Nasi goreng, Motorbikes, and religious offerings lining the street. From cliffside views to local warungs, to the warm and friendly smiles from the locals, Bali is truly a cultural melting pot of history, religion, relaxation and adventure. There is something for every vacation style which makes it all the more enticing. We spent two weeks here for our honeymoon. Keep reading for our bali itinerary! I’m giving you everything we did and ate and hope it helps you in planning your trip.
We traveled to multiple parts of the island and got to experience so much of what Bali has to offer. I think people get this over sensationalized idea that Bali is infinity pools overlooking cliffs and crystal clear beaches. In reality, Bali is way more than that (and honestly, those villas will run you about 6-700$ a night. If you want to experience Bali in two weeks and really take on the essence of Bali, keep reading for our travel itinerary! I’m giving you everywhere we stayed and ate throughout our trip!
It takes about a day and a half to get to Bali from the East Coast. Your body will be all out of whack. As I’m writing this back at home, my husband and I have spent the last 3 days sleeping all day and staying up until 6 am because jetlag is real. We flew KLM airlines and had a layover in Amsterdam. I highly recommend KLM for their customer service and ease of flight. Business class tickets were going to run about $5k a person so that was completely out. The KLM flight attendants went out of their way to place us in the exit row when there was room and we were very grateful!
Two Week Bali Honeymoon Itinerary
Day 1-3: Seminyak/Denpasar
After flying for two days, we finally arrived to Denpansar Airport, the main Bali airport.
I knew we would be exhausted so I booked two nights in Seminyak, the “posh area” of Bali. It’s very touristy and full of shops and high class dining. We stayed at the Dash Hotel and just pretty much worked out, slept, ate on the rooftop, got massages and walked around. Dash had a GREAT breakfast offering and the spa was very relaxing. It’s on a main street close to a lot of different things to do.
Things to Do in Seminyak:
Beach Clubs: The most popular are Potato Head and Mrs. Sippy. Potato Head has exotic drinks, a unique and delicious food selection, infinity pool and an open area concept with cabanas and sunbeds . It’s recommended to get there early. Each section requires a minimum food/drink purchase of around 50USD for the sunbeds and higher for the cabanas.
Massages: You can get hourly massages for about $7-15 USD. Seriously. We got them so many times and I miss them so much!
Visit Seminyak Beach: a very nice beach with strong waves. You can rent a pair of sunchairs with umbrellas for 100,000 rupiah (approx. 7 USD).
Where to Eat in Seminyak/Kuta
Beach Bowl Bali: Vegan lovers rejoice! This Kuta Beach cafe is fully vegan and serves the most delicious zoodles! They’re also known for their delicious fruit bowls!
Bo$$ Man: This burger joint in Seminyak has some amazing burgers. My fav was the fried chicken sandwich. They also serve yummy truffle fries!! Located across from the Seminyak Square shopping center.
Warung Nena’s: Right across from Beach Bowl Bali is this lovely little warung (aka family run cafe/restaurant) with delicious inexpensive Balinese faves. The club sandwich and nasi goreng were both amazing!
Breeze: On our last day in Seminyak, we ate at this top notch restaurant on the beach. I highly recommend for a romantic dinner by candlelight. The waves were our backdrop and the stars lit up the sky. It was magical. The food menu had all types of international cuisine from pasta to seafood! You can’t go wrong here!
Day 4-7: Ubud
Ubud is the cultural heartbeat of Bali. It’s where you will be completely immersed in the ways of life of the Balinese people and it’s where you can see everything from wild monkeys to rice terraces to waterfalls. We did everything from visit a coffee plantation, taking pictures while getting drenched under a waterfall to a Balinese cooking class I will never forget. Ubud was my favorite part of the trip and the most enriching. The Balinese people are extremely friendly and I never felt any hostility from them. We saw offerings in front of most entrances from homes to businesses. There were more motorbikes than cars and taxis everywhere you look. Traffic was insane and there are stray dogs everywhere so keep that in mind if you have a dog fear!
Things To Do in Ubud
Sacred Forest Monkey Sanctuary: probably one of the most popular attractions in Ubud. You’ll pay a small fee and be able to wander around the forest amongst wild monkeys. They will literally be walking alongside you! Just be careful not to feed them, wear shiny objects or look them in the eye as that’s seen as a sign of aggression
Konta Lumpur Waterfall: the less touristy sister waterfall after Tegenungan Waterfall. This waterfall is beautiful and if you’re lucky, there will be locals who will gladly take a picture of you under the waterfall!
Tegalalang Rice Terraces: Hire a driver (or a motorbike if you can ride it) for the day and head to see the beautiful rice fields. Your driver will drop you off at the entrance and wait for you. While there is no set “entrance fee”, it is expected to leave a donation of around 10,000 rupiah at the entrance so do bring some cash. Eat at Green Kubu Cafe after!
Bali Swing: One of the most “Instagrammable” spots in Bali, but to me it was not worth the money. Yes the view is amazing…but we opted not to after learning it was 35/pp to swing about 18 times along with lunch. It just didn’t seem worth it to us to pay that much but it’s a very popular “touristy” thing to do.
