I have some amazing photos from my recent 11-day romantic escape to Bali that always leads to other romantics asking the finer details about my trip. So here goes, JUST FOR YOU with additional suggestions and recommendations (based on what I would have improved on my trip). Why follow this itinerary? Because it will mean that you will cross off ALL of the following incredibly romantic bucket list items listed in green text among the romantic recommendations below. But first, here's a preview video to give you a taster!
Day 1, Sunday 9 October Tip and Lesson Learnt: I forgot to check if the hotel that I booked does free transfers so I unfortunately paid for my transfer to the hotel - check with your hotel first! My advice should you need to book an affordable airport transfer - book with Bali local Kadek Rata from www.BintangBaliTourPackages.com My choice of hotel: Jannata Resort and Spa, the standard room (which isn't your typical standard room by any means - I found it to be very luxurious!) Address: Jl. Rsi Markandya II, Br. Bangkiang Sidem Desa Keliki, Gianyar, Bali, 80561, Indonesia Phone: +62 361 4792778
I booked Jannata Resort and Spa because they were more affordable than other similar romantic-like resorts and had a lot to offer which included the following romantic bucket list items: 1. Those beautiful beds with the fabric that drapes from the bedposts - sigh!! 2. Their standard room have beautiful big baths with large windows of the most perfect view of Ubud's dreamy green surroundings 3. Large, dreamy infinity pool 4. The perfect setup for a romantic dinner that will blow you away!
Tip: I started with a few days in Ubud because it is a wonderfully central spot to many wonderful not-to-miss activities and locations in Bali (keep reading!) When arriving at Jannata Resort and Spa at night - take note of the gorgeous water feature at the entrance! Day 2, Monday 10 October - the idea was to do something relaxing for the first day. I started my day off with a rose petal bath at sunrise (pack your own rose petals - it's not provided) - the view was just amazing. We enjoyed the included breakfast at Janata and then relaxed at the amazing pool and of course taking lots of photos! We then enjoyed a pre-booked a romantic lunch at The Birds Nest in Ubud (got there by booking a taxi at our hotel's reception). Address: Kupu Kupu Barong Villas, Kedewatan P.O. Box 7 Ubud, Kedewatan, Ubud, Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia To make a booking, email reservation@kupubarong.com. This was bucketlist 5. The type of unique and romantic lunch that you could only experience in Bali (with flowers, a view and more!)
We booked a taxi through Jannata's reception to take us there. It was an absolutely MAGICAL experience having lunch there. Tip: I will say, it does get a bit hot in there midday - so if you can, perhaps book a sunset dinner instead - I just couldn't wait to see this place! From there we booked a taxi from that hotel's reception to our next stop which was Tjampuhan Spa - we had booked a romantic massage by the river. I chose this spa because of the view, the open space (I'm not a fan of being massaged in a closed space), the sound of the river while you are being massaged and their AMAZING man-made rock pools! Perfect for bucket list items 6. Massages with a view and 7. Unique Hottubs/Rockpools
Address for Tjampuhan Spa: Hotel Tjampuhan Spa, JL. Raya Campuhan, Ubud. Contact: +62 361 975368. Click here to visit their website. At Dawn we walked around the Ubud markets (which is situated right outside the Tjampuhan Spa. The markets are open until late and there are some beautiful and unique romantic restaurants to enjoy such as Bridges. It's easy to get a taxi back from Ubud market to Jannata Resort - there are many situated on the main road of the Ubud markets. Jannata Resort and Spa has a fantastic selection of meals for dinner - we especially enjoyed the spaghetti bolognaise :) Day 3, Tuesday 11 October
Tip: I was lucky to learn of the affordable and kind local Bali driver Kadek Rata of www.BintangBaliTourPackages.com before we arrived in Bali and booked him for a couple of full day tours - he was happy cater for my pre-planned and personal itinerary instead of following the set tours he offers on his website (which are also great!). I booked him and his team a few times during my trip and for this day to take us to the following places: First a stop was Ubud Palace. Address: Jalan Raya Ubud, Ubud, Gianyar, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia - (if you are short on time however I would recommend skipping it though - it does have a beautiful garden but not much more. Next up - mysterious and misty Pura Ulun Danu Temple (the first picture in this blog) - a water temple and absolutely breathtaking. There's a lot of amazing photo spots and this place is absolutely worth seeing! Address: Jalan Bedugul - Singaraja, Candikuning, Baturiti, Kabupaten Tabanan, Bali, Indonesia
I couldn't wait to visit the next temple - Tanah Lot. Tip: When visiting Tanah Lot, take some money with you. You will be asked to be "blessed" before you can walk up the stairs of the temple. When getting blessed by the monks, you are asked for a small donation.
