Bali 🇮🇩 Best Bits & (some not so) Beautiful Moments

Quick holiday facts

Duration: 12 nights
Package booked through Daragh Hanafin - Travel Counsellor
Package total cost: £6,800
Flights: Qantas return from London Heathrow via Singapore to Denpasar
Accommodation:
1) Komaneka at Tangayyuda, Ubud (6 nights - 5*)
2) Sofitel Luxury Beach Resort, Nusa Dua (6 nights - 5*)
Excursions: Ubud Classic Day Trip - waterfalls, temples & monkeys (included in package) + Bali Zoo elephant bathing experience (via Get Your Guide), U Fun Field Swing & Zip Lines (via Get Your Guide), Uluwatu Kecak Dance Performance (booked directly), Devdan Show (booked directly), Bike Hire (via Sofitel).
Spending Money: Approx. £1200 covering local taxis, additional activities, lunches, room snacks, mini bar, evening meals, drinks.
APPROX TOTAL SPEND = £8,000

Bali: a little bit like paradise (well, like all the other paradise places we’ve been to!) - if you look passed all the dirt and plastic pollution - which we found really upsetting.

Read on for more…!

Our 12-Night Island Escape: Ubud & Nusa Dua

We spent 12 nights in Bali — six nights nestled in Ubud at the absolutely spectacular Komaneka at Tanggayuda, staying in a pool villa that easily ranks as the best hotel we’ve ever stayed at. Then, we headed south to enjoy six nights lounging in style at the elegant Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort.

*Image: us both at Cucina Italian restaurant at Sofitel*

Why Bali?

There’s a reason everyone talks about Bali. It’s a place that’s been on our list for a while.

It’s a place that effortlessly blends natural beauty, cultural richness, and moments that feel - well - like paradise. It’s utterly instgrammable (and the Balinese know it, cue: business opportunity milking tourists!).

From lush rice terraces to vibrant temple rituals, the islands main attractions didn’t disappoint. And while we only scratched the surface, what we experienced was deeply memorable. However, what concerned us was the lack of regard for lots and lots pollution. What we saw can’t be unseen, and if we’re honest, slightly spoilt our view and experience of the island. And, the fear of getting Bali belly was so severe that we were unusually cautious and risk averse - adapting our usual adventurous and inquisitive selves to a more placid, lets make do kind of vibe.

STILL! It was a fantastic break - lots of sun, sand, awesome views, fantastic culture and some of THE BEST FOOD we’ve ever eaten abroad. It’s one of those one-time experience kinda places for us…

*Image: Jimbaran Beach before we saw the stinky fish market!*

Highlights of Our Ubud Stay (First 6 Nights)

Fully immersive comfort at Komaneka at Tanggayuda — our pool villa was an absolute dream, combining privacy, luxury, and tranquillity. It literally blew our minds and is easily the best place we have ever stayed at. Great service, fantastic location, excellent food. It had it all. Truly exceptional.
Waking up to breathtaking rice terraces that seem to ripple endlessly across the hillside - something we won’t forget in a hurry and the little details: Amy turned 40 whilst staying at this hotel and everything from the wine in our villa, to a breakfast birthday cake and sing-song. Just delightful. We can’t sing its praises enough!
Walking the well-known Campuhan Ridge Walk - famed in all the travel guides - doing so at golden hour was something really unique. We stopped for not one but two drinks in various bars & cafes taking in the lush jungle views.
Discovering the tranquility and spirituality of local temples, including the Ubud Water Temple and daily offerings, filled with incense, colour, and ritual; add to that some meandering through Ubud Monkey Forest, where curiosity and mischief go hand-in-hand… AND indulging in Ubud’s cultural experiences; from art markets to local dance performances and eating all the yummy food!
Ending days with the light of soft golden sunsets, a 5 course romantic dinner served by the poolside at the hotel (just amazing), plus other excellent dining options at Akar by K Club (who doesn’t like a sequin table cloth?!) and Hujan Locale - both nothing short of exceptional.
Waterfalls and waterfalls - including swimming in one which was a first for us!

