Ahhhhhhh Bali. A place words fail to truly capture its magic, and believe me, I’ve tried. This is our 4th time visiting this amazing island, and I fear I will never ever tire of visiting and uncovering its new delights. It was such a treat showing the island off to our kiddos, and watching them experience its glory for themselves. It’s so hard to put Bali into words, because truly it’s a whole VIBE: the tropical rainforest and beach landscapes, the culture, the faith (Hindu), the food, and the people, wow, the incredible people. The warm, the kindness, the hospitality, the serenity…..truly one of a kind.
Map Of Bali- We’ve stayed in Ubud, Seminyak, Sanur, and Nusa Dua. We have also visited Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan on day trips.
I’ve written about the times we’ve been to Bali, each one showing us different sides. We first visited Bali for our honeymoon, back in September 2010. We then visited again while we lived in Malaysia in November 2012, while I was pregnant with our daughter, and then again on our way moving back to the USA, we spent a couple of weeks relaxing in Bali in May 2015 as a newly minted family of 4. You can view our past posts from visits to Bali here: 2010, 2012, 2015.
A map showing Bali’s location within Indonesia.
Our trip this time around took us to a new place as well as a trip down memory lane. On our past visits, we had only ever gone to Ubud on a day trip, but this time around we decided to stay in Ubud for a few nights to really get the whole “rainforest/rice fields” experience. While I was researching, I happened upon a wonderful Villa in Ubud, right off the main drag on a glorious little alleyway cars were not allowed down. It was called Wake Up In Paradise Lebah Villas. We absolutely loved it and highly recommend it! This compound has 5 different villas ranging from 1 bedroom up to 4 bedroom private villas. There is a common infinity pool but again with only 5 villas, we only ran into other guests 1 time. The villa was clean, modern with a Balinese flair, and we had a kitchen so every morning the Lebah staff came knocking at our agreed upon time, ready to cook us made to order breakfast while we sat al fresco, and then proceeded to clean everything up after we left. Yep, included in our nightly rate. So amazing. They also offered private in villa BBQ dining in the evenings. We took advantage of that 1 of the nights and we were so impressed!! Balinese spiced BBQ pork ribs, beautiful side dishes, dessert, and beverages….all for a price you would not believe if I told you! They also offered in villa massages (for a small additional cost), which we also took advantage of upon check in after a long day of travel. I also have to note, we did say that we were celebrating our anniversary and they had the main bedroom in the villa decked out in rose petals with the iconic towel swans all hotels seem to do, lol. Very thoughtful touch!
Stunning sunsets
gorgeous villa grounds
We loved settling into our Balinese adventure by just relaxing at our villa, strolling the streets and markets of Ubud, dining in side of the street eateries that filled us up, and walking amongst the rice fields at sunset. One thing I will note is that Ubud surprised us at the sheer amount of people, of cars, and of motorcycles, along the main drag. It was sensory overload for sure, so keep that in mind. Thankfully our villa was very quiet but again we had to walk about 6 minutes off the main road to even get to our villa. Well worth the experience to be close to the action but yet far enough away you only heard nature once there.
In villa breakfast made to order- yum!
Best way to start the day!
We scheduled 1 tour while in Ubud, an all day tour just to give us a broad overview of Ubud (previously David and I had done a bicycle tour through rice fields and cooking class years prior). Based on ridiculously high reviews, we chose the Private All Day Ubud Tour through Viator and it did NOT disappoint! We had our own driver, own car, included lunch, and spent the day seeing sights at our own pace.
Stunning personal family temple within their compound
Such a treat to be able to meet this family and enjoy their compound
Monkey Mac!
Silly Monkey!
We started out by visiting a local Balinese multi-generational home which was beautiful and fascinating, then on to the monkey forest which was touristy but hilarious, and we checked out a super cool rice field compound that allowed lots of exploring with some picturesque spots amongst the rice fields. After that was lunch up the street at a stunning setting amongst more jungle and rice fields. Lunch was to DIE for, and we even got brave enough to all try their huge swings over the valleys of their plantation. Freaked us all out but well worth the adrenaline rushes.
Our kids were mortified
So beautiful
Rice fields blooming
This lunch was to die for
After lunch was a much needed stop at a local coffee plantation (Bali is known for its coffees and chocolates too!). We tried 14 different flavors of coffee and tea….and David and I even tried the Luwak coffee (aka- catshit coffee). Look it up. From there we visited a stunning temple with magical water pools. Although we didn’t cleanse ourselves in the waters amongst the hundreds of others who came to experience it’s powers, we did enjoy learning more about the Hindu faith and why these waters are so powerful from our awesome guide. Yes we had to wear sarongs as a sign of respect in the Hindu faith while visiting their temples, and no I was not on my period, thus able to enter the temple, again, as per their faith. Our final stop was the amazing Ulupetanu Waterfall. A crazy magical setting where the kids hopped stones over calm fresh waters to get to the base of the waterfall where we swam and played and cooled off from the day’s adventures! What an amazing day, highly recommend for an all-in glimpse of Bali’s inland magic.
Luwak Coffee!
So many fun tastings
Watching her brew our Luwak coffee
Magical waters
Our awesome guide Enawan
Such a gorgeous setting
fun way to enter the waterfall
loved it!
