I almost can’t believe it’s already been a month since we returned from Bali — it was seriously a dream vacation, better than I could’ve ever imagined or planned and it makes me smile just looking back on these photos. 🙂 I’ve shared a few Bali posts already, but this is the wrap-up — sharing some unpublished photos and talking a little more in detail about our travels, where we stayed, ate and some travel tips! 😇
As soon as we got to Bali, we headed straight for a little seaside village called Canggu (chang-gu). Jay and I knew that after pretty much a whole day of flying, we would need some relaxation and good-ol’ beach time, so we planned our first stop here. I read a lot of tips online to stay at Airbnbs, but since we were in a country we weren’t familiar with, I was a little skeptical about being in a house in the middle of nowhere all by ourselves, so we opted for a bed and breakfast instead. And we were so right! We stayed at the most beautiful bed and breakfast, Puri Beji, where we had our own little villa, private pool and room service breakfast (WITH FRESH COCONUTS) each morning. It was seriously like we were being pampered, which was a little crazy to experience, haha!
What we loved about our villa was how close it was to amazing beaches. Our favorite was Echo Beach, where we got the most delicious açaí bowls ever, but we also ventured out to a few other beach clubs, Finn’s and Potato Head Beach Club, where they had their own private beach area and a giant food menu. We rented a mo-ped for $6 and everywhere we went was within scootering distance, which is amazing. 🏍 We pretty much spent three days just at the beach, soaking up the much needed sun that NYC had yet to give us. One thing I have to emphasize though is how strong the sun is there! Since Bali is right below the equator, the sun is incredibly powerful — so make sure you wear sunscreen!! 🌞
Next, we headed to Ubud (oo-bud), and stayed at probably our favorite hotel to date, Bisma Eight. Bisma Eight is this cute little boutique hotel with the most amazing infinity pool that overlooks the jungle, the best and friendliest staff, and seriously the most beautifully designed hotel room we’ve ever been in. Each one of their rooms is huge and extremely private — we had a little balcony that overlooked a sea of trees, and it makes you feel like you’re living in the middle of the Balinese forest. 🌴 Our daily routine soon became waking up early to go on a little adventure, coming back to the hotel to get brunch and soaking in the pool for a few hours, going out again and getting room service (or eating cup noodles) when we got back at night. While we were here, we also became obsessed with ordering Nasi Goreng, which is an Indonesian fried rice with a fried egg on top. Since I’m Chinese, I’ve had my fair share of fried rice, and this is the best. Even if you don’t make it to Indonesia, you HAVE to get your hands on some Nasi Goreng — I’m seriously craving it as I’m writing about it right now! 🍲🍴 We actually loved it at Bisma Eight SO much that we cancelled the rest of our journey to Uluwatu, another beach town, just to stay in Ubud a few extra nights. The hotel staff was so accommodating and upgraded us to a suite, and it was amazing seeing their friendly faces for a few more days!! 💝
Another reason why we decided to stay was because there is an INFINITE amount of things to do in Ubud. We were so lucky that Bisma Eight is located right in the center of Ubud (but was never loud and crowded), and it was so easy for us to get to all our destinations. A few musts in Ubud are Tegenungan Waterfall, Ubud Palace, Tegalalang Rice Terrace, and the most amazing Ubud Market. Another fun destination was the Sacred Monkey Forest, which Jay and I were both so excited to go to. 🐒 We even went on a hike at Campuhan Ridge Walk one morning, and got to see Ubud from the tippy top 🙂
Last but not least are some travel tips for Bali, which I think are going to be helpful if you plan a trip to this lush and gorgeous island:
- English is widely spoken. 💬
- Only drink bottled water — pretty much a good tip when you travel to any foreign country. We also loved their local sports drink, Pocari Sweat, which is like a milder gatorade.
- Bring sunscreen! It’s definitely a must — the UV rays are so strong and incredibly dangerous. Another must: mosquito spray if you have “sweet skin” like I do. 🍭
- Taxis are cash only and can be negotiated. (Don’t be afraid to negotiate!)
- It is part of the beautiful Balinese culture that everyone is incredibly friendly and personal. But that means get ready for some uncomfortable questions: for example, I was asked so many times where I was really from because I was Asian and I tend to respond “America,” haha and Jay and I kept being asked if we were married, which we just went along with toward the end because we found it hilarious. 💑 Just remember all conversations come from a place of love and their community-oriented culture. 🙂
That’s all folks! So sad to be wrapping up on our adventures to Bali but we are planning some fun vacations after I graduate (IN LESS THAN 30 DAYS NOW, which is crazy!) and we’re really aiming to go to Italy some time within the next year, so I hope we can make that happen. Hope you guys liked this post and if you’ve been to Bali or even ITALY, I’d love to hear some of your travel stories and tips, so leave a comment below. 🤗 xo
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Sarah says
Your floral bikini at the top and the pink set are super cute! Where’d you get those?!
Estefania says
Wow! Your pictures are amazing, Bali looks so beautiful I hope I can go there someday.
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Hanna says
Waaah! Such a beautiful place. My fiancé and I are going there for honeymoon and I am so excited. This is probably my favourite blog post from you! Also, please make a blog on how you maintain your figure, pretty please!!! 🙏🏻 Love ya!
Ziwei says
Such pretty pictures! Bali is definitely on my list 🙂
Sophie Wuthrich says
Wow that trip looks absolutely amazing! Definitely continue with travel diaries, I loooved reading this!! Also I really like your new blog layout! I don’t know how new it is because I realised I haven’t been here in a while and I don’t know why! I’ve put your blog in my ‘Favourite Blogs’ tab on Bloglovin so I don’t miss your future posts!
-Sophie xx
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Colleen | ColleenWelsch.com says
OMG Bali looks AMAZING. Definitely adding this to my vacation wishlist. Also, your swimsuit game is A+! How many swimsuits do you have??