In the nearby grotto - you can stop to see a real-life snake, labelled as "The Holy Snake" for a small donation. This day fulfilled romantic Bali bucket list item 8. Visit stunning Bali temples Day 4, Wednesday 12 October We started the morning off enjoying Jannata's gorgeous infinity pool. Then booked local driver Made from BintangBaliTourPackages.com for the afternoons activities which included a visit to the Bali Butterfly Park - we didn't have high expectations about this place but it was MINDBLOWING and definitely worth listed as my suggestion for romantic bucket list 9. Visit Bali's Butterfly Park. Address: Jl. Batukaru, Desa Wanasari, Kec. Tabanan.
Next up was Tegenungan Waterfall, bucket list 10. Visit a waterfall in Bali. There are some steep steps leading to this waterfall but it's so worth it! Tip: Read the sign before you go in - it tells you about ALL the good things to see in that spot. We unfortunately only read it properly after coming back up from all the steps and missed out on the Natural Spring Water shower which looks amazing.
I was hoping to visit the rice paddies in the afternoon and had a little dream of riding a bicycle there. I left it too late though and was nearly left disappointed until our wonderful driver Made came up with a suggestion all on his own to borrow us his bikes and take us on a local tour like no other - a tour whereby he showed us his home and lead us to ride behind him through the local rice paddies in his township. This was one of my favorite experiences because I got to learn about the true local culture and got to see and experience a sunset in the rice paddies on a bicycle just as I had dreamed. Tip: This exact romantic experience is now available EXCLUSIVELY to members of the Facebook group Romantic Explorers to book with driver Made for $100 by emailing romanticexplorers@gmail.com. Romantic bucket list 11. Take a romantic bicycle ride through rice paddies
Day 5, Thursday 13 October
Romantic Bali bucket list 12 & 13. Hike Mt Batur Volcano and enjoy the infinity pool and hot springs of Toya Devasya. I've seen the dreamy pictures of hiking Mt Batur, but this lady is too unfit for a 6 hour hike! Lucky for me I found and pre-booked a full day Bali volcano tour with 4x4 ride through ExpeditionBali.com which meant my hike was only 1 hour long and filled with the exciting adventure of driving over craters and old lava mountains with a 4x4!
The hot springs were the perfect ending to a wonderful tour! Day 6, Friday 14 October Kadek picked us up from our hotel for a full day of amazing activities that we pre-booked through him, starting with snorkeling at the blue lagoon and Jepun (has the most beautiful surrounding mountains) at Padang Bai.
Next up was bucket list 14. Swim with dolphins at Keramas beach - I don't know of many places in the world where you have the opportunity to interact with and touch these beautiful animals. They also have a photographer on site taking photos that are available for a reasonable fee.
We had the most amazing pork ribs for lunch at Warung Iga 88, Jimbaran - a spot recommended by local Kadek. He consistently had wonderful recommendations for lunch and dinner spots in the areas that our activities took place, just ask him! In the afternoon we had cocktails at the unique bar at Komune Resort and Beach Club Bali. Address: Jalan Pantai Keramas, Medahan, Gianyar, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80361, Indonesia Phone: +62 361 3018888.
