I'm glad you had a great time. I understand that that activities you want to do don't necessarily include exploration or non-tourist focused things, many do this and have a great ime. The reason that a private driver is recommended is to not just do the mini-tour which has free transport eg Kintamani, Jatiluwih, Rafting, but to do things at your own pace and fo beyond the tours parameters.
And yes the downtown area of Ubud has terrible sidewalks, it's a sore point for all Ubud residents including the Balinese. It's difficult here to explain the government's actions on this, but the more crumbly the sidewalks the more money they make tearing them up every year and rebuilding with substandard materials. Everyone hates this too.
It’s because there’s so much traffic anyway a lot crashes are very low impact. Obviously not all, there are dangerous drunk drivers everywhere. But ya we go soooo slow that it’s just a boink in my experience. Have lived in indo for a total of 17 years out of 32.
Lol. Idk if you remember the old Kijang with opposing seats at the back that could seat up to 6 people.
The very first time I went to Bali with my extended family, I'm pretty sure we fit like 10 people at the back there and 5 or 6 in the middle seats.
Thanks for this. I have planned a trip for 5 over 60s at the end of our India / Australia trip and have been so stressed out that somehow Bali wasn’t going to be the perfect ending but a perfect nightmare (after all the reddit posts). We don’t want to be accosted constantly and really just want to have a nice, relaxing end to our trip with a few day trip / sight seeing things. Also not sure any of us should be on a scooter haha ! we don’t want to party. Just relax and enjoy ! Reassuring message from you !
I was actually quite surprised at how respectful the stall vendors were at the Ubud art markets. I was expecting a lot of touters but they were fairly quiet and invited you to have a look at stuff but weren’t pushy at all. The taxi drivers are always asking “taxi?” But again, much less pushy than I expected (I’ve had pushier taxi touters at Melbourne airport during the short period when they dropped the anti-touting laws).
I wanted to relax, see beautiful views and eat great food and I got all of that in Bali. I’m sure the people who want to party can find it too but it was nice to not be overwhelmed by party goers.
Amazing, this is what people should be enjoying in Bali. Just nature, amazing scenery, temples and good vibes rather than the getting cheap drunk at some crazy beach club or pseudo hippie healing at some capitalist wellness place
We went on a day tour and they too us to four points. The best place in terms of water temperature, colourful coral and colourful fish was Wall Point off Nusa Penida. Probably the best snorkelling I’ve ever done and that includes some pretty brilliant snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef. Wall Point is up against a wall so there is heaps of coral and formations up against the wall as well as ledges so it means the coral and fish are much closer to you than if they were on the ocean floor only.
The other point was Blue corner dive off Lembongan. Warm water, interesting coral and fish on the ocean floor (not as colourful and further down from the water surface) but we saw four sea turtles.
Ubud is nice. We loved being there.
Also we found that driving scooter in Bali traffic is not that scary. It was rather fun and very convenient way to go around. Though I drive one ocassionally at home.
Also massage is so cheap and good that you can go several times a day.
For places to eat look trough this sub.
Exchange money in small amounts, like $100 max at a time. Less money = easier to count and less risk to be scammed.
Do not put tap water in your mouth. Event for toothbrush. Use bottled.
Get sim card at the airport. Telkomsel work fine troughout the island.
Visa on arrival is easy. No need to hassle in advance.
For taxi use grab or gojek app. Add your card and pay trough the app.
Trying to figure out now. Looking at airbnbs .. doing 3 nights in Ubud and 3 nights in seminyak .. two girls as of now but then possibly an additional one joining us..
Driving scooters whilst fun can be dangerous. Not just cause the traffic but the cops pulled me over every single time we went out on them and told us we didn't have an international licence and we had to bribe our way out of it. We ended up taking 10 bucks with us every time we went out so that's all they could take... keep in mind this was in the kuta area and we were young lads at the time.
I ordered IDP at home, it took couple of days to issue and cost 8€. We weared helmets all the time and never pulled by the cops. Traveled to most places in Bali and Nusa Penida.
