About Bali...

Fan of temples? Go for it! Only in it for the beach? Don’t bother!

Now don’t get me wrong, they have some amazing beaches and resorts in Bali, and the prices are a fraction of the cost compared to places closer to home. However, I’d say that once you add the price of the flights and the journey time, if all you want is a sunbed and a cocktail, stick to

Ibiza and Mallorca etc. the beaches are just as good and the sun tans just as well.

That being said, I’m not a massive beach lover, I can do a day or two, but boredom soon sets in. We visited Seminyak, west of the island, pretty touristic, you can get a English breakfast everywhere if you know what I mean, but a great selection of beach clubs and restaurants, perfect for a weekend getaway for those who live close by like us.

We then went to Uluwatu, in the south. We only spent the day, but it looked more surfer/hippy, with cliff side beach clubs. There is also Uluwatu temple, not just a single temple, it is many constructions with walkways between. There are a lot of tourists, and a few monkeys knocking about, very popular for sunset.

Finally we headed up to Ubud, there are hundreds of temples here, on every street corner in fact, and it’s not temples as what you might think, you don’t go inside like a church or a mosque, it’s more like a grand door frame which leads into an open area with a series of raised beds with a roof, some have statues on the beds, others have incense burning etc. Each home has its own temple and each village has a main temple for special events.

We also visited the rice paddies in the area, it’s a beautiful sight of organised nature, like tiers on a wedding cake or a patchwork quilt. Ubud is very recommendable and is the attraction which makes Bali not just another beach destination.

A couple of negatives I must mention are:

1) The HORRENDOUS traffic. We visited in April, which is not high season, so god only knows what it must be like during the summer months. We rented a driver which costs about 30 euros for 8 hours, for a 35 km distance it took us 3 hours, the roads are village streets and are not meant for the heavy amount of tourist travellers, so be warned, get yourself a moped or plan accordingly.

2) The monkey attractions. We did not feel very secure here, the monkeys were a bit aggressive and jumped up. They have quite sharp nails and break the skin easily, so make sure you’ve got all your jabs if rabid animals is your thing.

3) It is a tourist destination, out and out. You feel like a tourist, you’re surrounded by other tourists and you’re treated like a tourist. It is not an exotic getaway on a secluded island that you see online.

If you want any more info regarding prices/getting around/accommodation just let me know!