When my friend Tocorra invited me to join her and four of her friends to travel to Bali, Indonesia, I booked the flight the same day. We hopped on an Emirates flight and flew from D.C. to Singapore with a connection in Dubai. After three days in Singapore we took a flight with Air Asia from Singapore and headed to our final destination. The ticket from Singapore to Bali was a little less than a hundred bucks. We spent five days in Ubud and then three days in Seminyak. Keep reading (and scrolling) for more on what I packed, accommodations, and the main spots we visited. Feel free to reach out or leave a comment if you have any other questions.

Packing Recommendations

This is the longest I’d ever been out of the country. Due to the length of the trip I made sure I had a minimum of two outfits for each day and also threw in a few extra just in case. I knew it would be hot so I packed mainly light weight dresses in addition to two pair of shorts, two t-shirts, two bathing suits, and two sets of workout clothes. For shoes I brought two pair of sneakers, sandals, and flip flops. I regret not packing more swim suits but other than that, I had more than enough outfits. My biggest recommendation is making sure you pack clothes that are light weight and comfortable. I also recommend purchasing a pair of water shoes, especially if you plan on visiting a waterfall.

Ubud, Bali

We stayed at the Villa Kicen for five days. Breakfast was provided each morning. All six of us had our own room. Overall the staff was amazing and very kind. I wouldn’t consider this a luxury villa but it will meet all your needs. It was also about a fifteen minute drive from shops and restaurants.
We coordinated most of our transportation in Ubud with the staff at the villa, which was very convenient. The pricing was added to our bill at the end of our stay. Otherwise, we used taxis.
We did some shopping at the Ubud market. You can always ask the locals how far the market is from where you are staying because it might be in walking distance.
Watching the sunrise at Tegalalang Rice Terrance was cool! The rice fields are beautiful.
Pura Lempuyang temple is very popular temple. This is where you can take a picture at the “gates of heaven.” The wait was about two hours but it actually went by pretty fast. Just a heads up, you might have to hop on the back of a motorcycle like we did to get to the temple.
We walked through Tirta Gangga the same day we visited the Pura Lempuyang Temple. It’s beautiful and has lots of photo ops.
You can’t go to Bali and not go to the Bali swing! It was so fun. You can pay for a professional photographer to take pictures of you as you make your way through the swings and photo ops but it might be better to have a friend snap some shots of you. The pictures I got back were not good quality.
We visited another beautiful temple, Tanah Lot. You can do some shopping, grab lunch, or just sit and enjoy the views.
If you like to cook, consider booking a cooking class. We were picked up from our villa, walked through the market with our host and then spent the afternoon cooking. The host of the cooking class was so kind and we enjoyed the time spent with her and her family at their home.
IG: @cookingclassinbali
If you like coconut ice cream or you’re willing to try something new, make sure you visit Tukies Coconut Shop at least once. I think we went by at least three times.

SEMINYAK, BALI

Our villa was so beautiful and I highly recommend it. The staff was professional and addressed any needs or concerns that we had. We each had our own room again.
I thoroughly enjoyed dinner at Barbecoa! Their food was so so good! I would have eaten there everyday if I could have.
We took about a 30 minutes boat ride to Nusa Penida where we visited four locations on the island. The views were absolutely amazing and we were able to take lots of pictures. The ride on the island was extremely bumpy but the views made up for it.
We enjoyed dinner, drinks, and dancing at Motel Mexicola! I highly recommend a night out here. From the food to the music, it was the perfect place to just have a good time.
I was too excited to eat at Kynd Cummunity. It is a vegan restaurant and its one of the cutest places you will find in Bali. I would have loved to visit more than once but maybe next time.
Beach day at Sundays Beach Club was my favorite day of the entire trip because it involved food, the beach, and relaxation. We purchased the VIP Experience for the day, which includes a dedicated butler, beachfront location, allocated daybeds, and private bathroom with a shower. I enjoyed every single minute and when I return to Bali I will be staying at a resort!
On our last day we enjoyed the VIP Boarding Lounge Experience at Sundari Bali (Four Seasons) before heading to the airport. It was the perfect way to end the trip.

Other Recommendations

Make sure you get money converted. If you are going with a group, make sure everyone has cash to split taxi rides. This made things very easy for us.
Everything is super cheap in Bali when compared to what we pay in the U.S. I had $600 in U.S. money changed over to Rupiah and it was more than enough to get through the trip. I probably used a credit card twice the entire trip and even then its wasn’t really necessary.
No matter where you stay, remember that you can’t escape nature in Bali. What does this mean? You might see a spider or a gecko from time to time no matter how nice your accommodations are. True story!
Overall I wasn’t impressed with the food in Bali except for the aforementioned restaurants. On the bright side, none of us experienced Bali belly. We did not get ice in our drinks and used bottled water to brush our teeth.

If there’s anything you want to know that I didn’t cover, please feel free to reach out.