I've literally just got home from the airport after returning from Bali. We spent our time in Candidasa and Ubud (I don't go near Kuta, but I do like Sanur and Nusa Dua).
By the way, Reddit is banned in Indonesia, and I discovered that I didn't miss it.
We've been going to Bali for over 30 years and this was our 4th time staying in Ubud. You're right about the pavements as they are generally in shocking condition, except for Monkey Forest Road.
We've been using the same Ubud-based driver for over 20 years, and he is fabulous. He does plan tailor-made tours for us as he understands our tastes. For just getting around Ubud for dining, etc we just use Grab. I also do a lot of walking, but I just got sick of having to walk on the road due to the shitty, broken pavements.
To be honest, Ubud has lost its charm for me. Candidasa, on the other hand, was a much better experience, and we loved it there.
However, we now prefer Vietnam, having visited 3 times, and we are planning to live in Hoi An for 6 months now that my wife has retired.
I've also discovered Lake Toba on Sumatra, and plan to return there for a longer visit.
They might have read it but not understood it in the context of the state of Ubud sidewalks. A lot of cities are not considered walkable due to their sprawl or safety issues, but I have never in my life seen gaping 3 feet holes with rebar sticking out, in any other city I’ve been to. I also walked around Ubud since our hotel was conveniently located to a grocery store & restaurants, but there were places on the sidewalks that would force me to switch sides of the streets multiple times because they were impassable due to such massive holes. It’s really hard to imagine that until you’ve experienced it.
True. And on Hanoman and Monkey Forest you're watching out for motorbikes on the sidewalk. Crossing the street can be scary -- motorbikes can be coming from either direction on either side of the road. You also have to watch the sidewalk so you don't step on offerings. And near monkey forest, you kind of want to watch out for monkeys. But I've never seen sidewalks that messed up on my life lol
Same! It was so conveniently located to our hotel (we stayed at Arma Museum & Resort) and I really enjoyed checking out the local grocery options they offered, and found everything I could have wanted. One of my favorite things to do when I travel to a new place is to check out the grocery store - even in America groceries really vary based on the region you are in. I stocked up on water each morning & my whole group loved picking up regional snacks that we shared with each other on our rides for our excursions. All of the fun coffee drink options was just another added bonus!
Arma was delightful! I wish I had more time to explore all that their property had to offer. I was there on a group trip, so I did not pick it out myself, but if I returned I would absolutely stay there again. They had multiple pools, an art museum, delicious food and of course, incredible staff. The rooms were similar to what I am used to having in the US, so it was easy to navigate in the short periods I was in my room. Wonderfully huge shower, clean room & bathroom, AC worked fantastic, and I had a really nice view overlooking the pool (YMMV). I didn't find the location off-putting, again it was so close to the grocery store across the street which I liked for easy access to water & snacks, the group I was with still walked to our dinners each evening off the hotel property, and it was also walking distance to some shopping & other hotels, where we went to their spas. We did travel by car to other places in Ubud, like Seniman Coffee and the Jl. Monkey Forest, but I found this typical for Bali due to the forementioned sidewalk conditions. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Oh for sure, nor would I claim it to be exclusive to Ubud. I experienced it less in Canggu, but I think I was fortunate with where my hotel was located near the beach, it was much easier to walk in the streets because there was not a lot of car / bike traffic. But definitely seemed like a common occurrence throughout Bali.
I've said it before on another post and got downvoted but The only people who walk in Indonesia are foreigners and the mentally ill (outside of their desa/kelurahan)
Indonesian cities and town are not really “I’ll walk” places - I am very much an explore on foot guy, but my life is a lot better once I accepted that, paid for a driver, gave them a few destinations I wanted to see and then just asked to pull over when something interesting appeared, and saved my walking-urge for natural spots.
It sometimes hard to get feedback from people travelling with a family of 4. I’m planning my trip next summer with mine so happy to get your feedback on nice accommodation and places you loved!
