This blogpost is actually 1 year late! I went to Bali for the first time in June 2022, had a great time - and fell absolutely in love with this place. I want to go back every year to explore different nooks of Bali as it's pretty huge and I can't cover the places in just two trips.
Many people have been asking for the itinerary so I might as well put it in a blogpost (a yearly update blog, lol - if anyone is still reading, I love you).
I bought my Bali tickets quite late this round, like 2 months before so it is really quite expensive, about RM 850. The normal price should range around RM 600 ish. The best time to visit Bali is April onwards all the way to September but if you want to avoid crowds, October and January - February is low season due to rainy weathers. I have been there twice during May June, and I would say May is a better timing as I rarely meet rainy days compared to June!
I took the midnight arrival flight because I wanted to be able to have an extra day, but that also means I have to pay extra for 1 night's stay. We didn't mind because accommodation in Bali in general is VERY affordable (or I'd say, SEA in general has very affordable hotels/villas).
Itinerary
Day 0 - arrival @ 1 am, I arranged a taxi with booking for only MYR 90! (But I do think Grab may be cheaper) And they came with a mini bus, very comfortable and spacious.
Day 1 - Chill Day
Penny Lane Cafe (another one on my list is Mexicola Bali), food is quite good! 4/5 (MYR 60/pax)
Atlas Beach Club - Swim in the infinity pool, order their rice spirits cocktails, and food! (MYR 80/pax with alcohol and food)
Beach Club is a must in Bali, there's a variety of Beach Club in Bali but my friend recommended Atlas as you can even swim in their infinity pool facing the beach despite minimum spending.
Day 2 - Lempuyang Temple & Tirta Gangga (MYR 300+/van for tour, parking fees and entrance tickets)
To get to Lempuyang from Seminyak - you need to move as early as 4 AM. The drive there takes 2-3 hours depending on traffic conditions, ONE WAY. (I know it's crazy)
We waited 4 hours to get the infamous picture of Gates to Heaven with Mt Agung in between, but if you asked me if it's worth it - the answer is a big NO. Lol
If you are lucky and still have time, ask your driver to drop you in Ubud to see the rice field, and shop there!
Day 3,4, 5- Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida itself is a very huge island - so the commuting also take very long hours. To be able to cover all the views, it is best recommended to stay at least 1 night so you can see the West and the East. If you only have one day, choose the view that you want to see the most!
West - T-Rex/Kelingking Island, (5/5) Angel Billabong (4/5), Broken Beach (5/5), Crystal Bay (4/5)
East - Thousand Island View Point (5/5) especially for sunrise! Diamond Beach (10/5) because of the swing, Teletubbies Hill
Others: Tembeling Beach and Natural Pool (100K IDR/ MYR 30 pp)
What else you can do? If you finish early for the day, especially if you're doing East for sun rise, you can get a private boat to bring you to Manta Bay to see manta rays and a snorkelling trip!
Pak Nyoman is my go to driver in Penida, and I have recommended my friends ,they gave quite good review too (He takes great pictures, but ask him to lose the panorama feature haha)
Pak Nyoman's Contact: +62 831 1922 1939
(You still have to mainly use Malay/Indonesian language to communicate, Nusa Penida locals for now speak minimal to average English)
Day 5 - Leave Nusa Penida, Seminyak Beach for Sunset
There are a variety of beach that you can visit in Seminyak because the coastline is super long and you can view really good sunsets there! They provide beach chairs, umbrellas, and drinks chargeable and you can take a chill evening there. There's also a stretch of beach bar and restaurant serving good food.
I've brought my family to Seminyak and the sunset was really nice.
Day 6 - Shopping Day
As we saw that Seminyak area has a lot of shops we decided to stop by again for souvenirs shopping but they're so OVERPRICED! Please negotiate to the lowest price possible as I got cheated -.-.
We found better quality souvenirs in airport and at a cheaper price. Hence if you're looking for souvenirs, do buy them in airport instead.
A better shopping area would be Canggu (nearby Penny Lane) as the prices are okay and there are a number of boutiques there.
Budget breakdown per person:
- Flight tickets inclusive insurance: MYR 850
- Tour packages: MYR 400 (Lempuyang, Nusa Penida 3 days - day tour, private driver, snorkelling trip)
- Food: MYR 550 (we ate very good food, and with alcohols, all in restaurants. If you eat local food or local warung it will be much cheaper)
- Accommodation: MYR 550 ( 2 different villas @ Seminyak, 1 mini cottages facing the sea @ Nusa Penida)
Total expenses: MYR 2,350.00
Accommodation:
FAQs
1. On connection: Bali in general offers WiFi everywhere - Restaurants, Cafes etc
a) Rent a Wi-Fi device @airport: 300K IDR(~MYR 100) for 20gb + 700K IDR for deposit, can be shared with 5 devices.
Review: In general the reception is okay, but there are certain places where there's no line i.e the higher points in Nusa Penida.
b) Traveller's SIM card (~MYR 60 for 10 gb) - Airport in general sells you very exorbitant price, if you arrive before 9 pm, it's best to ask your driver to drop you at the stalls nearby the airport (not walkable distance) and get the SIM instead. I think it was at least 30% cheaper.
Review: Good reception almost everywhere for Telkomsel!
!But there's this thing about Indonesia whereby they can only allow you to use your IMEI # for 2-3 times depends on your phone, and because I have been to Indonesia too many times (lol) apparently I encountered some problem and would need to declare some tax etc if I were to use their SIM again.
c) Best and safest way is to get roaming from your telcom provider. I got mine from Digi and it was very affordable, RM 25 for 3 gb, for 3 days. I got it twice throughout my trip
Review: Good reception, except for inner places.
2. On currencies
I strongly recommend WISE! My friend said BigPay works the same - but if you're interested to sign up for WISE, using my link allows you to do free transfers for the first MYR 2.5k! Of course I get some benefits also - MYR 150 if 3 of you signs up AND transfers RM 1K each at one go :)
How it works - Basically you can use WISE as a debit card, with no extra fee and minimal administration fees, which is better than you going to currency exchangers because they charge extra (also extra hassle).
You can also online transfers with no complicated steps with WISE internationally (from your Malaysian bank, from other banks etc) and you can withdraw local currencies with their ATM, with no exorbitant interest charges, unlike your CC!
3. Transport
Moving around is easy for short distances, via Grab & Gojek and super affordable. If you are going for a day tour (8-10 hours inclusive commuting & visiting), try to keep the tour transport under IDK 800,000 for a 6 seaters (regardless pax, if you have lesser, you can nego more).
4. Recommendations
If it's the first time you're in Bali and don't plan to go back, I would recommend to ditch Lempuyang and go for Tanah Lot tour instead. (I've never been to Tanah Lot, but a temple by the sea sounds really nice too). Nusa Penida is also a must.
Of course if there's additional time, you can visit Ubud & Uluwatu because I have heard good things about it.
Bali is a very rich place, and I aim to go back every year to explore new places 😍
Till then, I hope you enjoy Bali as much as I do!
XOXO