A two-week round trip to the beautiful tropical islands of Bali and Gili in Indonesia with stopovers at the contrasting modern cities of Dubai and Singapore. An amazing holiday retreat so varied in landscape, history and culture.
Dubai
After a fairly comfortable overnight flight, we arrived at Dubai airport just after 7am and took a taxi to our hotel. We had booked the luxury 5 star resort Atlantis The Palm which has been a long desire for me so I was excited to get there. A note on transfers; public transport is a cheap and convenient way to get around but if you do not fancy that after a long flight you can grab a taxi outside the airport, just make sure you go for a metered one as they are significantly cheaper than a fixed price one. Also avoid hotel transfers as they seem to be triple the price, or at least the Atlantis one was.
The Atlantis was hugely impressive and everything we imagined it to be. It reminded me of a smaller version of Disneyworld (which of course I am a massive fan of). I was like a small tired child when we arrived; grumpy and extremely excited. Unfortunately we were unable to check in immediately but the staff were kind enough to let us leave our luggage with them and enjoy the hotel facilities. Everything about the hotel is grand; the huge reception, the high ceilings, the plants and elaborate ornaments, the vast array of restaurants and shops, the poolside area, and most of all the aquarium which was mind blowing. The tank houses about 65,000 fish. You could literally stand there for hours watching them swim together in their shoals, mesmerised. The morning flew by with time at the pool and aquarium and before we knew it, it was 3pm check in time. We had a deluxe room with a sea view, conveniently on the right side of the building for the sunset. The room was as expected, spacious and comfortable with a touch of 5 star luxury.
That evening we had booked ourselves into the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, the world’s only 7 star hotel, for evening drinks. This hotel was wonderfully extravagant, if a little eccentric with gold plated everything, but exactly what we were hoping for. We recommend arriving for evening drinks just before sunset so you can enjoy the view of Dubai before the sun goes down. The service here was second to none, the waiters were charming and attentive and the cocktails were beautifully presented and delicious. Free nibbles were provided which was a bonus given we had already spent £150 on 4 drinks! Definitely a place worth splashing out on for a special occasion. We headed back to the Atlantis and had dessert in one of their famous aquarium restaurants, Ossiano. Lovely setting and the dessert was something from master chef. The intricate detail and effort that went into it was impressive and it made for a beautiful dish. That was us done, it had been a very long but amazing first day with a little luxury to start us off.
On the second day we had three things to achieve on our agenda; the Burj Khalifa, the Marina and the Atlantis Palm Water Park, which again we got complementary access to. We got up bright and early, devoured an all-you-can-eat breakfast in one of the restaurants (which was pretty average) and jumped in a taxi to the Marina. We had a stroll around the many skyscrapers which were hugely impressive but very samey so you don’t need to spend a huge amount of time here.
We jumped on the metro to the Dubai Mall, another grand and luxurious construction, and finally a view of the Burj Khalifa amongst the many other tourists. These two items on our itinerary were more of a must-see while in Dubai more than anything else, so once seen we were happy to get back to explore the water park. We spent all afternoon on the lazy river, probably one of the best lazy rivers I have been on with several rapids and slides on route. The slides were great fun for all ages. We particularly enjoyed the one that went through an underwater aquarium. There are lots of kids and families here so it gets very busy, something you should be prepared for. Also don’t forget to purchase lockers in addition to the entrance ticket. For some reason these are sold separately which seems silly as most people will have baggage with them.
Bali – Canggu
After a brief 3 hour flight on a Jet Star plane, another very smooth and easy flight, we arrived at Bali airport where we were greeted by our car hire company Balicheapcar. Wanted to write a little segment on these guys because they were amazing. We were greeted by two very smiley Balinese guys, father and son, who were super laid back and happy to meet us. A great first impression of the Balinese people which we later found was representative of every local we met. When we got to our car, a Suzuki Jimmy Jeep priced at an extremely competitive rate of £85 pounds for 8 days, we were walked through the all-important aspects including how to change a tire and completed step 7 on the contract; a picture with the car hire host. Yes this was actually written into the contract! Comforted (or not, in Karina’s case) by the official proceedings we were let loose on the Balinese roads, which were completely nuts!!