Lobong Culinary Experience: This by far was my favorite thing on the trip. From the moment we were picked up until we got dropped back off, it was an amazing experience. You are taught by a local in his Balinese home compound and taught how to cook everything from spice mixes to dessert. It even includes a trip to the local market to learn about all the ingredients you will be making in the class. Before we ate, we participated in a Hindu offering ceremony in the temple within their home. The chef’s mom performed the ceremony. Definitely a must do!
Ubud Palace and Saraswati Temple: Ubud Palace was the official residence of the royal family in Ubud. They hold Balinese dance shows every night! Saraswati Temple is surrounded by a gorgeous lotus pond in front. Both places have free entry. There’s also a Starbucks right next to the Saraswati Temple.
Where to Eat in Ubud:
There are so many different cuisines in Ubud especially Balinese food! From chicken satay to nasi goreng to crispy duck and of course, babi guling (suckling pig), there are tons of choices that really allow you to expand your taste buds. And because Bali is expensive, you don’t have to blow your budget to get REALLY good food.
Bridges Bali: We had a lovely dinner up amongst the trees. It was breathtaking. I highly recommend the tasting menu! It overlooks the forest. Ask for a seat by the edge for the best view.
Green Kubu Cafe: this lovely little gem is amongs rice fields in Tegalalang. It is extremely inexpensive, quick and delicious! They also have a swing over part of the forest that you can use for very cheap, compared to the more popular Bali Swing.
Nostimo Greek Grill: I was in the mood for something other than Balinese food and we found this amazing Greek spot that hit the spot! We both got lamb gyros. Amazing.
Ibu Oka: The most popular cafe for babi guling aka suckling pig. It’s a must try delicacy in Bali especially Ubud. Crispy skin plus tender meat equals heaven. Make sure you get there earlier in the day before they run out!
Day 8-10: Gili Islands
Unfortunately, the weather was not good enough to cross the water for the duration of time we had booked on the Island. The Gili Islands is a postcard 3 island oasis all surrounded by crystal blue waters, and the best part?? There are no cars! Only bikes and horse drawn carriages. Each island (Gili Air, Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno) has its own charm to it. We had booked to stay on Gili T as that was the most active or “party” island. Below are just a few things to do!
Tip: bargain at the port for a fast boat ticket. It’s way cheaper than booking online. You can also ask your Ubud or Gili hotel if they have a price for a taxi to Padang Bai port and a ticket.
Things to Do on Gili T
-ride bikes: bikes are extremely cheap to rent and some hotels may even offer them for free.
-catch the gorgeous sunsets: Hotel Ombak Sunset is a great place for sunset views and they also have a swing placed in the water for your perfect Instagram photo.
-visit Gili Meno and Gili Air (there are public boats that go between the 3 islands) to just relax on the beautiful white sand beaches.
-snorkel: you can arrange snorkeling trips through your hotel and Gili Meno/Air also have great snorkeling right off the beach!
-dive or learn to dive!-many dive schools are offered in the Gilis and the Gilis are known for having some of the best dive spots in the world!
-party: Gili T is know for its strip of bars so be sure to check out the nightlife!
Day 11-13: Seminyak (with a day trip to Uluwatu & Jimbaran)
For this portion of the trip, we decided to splurge on a hotel since we were on our honeymoon. Splurge meaning we stayed at a hotel for 3 nights for around $500 USD. The hotel was the U Paasha hotel and it was definitely worth it! The rooftop pool allowed you to watch beautiful sunsets every night and their food and drinks were amazing. The rooms were spacious and the breakfast was the best we had the whole trip.
Uluwatu & Jimbaran
Uluwatu is in southern Bali and overlooks the Indian Ocean. If you want views, then this is the place to come! This area has all the beach clubs with cliffside infinity pools, quaint beaches and gorgeous cliffs.
The Uluwatu Temple stands 250 feet above the Indian Ocean and is surrounded by a beautiful forest with wild monkeys so beware! They love shiny things. The Balinese people believe Uluwatu Temple protects the island from evil spirits and it is the place where the Hindu trinity merges. Everyone is required to wear a sarung (a skirt wrap) upon entering the property. There is a long fortified wall that you can walk down while taking in the gorgeous views.
After a beautiful day in Uluwatu, our taxi driver graciously recommended us to go Jimbaran for dinner on the beach at sunset. It was magical. He took us to the Sea Side Cafe Jimbaran, on the beach with the sand in our toes, ordered a whole platter of BBQ seafood (shrimp, a whole fish, lobster tails, clams, rice and spinach) for around 70USD and enjoyed a breathtaking sunset. It was some of the best and freshest seafood I’ve ever had and I’m from the DC/Md area where we KNOW seafood. Needless to say it was a great night cap. The beauty of it all was that our taxi driver took us here! No research done, just a local recommendation and it was some of the best food on the trip!
On our last night in Bali, we ate at another restaurant on the beach called Breeze. The food was exquisite and we literally ate under the stars since we went after sunset. I highly recommend it for a beautiful, romantic candlelight dinner.
Overall, our trip was absolutely amazing. Despite not being able to go to the Gili Islands, we didn’t let that stop us from having the best time. I highly recommend Bali!