After 3 nights in Ubud, we were so excited to get to the beach! After a long 2 hour car ride, we arrived in the southernmost area of Bali called Nusa Dua, to the most amazing resort near and dear to our hearts where we honeymooned 14 years ago….the magical St. Regis Resort! We spent 5 nights here and it was everything we remembered it to be and more. The kids absolutely loved it and they spoiled us upon finding out (ok us telling them) that we had honeymooned with them 14 years prior. I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers at check in, and of course our room was filled with rose petals on the bed and in the tub, as well as a delicious chocolate cake for us to enjoy, so thoughtful!
The beauty of the St. Regis resort is that you truly feel like you are the only ones there, even though they did mention they were at full capacity. The grounds are stunning- the rooms, the pool, the lagoons, the beach, the restaurants…..and our favorite then and now- getting gelato at the end of the every night- yum! We swam, we played, we slept in, we did work out (shhh), we took advantage of the spa, we took morning beach walks, we ordered room service, we indulged in the beautiful food….just as lovely as we remembered it to be! One thing that the St. Regis does really well is freshly prepared in room coffee however you like it, included in the rate, along with personal butlers to help steam clothes and make reservations or whatever is needed. I mean they even offer to clean your sunglasses while you are relaxing on the beach. So indulgent & such a treat for us.
Kids loved feeding the fishies on our way to breakfast every morning.
I was terrified to do this for years when we lived in Malaysia.
We made it through!
Beach time with clean sunglasses 🙂 ha!
We also strolled around the nearby Bali Collection, an outdoor mall filled with shops, restaurants, convenience stores, and fish spas, which is always a great way to spend some time finding local and global delights outside of the resort. And as a crowning feather in our son’s cap, we got in touch with old friends of his from Beijing who moved to Bali and invited them to come swim and hang for the day- such joy on all 3 boys faces, and us parents all had a great time catching up. So awesome to have friends in so many corners of this earth. We had a wonderful time watching the kids play while we all caught up on life in both Beijing and Bali, amongst uncovering other beautiful aspects of our lives. What a gift.
Dinner at Kayaputi, such a delicious asian fusion cuisine.
The resort at night all lit up
Every night at sunset- the fire dance
The gelatin bar….every dang night!
Buddies from Beijing!
Our one big tour on this part of our trip was the Private Boat Tour I found via TripAdvisor. I know many people have hit and miss experiences with TripAdvisor but if you check outside sources, really read through reviews, & get in touch with the tour company directly with questions….I promise you most likely will never be disappointed. Lo and behold, we were NOT disappointed!! What an AMAZING experience this tour was, all agreed our favorite family snorkeling/boat tour to date! We were taken to a nearby marina to get to our boat, which again was just for the 4 of us. They had fruit, waters, towels, a GoPro with a guide taking pictures and videos underwater for us, and all possible snorkeling gear. They even had a cooler filled with ice and told us to bring whatever beverages and snacks we wanted for the day. The tour also included lunch.
I could not believe how big these manta rays were!
breathtaking
Thumbs up all around!
This boat tour took us over to Nusa Penida island, about an hour away. The waters were fairly choppy but it was kind of windy in the morning too (it did settle down and prove to be a stunning day). We started in an area known for the Manta Rays hanging out to play and clean themselves with the currents. Wow I have never seen such HUGE manta rays. So beautiful, but amongst other tour boats, a little crowded for my liking. Nonetheless a breathtaking stop! Our 2nd stop was way more chill with less boats. We dropped anchor and swam around the shallow reefs, check out very cool tropical fish and even got to jump off the top of the boat….over and over again per the kids delight- haha! 3rd stop took us around the island even more to a cool part where the boat dropped us off next to the cliffs of the island and underwater you could see the drop-off of the island reef to the very deep blue waters. Amazing fish of all sizes and colors to explore while the boat motored nearby to grab us upon completion.
This girl was a fish!
Into the Blue
Also a fish!
Stunning lunch views!
Gorgeous
Always a photo opportunity!
After this 3rd stop we motored to the Nusa Penida marina, and were taken by jeep up the windy hills of this famously rugged mountainous island, to a clifftop retreat for lunch and spectacular views, and even a dip in the hotel’s swimming pool. We were able to order beverages at the pool, but I will say the lunch could have been better, but that’s ok! What a fun stop. Back on our boat, our final stop was incredible- we did something called “drift snorkeling”. Along a part of the island known for its lazy and surprising current, was where the turtles hang out to float at the bottom and drift along with the current. Our boat dropped us and our guide off and we floated along with the current, barely noticing we were being pulled (unless we tried to swim against it- lol) while searching for and finding beautiful turtles of all sizes at the reef filled shallow bottom of the sea. When the boat pulled up to grab us our guide told us we had floated over 2 kilometers!! So amazing. Back to the marina and to veg out, what a spectacular day. HIGHLY recommend this adventure!
I love tropical waters
Family boat jump!
Peekaboo Turtle!
Sunset back at the marina with low tide. Trekking back to land :).
So as you can see, our 4th time in Bali, the first with our kids at an age to be able to explore and enjoy, definitely did NOT disappoint. There is something about Bali that crawls under your skin and spreads pure warmth, love, and true peacefulness. It’s a feeling that is unmatched in all my travels. Not saying I haven’t experienced many other countries which are magical and amazing and adventurous and all the things….but Bali, ahhh Bali, it just has my heart.
Happy and tired!
Until next time, thanks for reading & happy travels!
xo Kimbra
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