The car was fine, it was by no means modern or luxurious but made us feel like we were driving a car you see in those cool American road trip films. We loved it. The only struggle we had was going uphill, so if you are planning to visit the mountain areas maybe go for a slightly better model. We would 100% recommend Balicheapcar. We were in contact with them throughout the trip for tips on local moped hire and boat transfers so cannot say enough good things about them. Try to avoid using big multinational car hire companies, it’s all about supporting the local businesses like this where possible.
We drove through the manic streets of Kuta, which is driving like you have never done before. If you are not a confident driver or a little faint-hearted do not attempt to drive in this bustling and quite chaotic city. The whole time you are positive you are going to knock hundreds of mopeds over but somehow they just skip around you. It feels a little like ants on a nest! We arrived at De Moksha, our first destination in Canggu, after driving down a dark and very bumpy road. Again this is normal, proper roads are a rarity. This hotel is exactly as it states; surrounded by rice fields, jungles and natural wildlife.
The room was huge and beautifully decorated with a four poster mosquito-netted bed, open plan kitchen, lounge area and an outdoor bathroom. Given the bathroom is outside and surrounded by a mini jungle of sorts, you have to expect all kinds of bugs, spiders and lizards to present themselves, particularly at night. If you are not keen on nature then this is not the resort for you, but if you want to be amongst the natural beauty of south Bali then this is a wonderfully peaceful and completely unspoilt place to stay in. One small thing to consider is that you will need a car or moped if you want to visit the beaches or bars in Canggu as it’s a little far out.
Our first night we met some friends at Deus, a trendy bar that seemed to attract backpackers and sold local beer (Bintang) for £1.75, bonus! We had a great dinner, listened to some live music and hit the hay. Our first of two days in Canggu we headed to Tanah Lot temple, one of the seven sea temples on the Bali coast and probably the most popular so it was on our hit list. It was everything the pictures portray. The temple sits on a rock formation in the ocean just off the coast. It’s stunning but be prepared to fight for a good picture with every other tourist in Bali.
Before visiting temples have a read about their fascinating history; which gods the temple was built for; the significance of its location whether on sea or mountains; and the meaning behind the number of roofs each temple has (11 being the top). Later you will see we visited a smaller temple in Munduk but of equal sacred importance dedicated to worship of the dead. It was completely isolated on a river between forestry and mountains and was equally as stunning. After Tanah Lot, we spent some time on Echo Beach surfing and sunbathing. A shimmering black sand beach with some old rustic shacks along the edge selling beers and renting surf boards, a very cool spot again attracting the backpackers.
We then met some friends at the Soori hotel for a beautiful sunset on a more isolated beach. Check out this luxury boutique hotel out if you have a large budget, it looks unreal and we believe it features in the world’s top hotels list.
The next morning after a complimentary yoga session (enjoyed by Karina, not my thing as I struggle to touch my toes) and another elaborate breakfast we headed down to Uluwatu, which included the perils of driving through Kuta again so I got myself mentally prepared! We visited the Uluwatu temple which was very different to Tanah Lot, set high upon huge cliffs with the turquoise ocean below. Definitely recommend visiting this area and the south of Bali generally as it is quite different to the north. Watch out for the monkeys that live near this temple, they will literally take anything that is loose. They know to check bags so keep an eye on them and don’t panic like lots of people do, they won’t hurt even though some are large and have big teeth!
After that, we ate lunch at a restaurant that overlooked Padang Padang beach, a small enclosed white sand beach cove that was used in a scene from the film ‘Eat Pray Love’ and as you can imagine gets very busy. Again watch your belongings here as the monkeys will have it as soon as you take your eye off them. From here we started our journey to our next destination, Munduk, towards the north of Bali.
