4 Days in Ubud, Bali

You can’t spend too much time in Bali. Ubud alone makes me believe this to be 100% true.  Bali is the top destination for many people – you can include me in that group!  I was so excited about this trip for a few reasons: my boyfriend and I were going together after 5 months long distance, Bali has been my dream destination for many years, the weather is perfect, and there are so many things to do!  Of course with this kind of excitement, you hope you aren’t hyping it up too much.

Thankfully, Bali was everything I hoped for and more. While in Ubud, here is a list of the things we did.

1. Spoil Yourself

I always thought I was practical in the way I spent my money… then I met Sean. He’s the reason I’ve had the same iPhone for 3.5 years. Anytime I would say, “I want the new iPhone!” he would follow it up with, “Is your phone broken?” He takes practical spending to a new level. But when it came to our first vacation abroad together, I wanted to splurge.  Even if it was just for one night!  The stars aligned and hearts were in my eyes when he said it was a great idea.  I didn’t have to search for too long to find an affordable private pool villa.  You’re probably rolling your eyes and thinking, “affordable and private pool villa” will never fit in the same sentence.  I assure you, they do! When in Ubud, splurge! Live like royalty and do it right.  We stayed in our villa for 4 nights and it was a major highlight of our trip.

**you can find private pool villas starting around $75/night**

2. Traditional Balinese Massage

You can pay top dollar for the same exact massage you’d get at the random salon/spa outside of your hotel.  Our hotel was charging triple the price of the spa across the street so we made the decision to go with the salon/spa.  I’m not a massage expert but I do know the difference between a Thai massage and an oil massage I get back in The States.  A Traditional Balinese Massage felt very similar to something you’d get back home – but it was worth the 6 dollars for an hour!

3. Sacred Monkey Forrest

I expected to see a few monkeys here and there inside a gated “forrest.”  I was very wrong. They are everywhere, even in the parking lot and down the street! And if you have any food on you, they will get it.  They aren’t shy or scared of humans.  The second we walked through the entrance, 2 monkeys jumped on Sean’s shoulders and hung out while he was paying for bananas.  Those 15 bananas were taken from us in 30 seconds.  The forrest isn’t huge, but it’s a fun place to walk around.  Make sure you zip your bags and hold onto your camera and phones – they’ll take anything they can get their hands on.

4. Rice Terrace

The famous rice terrace was about 10-15 minutes outside of Ubud city center.  We rented a motorbike and drove out there an hour before sunset.  You’re able to walk through the terrace and take pictures but be prepared with the right shoes because it’s a steep walk and very muddy!  After we took a few pictures, we had a quick snack looking out over the terrace as the sun was setting. 

5. Tampak Siring 

On our quest for the Holy Spring Water Temple, we were directed to Tampak Siring with the impression it was what we were out looking for. However, it was not. Instead it was this breathtaking temple that rested on a river bank.  Sean wore a beautiful sarong around his waist because he was dressed too scandalously for a temple – GET IT TOGETHER SEAN! After we matched, we made our way down hundreds of stairs. Not an exaggeration. It was painful!  Worth every step though!

6. Tirtha Empul Temple aka Holy Spring Water Temple

After Tampak Siring, we drove another 5 minutes to the real Holy Spring Water Temple.  The natural fresh water springs are between two mountains and have been around for hundreds of years.  Balinese people go to the temple to have holy drinking water and to dunk their heads at each fountain.  You start at the furthest left spring and make your way to the right stopping underneath each fountain.  As you dunk your head, the water is said to purify your body, soul, and mind. Ps… the water felt amazing! So refreshing during the heat of the day.

7. Luwak Coffee and Tea Tasting

Do you know what a Luwak is? I didn’t prior to our coffee and tea tasting but it’s a feisty, fury, rat/raccoon/monkey/flying squirrel type thing.  To put this simply, Luwaks eat coffee beans, digest them, and then people clean the discarded coffee beans and make coffee. I don’t know about you, but that sounds incredibly appetizing! (sarcasm). I’m not a coffee drinker, but Sean is, so it was his time to shine! He said it tasted great and was much stronger than the coffee he had back home.  I benefitted from this outing because they also did tea tastings.  I ended up buying two big packages of loose tea.  Another useful souvenir that I won’t have 2 weeks from now.  I highly recommend checking out Luwak Coffee and Tea Tastings while in Ubud… just so you can say you ate poop coffee. Literally. 

Share with me:  What is something you want to do in Ubud?  Or, what was your favorite thing about Ubud?