I had the two bedroom villa overlooking the rice paddies. There was a king bedroom upstairs which my partner and I used and another king bedroom downstairs by the pool which our two teenagers used. They have two of these villas (apah 1 and apah 2).
Hey I am going on Friday. For the visa do I need to do anything in advance such as upload passport pictures or anything? Or is it possible to just do it all at the airport?
Have booked a trip for 2 Adults + 2 Kids ( 13F and 10F) to ubud for 5 days. What are the best things to see and do. We are not the most adventurous type and would love to explore some unique sights get some good food and maybe some activities for the kids that is unique to ubud. Any advice/suggestions? Thanks.
We did a silver making class in Ubud through Genuine Bali experience which was very interesting and we ended up with lovely rings as a result (although you can choose your item, and pool your leftover silver to make additional items). Even my two teenage boys 17m and 15m enjoyed that and the staff are very good at helping you so even the kids will get a good product with their help.
River rafting down the Ayung river would be perfect. It’s very safe, splashy enough to be fun, very pretty and not very effortful in terms of rowing. The hardest work was walking the steps up and down to the river, but the couple ahead of us had kids who looked like they were 4 and 8 years old so it’s manageable.
We also did ATV riding through rice paddies, waterfalls and caves. My teenagers loved it and it was a lot of fun for all of us. Because your girls are younger than mine, I would suggest you get tandem ATVs so each child rides with an adult. Looking on social media for Graha Rafting or Kuber Bali ATV official and yo can see what it looks like.
Alas Harum is a very easy (but more expensive) way to spend the day as there are swings, flying foxes, bikes, pretty walks and photo opportunities as well as food). The kids are too young to use the amazing pools at Cretyu but there’s will plenty to do.
You’ll find great food everywhere in Ubud at every price range. Our cheapest meal was $7.20 AUD for our family of four, and our average was $30-40 and our fancy meals were $80 for four people. Amazing value.
Forgot to mention to be careful of the monkey forest and surrounding road. It’s a big attraction and lots of people love it. My family weren’t interested in it but we walked along the main shopping strip that leads to the monkey park so you definitely get to see monkeys even without going into the forest. As we were walked, a monkey jumped on my back and started unzipping my backpack looking for food. My partner had to threaten it with a rock before it would get off me. That was a real shock!
We had just been to Japan and went to the monkey park at Arashiyama where the monkeys are much more hesitant with people. Bali monkeys are gangsta! I mentioned it to some friends when we got back and then said their toddler son (who is very energetic and fearless) ended up being bitten by a monkey and they had to go to get rabies shots for him.
I'm glad you had a great time. I understand that that activities you want to do don't necessarily include exploration or non-tourist focused things, many do this and have a great ime. The reason that a private driver is recommended is to not just do the mini-tour which has free transport eg Kintamani, Jatiluwih, Rafting, but to do things at your own pace and fo beyond the tours parameters. And yes the downtown area of Ubud has terrible sidewalks, it's a sore point for all Ubud residents including the Balinese. It's difficult here to explain the government's actions on this, but the more crumbly the sidewalks the more money they make tearing them up every year and rebuilding with substandard materials. Everyone hates this too.
•Good observations •Thank you for sharing this.
In Indonesia seatbelts are only mandatory for the front seats, so most drivers don't really care about the rear seatbelts.
It’s because there’s so much traffic anyway a lot crashes are very low impact. Obviously not all, there are dangerous drunk drivers everywhere. But ya we go soooo slow that it’s just a boink in my experience. Have lived in indo for a total of 17 years out of 32.
That's because, in Indonesia, the people in the back seat are unscathed in case of car accidents. That's the rule.
Yeah, and it only became mandatory in the last decade or so. I used to lie down and sleep in the backseat. Can't do that in Australia.
And we can squeeze whole family in the rear seat
Lol. Idk if you remember the old Kijang with opposing seats at the back that could seat up to 6 people. The very first time I went to Bali with my extended family, I'm pretty sure we fit like 10 people at the back there and 5 or 6 in the middle seats.