Bali – Munduk
Munduk…where do we start? Unbelievable is the first word that springs to mind. We absolutely loved it here and it was by far our favourite place in Bali. It’s not one of the top destinations as most travellers tend to flock to the popular Seminyak and Ubud areas, but for anyone reading this we highly recommend you visit. And if you do, you must stay at the Munduk Moding Plantation, a beautiful nature resort set high in the Munduk mountains. It took us about 3 hours to get to Munduk from Canggu and the drive was relatively easy, bar one struggle getting up a really steep hill when we took a wrong turn, but if you stay on the main road you’ll be fine.
The Munduk Moding Plantation is located in a small local village surrounded by their own working coffee plantation and a tropical rainforest. When you arrive at this hotel the first thing you’ll be struck by is their incredible world-renowned infinity pool that overlooks the most stunning panoramic view of the mountains, jungle and coastline. Many a picture was taken from here. The room was immaculate with a huge bathroom and four poster bed looking out to the plantation with views of the sunset in the evening. The food was of a decent standard but not as good as some of the other places we stayed. We took advantage of the complimentary morning tours through the local village, jungles and coffee plantation, which were a great way to start the day. One of these trips was on a horse and in hindsight something we would have rather walked as we felt the horses were not kept as well as they should be.
Our first day was temples and waterfalls and what a first day! We organised a trip through the hotel with a local guide who took us to one of the twin lakes, Danau Tamblingan, where we hiked through the jungle trail, visited three temples and rode in a traditional canoe back to our starting point. Motorboats are forbidden on this scared lake so it was nice to experience it this way. But if you wanted to save some money you could quite easily walk back through the jungle. This trip was enjoyable if not a little expensive but gave us a chance to explore the Bali jungles and visit some unspoilt temples with no one else around except a local expert teaching us the history.
After this, we decided to venture off on our own and visit the waterfalls. The first, Banyumala waterfall, was not one we had heard of but well worth the visit. Be warned when driving to this waterfall as the road that leads there was extremely steep and not in the best condition to say the least. It was like driving down two planks of wood with a massive gap in the middle, and lasted about 20 minutes. Once you get to the bottom of the track you can park up and take a smaller path into the jungle until you reach the waterfall at the bottom, which of course you can hear crashing over the rocks before you see it. It was a spectacular view and was particularly special as you could get into the cold and rough underfoot lake it had created beneath, which we couldn’t resist. Luckily enough there was a local guide who offered to take a picture of us.
We spent some time here before tackling the dirt track road back up to the main road which took even more concentration then coming down. On our way back up a random local stopped on his scooter just to say he hoped we were having a great time in Munduk and then carried on his way. This literally sums up the people in Bali and the warm welcome we received from everyone everywhere we went. Next stop was Munduk waterfall, which was located off the main road and meant stopping on the roadside, apparently a car park, and walking down another steep path. This waterfall was not as breath-taking as the first but still a completely unspoilt natural wonder so amazing to see. Both waterfalls were free to access but we can definitely see this changing as Munduk gets more popular.
On our second day we decided to take a trip up to the northern tip of the island, Singaraja, the coastline of which we could see from the hotel views. The drive alone made this trip worthwhile. We drove through small remote villages, rice fields and jungles with such beautiful landscape views. We took lots of pictures and of course were greeted by lots of friendly smiley Balinese families and children on the way.
When we got to the coast we parked up by Lovina Beach, a much quieter and less commercial beachside resort compared to the busy tourist spots in the south of Bali. The waves are also much calmer so not the place for surfing but popular for snorkelling and turtle watching instead. We hired a small boat and driver and did some snorkelling around the surrounding reefs. The coral was not massively spectacular but the colours and numbers of fish were incredible to see.
We drove back up the mountain roads to the hotel, taking a different route this time that was a little steeper but just as pretty. That evening we enjoyed another traditional Balinese dinner at the hotel and watched traditional Balinese dance performed by a local children’s school of dance, a perfect way to end our trip in Munduk.