Tranquility & Luxury: Sofitel, Nusa Dua (Second 6 Nights)

After our lush mountain in-land stay, Nusa Dua, a purpose built tourist complex comprising 5* hotel after 5* hotel… offered a serene coastal contrast:

Resort life perfected - pristine beaches just steps away, perfect for long strolls and lazy afternoons. Add to that conveniently located beach-side massage gazebos (yes, we did indulge) and bike hire… we had a lovely time mooching up and down the promenade and discovering each beach the area had to offer.
TOP TIP: We thought the Sofitel was one of the better hotels in the area - judging by the look of some neighbouring resorts, however, the beaches around the other side of the peninsula called Mushroom Beach and Nusa Dua Beach were more spectacular with stunning white sand that stretched for miles. Wayyyyyy better than outside the Sofitel. Just saying!
Sofitel’s hospitality meant plenty of pampering and polished comfort - nice food in all of the restaurants with attentive service and friendly staff. Room service was always prompt and we found although the resort is large in size, it was so quiet. We both had excellent sleep and the cherry on top of the cake at this hotel was the lovely plunge pool in our room - it was great to have an early morning dunk straight out of bed! Overall, this is a well-kept hotel that ticks a lot of boxes.
When in this area we took local taxis to other beaches/towns for more dazzling sunsets, like at the surfer beach at Kuta reflecting off the Indian Ocean and closing our days in style.
We also went along to Uluwatu Kecak (Fire) Dance Performance at sunset (be sure to book the 6pm show!). Truly spectacular but we ready for crowds. Lots of crowds. Oh and traffic. Always wayyyyy too much traffic on Bali!!

Reflections: Paradise with Purpose - and Room for Honest Impressions

Yes, Bali felt like paradise in many ways — but no trip is flawless. As we’ve already shared, this blog does feature our “best bits,” but there’s no getting way from the underwhelming spots, tourist traps, or logistical stumbles.

They are:

The traffic. OMG.
The pollution - plastic everywhere. Generally just filthy, even outside people’s homes. So sad to see.
Jimbaran Beach - hailed as a destination for the day, plus a visit to the Fish Market which is located at one end of the beach (near the airport). Lonely Planet and other guides tell you to go there and buy some fish. DON’T DO THAT. It is one of the most disgusting places we’ve ever seen.
Lack of authenticity - yes we stayed in the most touristy areas and didn’t really go off the beaten track. If we had done, we may have seen another side to the island, but out of fear of getting sick we chose to play it safe and that impacted our view of the experience. There is lots staged for tourism purposes.
The fear of Bali Belly - for real. You can’t drink the water on Bali and that includes brushing your teeth. This is probably one of the main reasons why plastic pollution sucks on the island - even the locals drink bottled water… But seriously, with stats floating around like 70% of tourists getting ill on Bali - we were super cautious. We don’t ever want to be that cautious again because it meant we had to be extra choosy about restaurants, and what we ate and drank. Like all the time - that’s quite tiring! And also equals spending more money to eat in the 5* hotels who monopolise on that. Hmmm.

The view from our pool villa in Ubud…

Planning Tips & Things to Pack

What made this trip super easy and relaxed was knowing that everything had been handled by our superb tour operator - Daragh. He independently runs a little business, which is part of Travel Counsellors. He did a great job in arranging everything for us, he booked it all, took care of us via phone call and WhatsApp and nothing was too much trouble - he answered all our questions!

If you’re looking for someone to take care of literally everything for you - do contact Daragh - you won’t regret it as he provided an a-class service from start to finish. If it wasn’t for Daragh, we would never have found nor selected the Komeneka at Tangayyuda hotel in Ubud. Simply brilliant.

In terms of packing - well, Bali is humid. Like 100% humidity when we visited in August. Prepare for that!

Waterproof jacket
Trainers
Alllll the flip flops
Bug spray - take 3 bottles!
The usual swimwear (although you can’t wear that in public) - always have a cover up and you can’t have your knees out in temples. Luckily most provide a sarong when you enter.
A adequate amount of sunscreen - the sun is strong until it goes down.

Matt cycling over some lovely rice fields 😍

Final Takeaway

Our 12 nights in Bali - six in lush Ubud and six by the ocean - were what we hoped for and more. From personal wellness by the pool to cultural encounters and postcard-perfect sunsets, this trip reaffirmed why travel gives us both joy - and this trip went further than that and truly helped us to recharge and create yet more forever memories. It also made us sad that the country could be doing ALOT more about the environment. We won’t be forgetting that any time soon.

Go to Bali if you want to fill your Instagram with wow photos. Otherwise, maybe try elsewhere?!