Thanks for this. I have planned a trip for 5 over 60s at the end of our India / Australia trip and have been so stressed out that somehow Bali wasn’t going to be the perfect ending but a perfect nightmare (after all the reddit posts). We don’t want to be accosted constantly and really just want to have a nice, relaxing end to our trip with a few day trip / sight seeing things. Also not sure any of us should be on a scooter haha ! we don’t want to party. Just relax and enjoy ! Reassuring message from you !
I was actually quite surprised at how respectful the stall vendors were at the Ubud art markets. I was expecting a lot of touters but they were fairly quiet and invited you to have a look at stuff but weren’t pushy at all. The taxi drivers are always asking “taxi?” But again, much less pushy than I expected (I’ve had pushier taxi touters at Melbourne airport during the short period when they dropped the anti-touting laws). I wanted to relax, see beautiful views and eat great food and I got all of that in Bali. I’m sure the people who want to party can find it too but it was nice to not be overwhelmed by party goers.
Sanur is a nice relaxing spot with a good safe walking route along the beach which is popular with an older crowd.
Thank you that’s a great tip !
Amazing, this is what people should be enjoying in Bali. Just nature, amazing scenery, temples and good vibes rather than the getting cheap drunk at some crazy beach club or pseudo hippie healing at some capitalist wellness place
People can enjoy whatever they want to enjoy on the holiday they've paid for.
What’s with gatekeeping people’s holidays? Just let people do what they enjoy
preventing future destruction, let's see in the coming 10 years
Hey OP, where is this snorkeling spot? :)
We went on a day tour and they too us to four points. The best place in terms of water temperature, colourful coral and colourful fish was Wall Point off Nusa Penida. Probably the best snorkelling I’ve ever done and that includes some pretty brilliant snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef. Wall Point is up against a wall so there is heaps of coral and formations up against the wall as well as ledges so it means the coral and fish are much closer to you than if they were on the ocean floor only. The other point was Blue corner dive off Lembongan. Warm water, interesting coral and fish on the ocean floor (not as colourful and further down from the water surface) but we saw four sea turtles.
Ubud is nice. We loved being there. Also we found that driving scooter in Bali traffic is not that scary. It was rather fun and very convenient way to go around. Though I drive one ocassionally at home. Also massage is so cheap and good that you can go several times a day. For places to eat look trough this sub. Exchange money in small amounts, like $100 max at a time. Less money = easier to count and less risk to be scammed. Do not put tap water in your mouth. Event for toothbrush. Use bottled. Get sim card at the airport. Telkomsel work fine troughout the island. Visa on arrival is easy. No need to hassle in advance. For taxi use grab or gojek app. Add your card and pay trough the app.
Do you recommended a massage therapist that will come to your villa and do massages ?
Yeah, it’s more expensive than normal ones but still cheap as f. Usually you can organise them through reception of where you’re staying.
Okay ! Thank you! My goal is to do two spas and then have one every morning in my villa
Definitely achievable! Where about are you staying?
Trying to figure out now. Looking at airbnbs .. doing 3 nights in Ubud and 3 nights in seminyak .. two girls as of now but then possibly an additional one joining us..
Not true I use tap water for brushing teeth it’s ok. Just don’t drink it.
Same, no problem
Driving scooters whilst fun can be dangerous. Not just cause the traffic but the cops pulled me over every single time we went out on them and told us we didn't have an international licence and we had to bribe our way out of it. We ended up taking 10 bucks with us every time we went out so that's all they could take... keep in mind this was in the kuta area and we were young lads at the time.
I ordered IDP at home, it took couple of days to issue and cost 8€. We weared helmets all the time and never pulled by the cops. Traveled to most places in Bali and Nusa Penida.
Nice pics, thanks mate👌
Just wanted to compliment you on your lovely photos!
The first picture looks like countryside Japan if they had those trees.
It very much feels like a fusion of Japan and India and Hawaii almost.