Bali – Ubud
The vibrant and buzzing tech start-up hub of Bali was a hustling bustling little spot. Known as the Silicon Valley of Indonesia, Ubud centres around a large local market with a never ending array of shops, bars and restaurants. We stayed at the Sankara Ubud Resort, which was recommended by some friends and for good reason as the hotel was another beautiful resort with natural surroundings, an amazing pool and huge rooms. The pool was a good size and, what seems to be the case with most hotels in Bali, an infinity pool opening up to beautiful Bali landscape views.
Our room did not come with its own pool but after looking at the rooms that did, they definitely seemed worth the upgrade. The food at this hotel was great too, probably one of our favourites. They offered a wide selection for breakfast and dinner as well as complimentary tea and traditional Balinese cakes at teatime which was a nice treat. In comparison to the Munduk hotel and location, this hotel was within walking distance to the town centre and had a lot more going on in the day and evening, more similar to South Bali.
On route from Munduk to Ubud, no more than a 2 hour drive, we visited the Danau Bratan temple. This is another well known 11 storey water temple located on the shores of Lake Bratan in Bedugul. We arrived during a busy time with crowds of locals and tourists but enjoyed walking around taking in the atmosphere. It was one of the first cloudy days we had in Bali but we managed to get some nice pictures of the temple against the misty mountains in the background.
When we arrived in Ubud we continued our temple tour and visited Gunung Kawi and Pura Tirta Empul. Both temples were beautifully set in the jungle with carvings dug into the rocks. There are many historical landmarks to explore in Ubud, however they did seem a bit more commercial with rows of local shacks at the entrances selling all sorts of hand crafted items to the tourists. We decided not to visit the popular Monkey Forest, also a nature reserve and temple complex, as we had seen lots of monkeys in other places but more importantly we had been told that the monkeys here were a lot more aggressive, most likely due to the larger crowds that flock here. That evening we had an early night in preparation for our early wake up call.
Our second day was the much anticipated Mount Batur sunrise trek, which was as amazing as all the reviews we read. We paid for a tour guide which was needed at this time of day but you could go up in the daytime on your own as it’s a fairly easy summit. Our group was just the two of us, but there were lots of people doing it in much larger groups. Supposedly it was a quiet day so I imagine it can get really busy and is not as enjoyable if following a herd of people up the mountain. In terms of itinerary we were picked up at 2am, the climb began about 3am and we arrived at the summit about 5am just in time to watch the sunrise.
The climb was good and at times a bit rubbly and tricky but anyone with reasonable fitness can achieve this. Walking in the dark by torchlight was great and the view, luckily for us, was clear and we were able to witness a stunning sunrise at the top. Our guide was lovely, a really friendly guy who was very knowledgeable of the volcano and its history. He offered to take plenty of pictures of us on route and told us all about his family, Balinese life and the various traditions which was really interesting to learn about.
After taking in the spectacular colours from the sunrise, we walked around the top of the volcano and back down to the car where were we taken to a hot spring for a relaxing dip before heading back to the hotel. Once back at the hotel we relaxed around the pool with our complimentary afternoon tea and admired the hotel view and the photos from the trip we had just undertaken.
On the third day we took a complimentary tour with the hotel of the rice fields and local village in the morning. We walked through the village streets and even into some of the houses where we met local families and workers. It was great to walk around the rice fields as we had seen many from the car but this time we could get up close and learn how they were farmed.
In the afternoon we visited the royal palace, a prominent feature and tourist attraction set in the heart of Ubud. Apparently still home to the local royal family, it is open to the public who can walk around and explore the grounds, the charming temple and gardens. Unfortunately when we visited, the building was under re-construction so parts of it were closed off but it was still great to see and experience. We then headed to the local market, just opposite the palace, spread across a number of adjoining back streets. The market was colourful and vibrant, with locals selling an abundance of hand-made souvenirs and arts and crafts, some of which we had seen being made during our village tour in the morning.
