beach restaurants, were one can have dinner enjoying the music and beach waves but we didn’t really want to spend money there, so after spending some time at the beach, we walked towards the streets where we saw many stalls and small restaurants making grilled chicken.

So, we just stopped at couple restaurants and stall and had grilled chicken and other Balinese special dishes. While walking on the street, we also found a bike rental store, so we noted that place and decided to rent a bike the next day. (I suggest planning to rent it on day one itself). Then, we head back to the hotel.

Day 2: Our bike ride to Tanah Lot Temple

The next day, we rented a bike for 2 days and started our ride to Tanah Lot. It is one of the most beautiful drives one must experience. Though I will give clear details on currency exchange and other important things needed for the trip, the currency exchange rates on the way to Tanah Lot had better deals when compared to other places, so, keep this in mind.

Below is a small video of our bike riding fun.

Tanah Lot Temple is a memorable natural beauty and my words won’t be sufficient to describe. So, I will leave it to you guys to go and visit this beautiful place. But the important point to note here is Shopping. There is almost a kilometer of shopping stores from the entrance till the actual temple and these stores will attract all the women who pass by. By clothes here is worth because of the quality of material. But bargaining is the key to happy shopping in Bali. Not only at this place but this mantra applies at every shopping store in Bali. You might be thinking of asking for 10-20%, that’s a mistake, you must bargain for at least 50%. This must sound like a joke but I got almost 70% of discount guys, so don’t hesitate to bargain.

We had dinner at local pizza place on our way back and reached the hotel by night.

Day 3: Little adventure

Our hotel checkout was at 12 noon, so we woke up early and visited the Pura Segara temple and Pantai Tegal Wangi beach, which is a 10-minute bike ride from the hotel. This beach is secluded featuring cliffs with panoramic views and a descending path to its white, sandy shore but it is a bit dangerous to visit this beach because its located below the hill and there is no proper way down. However, we slowly got down the hill and enjoyed those beautiful high tides. I strongly suggest being very careful if you plan to visit this beach.

So, on our way back to the hotel, we returned the bike. We then hired a cab and headed towards Nusa Dua beach. This beach is famous for water sports, so we did many water activities like snorkeling, sea walking, tandem parasailing in the ocean and other water adventures. This was again memorable to me because it was the first time I experienced maritime activities. The prices are very reasonable.

From here, we headed to our next adventurous stay at an Airbnb called “Let-it b”.

This hotel has a Beachfront room with breathtaking view. The beauty of it is that you wake up & fall asleep to the sounds and view of the ocean. To our luck, we stayed on the night of full moon and the tides were at its peak that we experienced splashes of water when we were enjoying drinks in the balcony at night, just like a fairy tale.

The tides of this beach reach the upper floors so it is not safe to go down the beach in the evenings. But I felt heart touching when the waves hit the building pillars at the night and you get to feel that every hit throughout the night, this made this trip a fairy tale to me. If you decide to stay at this place, make sure you have torchlight with you because this place is located down the hill with approximately 350 stairs and has no lights. Also, this place has very limited food options, so I suggest to buy some basic food items and drinks at the nearby city.

Day 4:  Wonderful experiences

On day 4, we had our breakfast at the restaurant open next block because there are no restaurants available nearby. Then, we rented a bike from a nearby rental place and visited Uluwatu temple. It has breathtaking views surrounded and definitely worth a visit.

From there, we went to Jambe Asri Agritourism where Kopi luwak (Indonesian coffee that includes partially digested coffee cherries, eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet) is produced and served. Yes, you have read it correctly, it’s coffee made out of feces of an animal. But its not that bad as it sounds, there is a hygienic story behind it and this coffee is famous across the world. After a delicious cup of coffee, we drove to Semiyank and also visited places around. We returned to the hotel early because as mentioned, this airbnb is not easy to reach during the night. So, we made sure to reach as early as possible.

Day 5:  My memorable adventure

We checked out from the hotel at 4am in the morning and headed to Mount Batur for trekking. Yes, we trekked an active volcano with the assistance of a local guide. We started trekking at 5am in the morning and reached the sunrise point at around 7am. We had a delicious breakfast with a beautiful glare of sun rays and then returned the base around 10am in the morning. Our next destination was Ubud monkey forest, a fun filled place.

From there, we headed to our last and fabulous stay, Hideout Bali. This place gives another meaning to Airbnb. That evening, we biked around the nearest villages and really enjoyed viewing the Balinese culture and its beautiful agricultural landscapes.

Day 6: Ulun Danu Beratan temple

We decided to enjoy most of the time at hideout bali itself, so just planned to visit one famous temple “ulun danu beratan temple”. The architecture and the location of this temple is mind blowing. We then headed straight back to the hotel and spent time enjoying the ambiance of hideout Bali and also didn’t miss our last Balinese massage.

Day 7: Our last day in Bali

Our last day was occupied with taking pictures and then we slowly headed to the airport.

Though it was only 7 days trip, I fell in love with Bali so much that for a moment I wanted to settle here forever. As all fairy tale stories attract us to get into their world, hence, this trip has become my fairy tale.

Last but not the least, thanks to my dear husband for this surprisingly wonderful trip.

The END

Takeaways of our trip:

1. Rent a bike on day one itself
2. Visit Bali Swing; heard a lot about this adventure but we missed it. As per our plan, this is nearby to the first hotel.
3. Add surfing to your trip if you’re a surfer because Bali is famous for surfing