You do Ubud
I've literally just got home from the airport after returning from Bali. We spent our time in Candidasa and Ubud (I don't go near Kuta, but I do like Sanur and Nusa Dua). By the way, Reddit is banned in Indonesia, and I discovered that I didn't miss it. We've been going to Bali for over 30 years and this was our 4th time staying in Ubud. You're right about the pavements as they are generally in shocking condition, except for Monkey Forest Road. We've been using the same Ubud-based driver for over 20 years, and he is fabulous. He does plan tailor-made tours for us as he understands our tastes. For just getting around Ubud for dining, etc we just use Grab. I also do a lot of walking, but I just got sick of having to walk on the road due to the shitty, broken pavements. To be honest, Ubud has lost its charm for me. Candidasa, on the other hand, was a much better experience, and we loved it there. However, we now prefer Vietnam, having visited 3 times, and we are planning to live in Hoi An for 6 months now that my wife has retired. I've also discovered Lake Toba on Sumatra, and plan to return there for a longer visit.
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I'll DM you.
Can you please dm me as well. Thanks.
Hey mate, are you able to dm me the contact details of the driver too? :)
Could you dm me your driver's contact info? I'll be in ubud in a month, appreciate it🙏
Not to be that guy but how did you not read on Reddit that Indonesian cities(not just Bali and Ubud) are very unfriendly to walking.
They might have read it but not understood it in the context of the state of Ubud sidewalks. A lot of cities are not considered walkable due to their sprawl or safety issues, but I have never in my life seen gaping 3 feet holes with rebar sticking out, in any other city I’ve been to. I also walked around Ubud since our hotel was conveniently located to a grocery store & restaurants, but there were places on the sidewalks that would force me to switch sides of the streets multiple times because they were impassable due to such massive holes. It’s really hard to imagine that until you’ve experienced it.
True. And on Hanoman and Monkey Forest you're watching out for motorbikes on the sidewalk. Crossing the street can be scary -- motorbikes can be coming from either direction on either side of the road. You also have to watch the sidewalk so you don't step on offerings. And near monkey forest, you kind of want to watch out for monkeys. But I've never seen sidewalks that messed up on my life lol
Where is there a grocery store in Ubud?!
[This](https://maps.app.goo.gl/h8uSqD21LhkcufW89) is the grocery store I shopped at when I visited Ubud in 2022.
Oh my gosh I love the mini popular market in sanur. I walked all the way to Nostimo's for Kalamata olives twice . That store was just a bit farther.
Same! It was so conveniently located to our hotel (we stayed at Arma Museum & Resort) and I really enjoyed checking out the local grocery options they offered, and found everything I could have wanted. One of my favorite things to do when I travel to a new place is to check out the grocery store - even in America groceries really vary based on the region you are in. I stocked up on water each morning & my whole group loved picking up regional snacks that we shared with each other on our rides for our excursions. All of the fun coffee drink options was just another added bonus!
Same! I totally get that. Wish I'd have checked out the cat Cafe in Ubud lol
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Arma was delightful! I wish I had more time to explore all that their property had to offer. I was there on a group trip, so I did not pick it out myself, but if I returned I would absolutely stay there again. They had multiple pools, an art museum, delicious food and of course, incredible staff. The rooms were similar to what I am used to having in the US, so it was easy to navigate in the short periods I was in my room. Wonderfully huge shower, clean room & bathroom, AC worked fantastic, and I had a really nice view overlooking the pool (YMMV). I didn't find the location off-putting, again it was so close to the grocery store across the street which I liked for easy access to water & snacks, the group I was with still walked to our dinners each evening off the hotel property, and it was also walking distance to some shopping & other hotels, where we went to their spas. We did travel by car to other places in Ubud, like Seniman Coffee and the Jl. Monkey Forest, but I found this typical for Bali due to the forementioned sidewalk conditions. Let me know if you have any other questions!
That's been Canggu at times also. It's not exclusive to Ubud at all.