Ubud was a great place to see and can definitely understand why it is such a popular destination for many tourists. However a few days here was enough for us and we were ready to move on to our next destination, the Gili Islands. By this point we had handed back our rental car so booked a transfer with Gili Gili fast boat. There are many transfer options to choose from, all of which have widely contradicting reviews that will only confuse you. The transfer with Gili Gili, one of the most expensive options, was safe and comfortable (worth noting it will be a bumpy ride with any fast boat on these seas) but after looking at the other boats on the harbour that are all similar in size and condition we would probably go with a cheaper option if we were to do it again.
Gili Air
Where to begin with this idyllic little island. It is pure paradise! Not a posh 5 star paradise but an exotic unspoiled island paradise, absolutely beautiful. Gili Air is one of the 3 Gili Islands in Indonesia, located closest to Lombok and furthest away from Bali. It is also the middle of the range one hence why we chose it; not as busy as Trawangan, the largest of the 3, but not as quiet and secluded as Gili Meno.
We stayed at the Senang Villa which was lovely, run by a group of young lads who were the friendliest and kindest hotel staff we had come across. Every morning they served our breakfast on the balcony outside our room with genuinely interested chat about our day’s plans. They had great local knowledge and lived on site so were always around for a chat or help to arrange an activity. We also had a regular visit from the hotel cat whenever food was around which was nice. The rooms themselves were pretty basic, a simple double bed and outdoor bathroom, but then the price of the hotel is extremely cheap and the service offered far surpasses the asking price in our opinion.
There are no motors in Gili Air so the only mode of transport is walking, biking or horse and cart. The latter we avoided as again we felt the horse were not looked after very well. Keep in mind we cycled the island in about 20 minutes so it is very small so easy to get around. We also noticed there were no dogs which, coming from Bali where they are literally everywhere, was very unusual. There were plenty of cats instead. This island is all about relaxing and slowing down your pace, which is exactly what we did. It is absolutely stunning with crystal clear blue sea and beautiful white sand.
You can snorkel straight from the beach along the right-hand side of the island where the water is very shallow and the bay covered in pretty coral reef and fish, and if you’re lucky you may even spot turtles. These islands all have a very backpacker feel to them so there are lots of bars and restaurants lining the beach front where the food quality is surprisingly good. In the evening, you are spoilt for choice and they even had an outdoor cinema serving food and drinks. We loved hanging out at a bar called Mowie’s where you could sit on the beach listening to the waves and watch the sun go down, with a nice cocktail in hand of course. The bar next door had a swing where you could take a great sunset picture, and further along another bar had two hammocks on the beach for an even more popular sunset shot for those eager travel couples!
We spent our first day hiring a bike and exploring the island, riding along the beach front where in some areas the sand was so dense it was hardly a pathway and you had to get out and pull the bike along. You can also ride through the centre of the island into the little village streets which are really cute and fun to explore. We passed lots of local families in their homes, many with their own farms with the animals grazing along the pathway. Rather than book a snorkelling trip, of which there are many available on the island, we decided to rent some snorkels and explore the underwater life in Gili Air on our own. You could spend hours doing this, with breaks for drinks and nibbles at the beach side restaurants. This really was the life! That evening we went to our favourite bar Mowie’s for dinner and enjoyed a superb sunset view.
On the second day we visited Gili Meno which was a simple boat ride about 15 minutes each way. Despite being a laid back island the boats do have set departure times and stop during the afternoon so make sure you check this. The water and beaches in Gili Meno were even more perfect and there was even less going on. We walked around the island, visited the beautiful lake in the middle and stumbled across the baby turtle conservation; a tank where they were being nurtured and returned to the sea.
Once back on Gili Air we had a walk around the island looking for a restaurant that had been recommended by some friends, Pachamama. It is well known for its amazing organic gluten-free menu and was a beautiful little spot nestled away in the back streets, despite being extremely hot due to the electricity supply being down in the entire island that day. Amazing how much you rely on these little pleasures of air conditioning in countries like this. To get there you can follow the signs, bearing in mind that Gili signs are lots of pieces of wood nailed to a tree, and eventually you will find it towards the north east of the island. That evening we had dinner at a great BBQ spot by the port, great value for money and delicious simple food.