I recommend relaxing there until sunset, and then moving over to the pool which has a lovely mint glow during sunset. I've seen some dreamy photos of this resorts pool and couldn't wait to visit - it was as dreamy as in the pictures during sunset. As long as you spend money at the bar, you are welcome to enjoy the pool facility even if you aren't a guest there. Bucketlist 15. Komune's Infinity pool by the beach
Day 7, Saturday 15 October After such an active and lovely day yesterday, I needed a rest so skipped my plans and chose to relax in Jannata's pool instead for most of the day. My original plans which I still recommend if you have the energy is the 16. Romantic Picnic on a boat in Ubud for a true Notebook movie-like experience Click here to read about it. Alternatively, consider island-hopping to Nusa Penida (Can be booked through Kadek). Pre-book Jannata's magical romantic dinner by candlelight, I was so jelly of the other couples that enjoyed this magnificent dining option! OR head to the Gili islands sooner which is the next day's activity. Day 8, Sunday 16 October Pre-book a fast ferry to the Gili Islands! We booked Buffalo tours BlueWater Express through Flight Centre but you can also ask Kadek to help you book it if you have any trouble. The ferry takes two hours, we left in the morning and arrived at Gili Trawangan mid-afternoon. My choice of hotel: Hotel Ombak Sunset. Address: Gili Trawangan, Dusun Gili Trawangan Indah, Gili Indah, Pemenang, Lombok Utara, Nusa Tenggara Bar. 83355, Indonesia. Phone: +62 370 644333 After checking in, have some lunch at one of the 2 Hotel Ombak Sunset restaurants - one of the restaurants offers Westernised dishes, while the other offers more Balanise type foods. We spent the afternoon having fun on and taking photos of bucket list 17. The Romantic swings of Hotel Ombak Sunset while there was no queue! (See below for a pic of the swings - the main reason I booked Hotel Ombak for!)
Then, have a swim and cocktail at bucket list 18. Square shaped pool bar.
When the clock hits 5pm, be sure to head over to the beanbags on the beach before there are none left to watch your first stunning sunset on the island. A queue will soon form for sunset photos at the swings - there will be a professional photographer taking photos of you that is optional to buy - otherwise to save money, just ask the couple behind you in the queue to take some for you with your own camera. It's well worth standing in line for these photos!
After enjoying the sunset, keep an eye out for any special activities that the hotel might have on. On this particular night, we were lucky to cross off another bucket list: 19. Movie at a beach and bean bags cinema. Tip: Today we also pre-booked a private boat for tomorrow by which we could island hop all 3 of the Gili Islands. You can also contact Kadek for recommendations - he's so well connected! Day 9, Monday 17 October
There it was! Our private boat waiting to take us on our next dream, bucket list 20. Full day Island hopping and snorkeling the Gili Islands
I was blown away that it turned out to be a glass bottom boat, giving us views of the ocean floor, fish and corals everywhere we sailed to! Read my blog 10 Ultra Romantic Reasons to Escape to the Gili Islands in Bali for more details. Day 10, Tuesday 18 October It was time for us to leave the gorgeous Gili islands through a return fast ferry and head back to Bali. Before saying bye, we started the day off visiting the Hotel Ombak swings at sunrise. We also explored the the hotel grounds and closeby restaurants and found bucket list 21. Gili Romantic Hammocks and Romantic Restaurants
Our next choice of hotel back in Bali: Astagina Hotel. Jl. Werkudara No.8, Legian, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia. Phone: +62 361 4741000 Upon arriving, we were drawn to the pool like fireflies where a selection of wonderful cocktails were waiting for us at 22. A round pool bar with romantic pool beds next to it!
At night, we watched a movie in their bean bag cinema next to another amazing pool. There are also beautifully romantic seating options for an affordable dinner. Day 11, Wednesday 19 October Our last day in Bali! The main road close to the hotel is a great spot for last minute shopping. With Kadek, we then head off to enjoy some waters ports nearby. There's a great selection of activities - we chose the Underwater Scooter and Parasailing before relaxing at the Astagina pool one last time...
I can also highly recommend Kadek for an affordable transfer back to the airport.
Wishing you a magical time in Bali and I invite you to please share your own experiences in our Facebook group @RomanticExplorers Until next time, pleasant traveling!
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