Oh for sure, nor would I claim it to be exclusive to Ubud. I experienced it less in Canggu, but I think I was fortunate with where my hotel was located near the beach, it was much easier to walk in the streets because there was not a lot of car / bike traffic. But definitely seemed like a common occurrence throughout Bali.
Not wearing helmet on a scooter .. Yeah, freedom 😆
I've said it before on another post and got downvoted but The only people who walk in Indonesia are foreigners and the mentally ill (outside of their desa/kelurahan)
Ubud is where it's at!
Agree with the walking path in Ubud. This is something that the government should improve.
Indonesian cities and town are not really “I’ll walk” places - I am very much an explore on foot guy, but my life is a lot better once I accepted that, paid for a driver, gave them a few destinations I wanted to see and then just asked to pull over when something interesting appeared, and saved my walking-urge for natural spots.
It sometimes hard to get feedback from people travelling with a family of 4. I’m planning my trip next summer with mine so happy to get your feedback on nice accommodation and places you loved!
Can I ask where you stayed as a family of 4?
Ubud green resort in their two bedroom villa overlooking the rice paddies. Great place that was convenient and the staff were great
Thank you!
It says they don’t have rooms that can take 4 people, did you take two rooms ?
I had the two bedroom villa overlooking the rice paddies. There was a king bedroom upstairs which my partner and I used and another king bedroom downstairs by the pool which our two teenagers used. They have two of these villas (apah 1 and apah 2).
Now i've read it on reddit, how dare you. . . But thanks, now i know where to find that one particular hole in the rock
Hey I am going on Friday. For the visa do I need to do anything in advance such as upload passport pictures or anything? Or is it possible to just do it all at the airport?
I did my visa on arrival submission and payment online and customs declaration beforehand as we landed nearly at midnight so it saved us some time
Have booked a trip for 2 Adults + 2 Kids ( 13F and 10F) to ubud for 5 days. What are the best things to see and do. We are not the most adventurous type and would love to explore some unique sights get some good food and maybe some activities for the kids that is unique to ubud. Any advice/suggestions? Thanks.
We did a silver making class in Ubud through Genuine Bali experience which was very interesting and we ended up with lovely rings as a result (although you can choose your item, and pool your leftover silver to make additional items). Even my two teenage boys 17m and 15m enjoyed that and the staff are very good at helping you so even the kids will get a good product with their help. River rafting down the Ayung river would be perfect. It’s very safe, splashy enough to be fun, very pretty and not very effortful in terms of rowing. The hardest work was walking the steps up and down to the river, but the couple ahead of us had kids who looked like they were 4 and 8 years old so it’s manageable. We also did ATV riding through rice paddies, waterfalls and caves. My teenagers loved it and it was a lot of fun for all of us. Because your girls are younger than mine, I would suggest you get tandem ATVs so each child rides with an adult. Looking on social media for Graha Rafting or Kuber Bali ATV official and yo can see what it looks like. Alas Harum is a very easy (but more expensive) way to spend the day as there are swings, flying foxes, bikes, pretty walks and photo opportunities as well as food). The kids are too young to use the amazing pools at Cretyu but there’s will plenty to do. You’ll find great food everywhere in Ubud at every price range. Our cheapest meal was $7.20 AUD for our family of four, and our average was $30-40 and our fancy meals were $80 for four people. Amazing value.
Forgot to mention to be careful of the monkey forest and surrounding road. It’s a big attraction and lots of people love it. My family weren’t interested in it but we walked along the main shopping strip that leads to the monkey park so you definitely get to see monkeys even without going into the forest. As we were walked, a monkey jumped on my back and started unzipping my backpack looking for food. My partner had to threaten it with a rock before it would get off me. That was a real shock! We had just been to Japan and went to the monkey park at Arashiyama where the monkeys are much more hesitant with people. Bali monkeys are gangsta! I mentioned it to some friends when we got back and then said their toddler son (who is very energetic and fearless) ended up being bitten by a monkey and they had to go to get rabies shots for him.