On our third day we travelled back to Bali for our flight to Singapore that evening. All in all it was quite a long trip with the 2 hour boat ride (with an addition of 30 minutes due to the engine breaking down on route, nothing too serious) and a 3 hour transfer to the airport once on land. We had enough time to make a quick stop to the beach at Kuta which was a 30 minute walk from the airport.
We got there just in time for the sunset which was surprisingly pretty even if full of tourists. This area of Bali is completely different to all the others we had been in. There were large towering McDonalds signs along the beach side with numerous neon lit beach bars playing chill out house music. It had the vibe of being on a Greek party island. A cool place if you want to party after which you could retreat to the hills of Munduk for same relaxation and quiet. After enjoying a drink at one of the bars watching the sunset, we headed back to the airport excited for our next destination.
Singapore
Our final few days of the trip and we find ourselves in Singapore checking into the Park Royal on the Beach hotel at 1am in the morning. A far cry from where we were 3 hours ago on a very small idyllic island, we are now in the middle of a busy city about to join the masses at Universal Studios. The difference in the space of a few hours was fairly surreal. The hotel itself was very nice, a lot more business-like than the others we had stayed in during our trip, but that was to be expected given we were located in Singapore’s central business district. However it had everything we needed, a comfortable and spacious room with good air-conditioning and a great pool that overlooked the city. The price was pretty reasonable too and the location was perfect for us, only a short walk from the marina and about 10 minutes from the nearest metro.
Universal Studios was a fun day out, if you’re still a child at heart like me you’ll love it. The Transformers ride was my personal favourite, Karina on the other hand preferred the more extreme Battle Star Galactica roller coaster. It rained shortly after we arrived, and when I say rained it literally rained hard all day long. So a poncho was much needed but given the humidity it was not a big deal to work around. In the evening, we walked to the marina which was beautifully lit up by the sky scrapers. A symphony of colours with their reflections in the water, it looked stunning. We had a wander around, grabbed some food and managed to catch an outdoor dance performance before heading back to the hotel to sleep after a very long day.
Our plan for Day 2 was a little more touristy and sight-seeing fuelled. Our first stop was brunch with some friends at Curious Pallette, a cute little café with a cool ambience, great music and the best waffles. We then we hit the streets walking around the marina to the magnificent Marina Sands Bay hotel and the mall. You can go into the hotel for a drink or pay to use the pool to have a look rather than pay the premium room prices which, to be fair, I’m sure are worth every penny. The mall was huge with every shop imaginable and with a river running through the middle with people being taxied via canoes. Everything in Singapore is incredibly modern and hi-tech, and everything is unbelievably clean and works! I mean, the metro has working air conditioning. Working! We are used to those sweat boxes London calls tubes.
From here it was a short walk to the Super Tree Grove, which was beautiful and another insight into how advanced and forward-thinking Singapore is compared to a lot of other places in the world. The trees are made from a collection of different plants that generate solar energy, as well as performing other environmentally sustainable functions.
After walking around here in the stifling humidity, we jumped on the metro to visit Little India and China Town. Both were easily discoverable as the stations are called exactly that and the metro was cheap at about $2 a trip. Entering these areas felt very different to the rest of Singapore, both bursting with their own culture with vibrant colours and smells, and busy street markets selling souvenirs and local food.
It quite literally feels like you have stepped off a plane into those countries and was great to experience. We then walked back to the hotel through Arab District, which again had a very distinct feel with lots of street food and decorative facades on the building fronts. We had dinner in one of the street markets here where the food was exceptionally cheap and tasted delicious.
That was it, our trip had sadly come to an end and it was time to pack our bags ready to fly early the next morning. As we waved goodbye to Singapore from the plane, we were absolutely shattered from the past 2 weeks’ activities but already feeling like we were going to miss our travels, Bali especially as the kindness and warmth of the Balinese people had left a mark with us that would always remain.
Itinerary:
