When I was in Bali for the first time 7 years ago, I remember saying that it’s nothing special and one’s better off going to Boracay instead. I was obviously on some kind of meds for thinking that. I have taken back that statement since. I think Bali is amazing and is one of the best places in the world to be in. Bali is more than beach and party island. It definitely has amazing beaches, happening night life, great restaurants, beautiful resorts and villas, culture and shopping! It has surfing and scuba diving too. And the best of all Bali is very affordable considering you’re basically in paradise.
There are so many things to do in Bali. It’s no surprise that more than 4 million tourists found their way to Bali in one year. This
Day 1: Uluwatu
Sundays Beach Club
I love Kuta beach because it’s lively, has amazing restaurants, shopping is around the corner, amazing sunset. But I understand it’s not for everyone. So if you’re looking for something more relaxing with great beach view, excellent restaurant and a chill bar, check out Sundays Beach Club. It’s an uber instagrammable place, from the beach, umbrellas, the food, and the monkeys.
Sundays Beach Club is located in a secluded cove in Uluwatu. The entrance of this secret piece of paradise is through The Ungasan Cliffside Resort. There is a bit of a trek to get down to the beach, but just keep in mind these great words, “nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty” and you will get through it. Just kidding, actually there is an inclunator that takes you down and up.
Sunday Beach Club Entrance Fee
Adult — IDR 300,000 (USD 22); IDR 150,000 food & beverages credit and towel
Children — 3-11 yr IRD 50,000; < 3 yr free
The Ungasan Cliff Resort
If you can’t get enough of this paradise, stay at one of their luxurious villas at The Ungasan Cliff Resort. The villas are all with amazing cliff view of the ocean and some villas even has its own pool overlooking the cliff. Click the link for price check.
Uluwatu Temple Bali
Uluwatu Temple is a Balinese Temple built on the edge of a cliff that looks into the Indian ocean. The view is absolutely fantastic and if you are in Bali, you should not miss it. But ecause it’s a site not to be missed, expect it to be super crowded especially just before sunset. The march towards the ampitheather is like catching the LRT in the morning. I’m not kidding. I didn’t bother to get a selfie. Look at the people!
Kecak Fire Dance
The Kecak Fire Dance is one of the most interesting dance performance I’ve ever seen. The perfermance inside the Uluwatu Temple amphitheather tells of the familiar love story of Rama at Sita in a dance. What made it special is the continuous chanting of the actors throughout the show — chak ke chak ke chak chak chak — It was mesmerizing and will put you in a trance.
The play starts with the the men coming to scene chanting and then followed by the colorful characters of Ramayana. It starts at 6 pm with the sky completely bright and as the play progresses, the sky slowly turns red serving as backdrop change matching the play. And finally darkness and the bonfire is lit as the play comes to end.
It has bonfire, half naked men, beautiful costumed characters, and red and white monsters. You can read about the story of Ramayana but this show has to be experienced to completely appreciate it. It is highly recommendable.
At the end of the show, we stayed a while to have photo taken with the actors. The most famous would be the white monkey. We did have a group photo with them in the end but I don’t remember whose camera it was.
Ticket Prices
Uluwatu Temple IDR 30,000
Kecak Fire Dance at Uluwatu Temple IDR 100,000
Jimbaran Beach Cafe
For seafood feast dinner with a view, go to Jimbaran, originally a fishing Village but now a place with high end resorts and the beach is lined with restaurants. We went to Jimbaran Beach Cafe where we had spread of seafood dishes with rice. The most remarkable for me are the crabs. Get your hands dirty with these scrumptious babies
Because it was already sundown, it was too dark to take photo of the long white beach. Otherwise, you can be experiencing dinner with sunset. But of course we spent our sunset at the Kecak Fire Dance.
This is awesome, and great insight. I loved day trip in bali uluwatu. Thanks for sharing it. Amazing articles and blog post.