I’ve always been a budget traveler at least that’s what I like to believe but my bank balance says otherwise. And I’m the geeky researcher when it comes to planning and drawing a blueprint for my travel. Not that I really follow every bit but I really just like to keep myself updated with all the information I can gather. Can I also let you another secret of mine, so I always try and catch up with locals on bumble( or any other dating /networking app) Trust me you get the sic.-est ides on food and nightlife.
I’m going to indulge you to my itinerary and roundup on all my outfits I wore in Bali. So we were there for 8 days and It certainly wasn’t enough there is certainly an array of thing you can choose to do. Now this is for any single girl traveler that is traveling solo or in a group(sans the partner)
Feel free to adapt yourself to any situations here, I’m not much of the sportsy kind-if you know or want to try your hand at surfing you must try the dream beach at Nusa Lembogan island and of course Gili island.
Let me just do this pointer wise and make life easier, well for all of us:
STAY
I stayed in an Airbnb –now for me, I find an apartment or artisans home the best place to stay. I legit shoot half my stuff hence I really prefer staying in aesthetically designed local homes.
Our villa was in Seminyak, this seems like the safest and the centrally located to tons of homegrown boutiques, food chains or days you don't feel like Nasi-goreng or fish & chips. It's towards the south of Bali -had the perfect secluded yet not disconnected to the outer world. You should definitely make your bookings via Airbnb for safety purposes and so you get the rightful protection-although I must mention i have lawfully found really sweet hospitable hosts all the time.
We had a help in the house- Ketut who needs a special thanks for making our stay super comfortable. The house has 3 bedrooms, a lounge area, a common living room, pool-sunbeds and a dining hall. You also should mention your flight timings so that your arrangements are ready to the T, you can easily check in with the doorman. Benjamin & dolla kept a constant check on us and everything was legit on speed dial(they keep a common phone for our needs).
I'm going to list down the link for easier access. If you are someone who wants to live a more secluded style villa away from hustle bustle good recommendation is to stay near Patang -Patang beach on a hillock side villas. I know I would next time.
THINGS TO DO
Now everybody has a very different style of exploring a city. For me, I personally look for a mix of good nightlife, a place where I can spend an entire day (that was covered very carefully by my villa-we hung out 2 days entirely at villa soaking the sun in the villa with just the local brews & nasi gorengs/satays)
I was traveling with my best friend Sanky and another couple who are expecting. Now why I feel the need to explain the kind of travel partners 'cos it changes the entire equation on what you can do.
Sanky is naturally more vivacious to exploring an really a night owl. My couple friend were vivaciously moody and well pretty hormonal (no complaints they are handling parenthood like pros )now this leaves me to be almost like Solo go pro out on her to explore the city, which I honestly enjoy. And like I mentioned the bumble tip this can work really well for single female travelers (obviously exercising safety measure).Biggest tip here would be to buy your drink and always keep your beer covered with your thumb, even more so careful with your cocktails. Date drugs pills are real ,there's no kidding around with those and a big possibility anywhere in the world.
I'm a person who can legit with less sleep but wants to be on every plan naturally.
So day 1 & 2 were best spent in Villa, we cooked our own food, got the groceries from the nearby supermarket and lived the homely life. Stepping out in evening for long walk on double six beach.
We hadn't even hired a scooty by then. Next day we wanted to extremely touristy and hence booked a whole day tour to the extreme south of Bali. If you are lazy ass like us and do not want to drive around in the sun-get a luxury wagon and you are soo sorted. Our driver Wayan charged us 6 lakhs in Indonesian rupiah but had chilled beers and water bottles sorted for us for the entire day & also pretty epic deep ocean playlist. We saw 3 beaches and carried changes along with us-first being Pandwa beach, second the Patang-Patang and the third being the Jimbaran for the most romantic sunset. We also saw the Uluwatu temple and Garuda Vishnu .
After that we got our own bikes and explored Bali freestyle really! We started with Tegunan waterfall which is certainly very touristy but absolutely worth it, I would definitely recommend aling -aling for the wonderful hike it has to offer along with the scenic waterfall if you want to dive freestyle.
There are ample rice & coffee plantations that you must visit for a good photo op! Keep two day for the islands especially Gili and Nusa Lembongan-cenigan, which I and sanky did by ourselves. You can get here by either ferry boats or speedboats. We opted for speedboats which was way faster and extremely fun. You just need to plan your day early on and go with the vibe. Forget your footwear at home if you are on island all day. We also hired a bake here to get around.
Last days we kept for our massages and quick shopping. Now you need to make a mental note and treat this as any street market you would in India. At least that's what I did. Bargain for anything and anything and you will end up with a satisfied deal even at the amazing boutiques for really amazing homegrown talents in Kuta and Seminyak.
I tried scuba diving for the very first time and being a non swimmer it was inadvertently scary. But you have the trainer who legitimately trains your for 10 mins and takes you through a trial run. One can also opt for sea walking or snorkeling as per their convini8ence. There are also adventure sports options like paragliding, parasailing, floor walking and banana boat rides.
Again key here is to bargain for and get a sweet deal, they usually have the complete gear and pick up and drop off services available from your hotel/villa. It's made extremely for the tourist convenience and liking, so one can really rest assured of the services they provide. Now Bali is the surfer's paradise you can always try renting out a surfboard and make a fool like us but the key here is to experience, so you must try!
This is our pre scuba diving faces, we looked like freaking tele-tubbies.
NIGHTLIFE
If you are the kinds that enjoy letting their hair down for wild night Bali has something for everyone's taste. Now I heard a lot of good things about Skygarden but I found it too sleazy and overbearing for my liking. I preferred La favella because it really had a wide array of playlist that I'm finetuned too if you like a really classy setup I enjoyed Rooftop Rock bar. Also, one of our nights was spent at Arboon beach bar for the pretty trippy night. It's always a good idea to be in your comfiest clothes and flip-flops at such bars( any color that glows like white don't forget to imbibe it on your outfit).
Now potato head is obviously the most overrated and overheard things one does in Bali.I would say it 's like the Thalassa of goa in terms of the vibe but only better with the overlooking pool by the beach and pool bar. Nothing quite like watching the sun go down from the pool, even at evening the pool is well lit. You can choose either the cabanas or sunbed by the beach, a good time to visit is certainly the noon. Also, you have a minimum spend on the table so even if you are getting your drink at the barkeep a cheque on the receipts they always can be counted on far.
It is expensive by every other standard of Bali day club but the cocktails are to die for, we do not end up eating at all! There are also day clubs like Mrs. sippy and loop bar that you should try if you are staying for longer.
WHAT TO WEAR
In spite of being a place that is submerged in tradition -you will see Hinduism clearly imbibed in their temples and traditions of every day and burka-clad woman, it doesn't warrant a strict dress code. It is advised to exercise your due diligence when at the temple and wrap a sarong that one can easily rent-other than that I had a free will to wear everything I wanted to even as plus size woman sans the glares.
Now, most of my outfits are from Shein, H & M, Zara, Koovs, Lulu & sky, label life, Sarojini & Colaba really. I have been shopping for months and putting together outfits in my head. Will try and list most of the names here but you can definitely write back to me if you have any doubts.
maxi dress from LULU & SKY
Midi sundress by VAJOR perfect for lounging
Monokini by Prettysecrets
So boiling it down Bali is the destination for -World-class scuba diving, beaches, surfing, temples and lush-green landscapes. What more can you ask for on a trip of personal discovery? It’s also a yoga, meditation and health haven for those who need a clean break from all the distractions of the outside world.Ishall write again,see you in the next post!
xoxo
