With winter temperatures creeping up on us and Christmas – with all its hustling and gift-shopping – just around the corner, who wouldn’t want to escape onto the island and into the sun for just a little while. For my mom and I, this opportunity presented itself when my host sister from my high school exchange in Texas announced her wedding to take place on Bali. Not thinking twice about the 16-hour-long trip from Frankfurt to Denpasar, we booked our tickets via Singapore and found ourselves swimming in the ocean and wearing flip-flops in 30 degrees Celsius in mid-November.

From the Denpasar airport it’s about a 30 minute taxi drive (which will cost you around €15) to Nusa Dua, the 5-star hotel and resort tourist destination in the south of Bali. The neighborhood is home to many luxury hotels and restaurants, which is why prices here are much higher than on the rest of the island. The reason for our stop here was that Dani (my host-sister) and Brandan’s wedding was to be held at the Westin Resort. It was a marvellous location for the wedding ceremony and following party, delicious food was served, wonderful decorations and glittering lights created the perfect atmosphere right by the beach, and we danced the night away – on what I would call the hottest dance floor I have ever danced on (talking about 30 degrees Celsius in November). If you’re not planning on attending such a wonderful wedding in Nusa Dua though, like we did, I wouldn’t recommend staying in this part of Bali. Due to higher price levels and the rather monotonous landscape of hotels, malls and restaurants, you’ll get much more out of exploring the rest of the beautiful island rather than just staying in Nusa Dua. After doing some souvenir shopping, a first dip in the sea, morning yoga by the beach and the above-mentioned wedding, we also continued our journey northwards.

When travelling north, it might be worthwhile to make a stop in Djimbaran, a strip by the sea in the west of Bali, covered with delicious seafood restaurants. The romantic atmosphere when the Balinese band plays ‘Pretty Woman’ for you while you’re eating your fresh seafood platter and listening to the waves washing ashore at night is something you’ll love remembering about that Bali trip. Our recommendations from personal experience are the restaurants Menega and Sakura, which belong to the same owners.

Celebrating Dani and Brandan’s beautiful wedding with my second family from Texas

7am morning yoga by the beach

Seafood dinner @Sakura in Djimbaran

From Nusa Dua our driver Ngurah took us on a 1,5h road trip to the Tegallalang Rice Terraces north of Ubud. If you’re looking for a different experience than those drivers that barely speak any English, kick you out of the car, leave you on your own and are ultimately only trying to rip you off, I recommend you give Ngurah a call or text him. With his mantra of “On Bali? Everything easy!” he’ll make any request you might have possible. He took us to the “backyard” of the rice terraces – how he called it – and led us to a little hut where an elderly couple sat with a basket of fruits and two cats straying around their legs. Just around the corner from the tourist masses paying money to sit on the ‘Bali Swing’, shoving past each other on the narrow pathways and buying tons of useless souvenirs, this little spot was actually really peaceful and let us enjoy the beauty of the rice terraces with some nice company and a delicious mangosteen on the house.

Stunning Tegallalang Rice Terraces

Mangosteen – one of my favorite fruits from Southeast Asia

UBUD IMPRESSIONS

My favourite part of Bali is the little artsy town of Ubud. Some might find it touristy, others might call it vibrant. Fact is, Ubud offers an incredible range of cute restaurants and cafes, little boutiques and shops, hidden art galleries and temples, thoughtful homestay accommodations and countless massage parlours. The streets can indeed get a little crowded with tourists looking to buy some souvenirs or getting a massage for their worn out feet – but why not join them and treat yourself to a blueberry-mango-banana smoothie and a massage after a long day of visiting the rice terraces, monkey forest and the Ubud palace. Our special recommendation: foot reflexology massage – it’ll make the more expensive full body treatment redundant, relaxing every part of your body by just applying pressure to certain areas of your feet.

Returning back home to the continuously dropping temperatures, we fed on those relaxing foot massages, delicious food and fresh fruit, the morning yoga sessions and rewarding smoothies and the beautiful views over lush green rice terraces. But most of all, we will cherish those memories of an unforgettable wedding of two people who were meant for each other, a ceremony among family and simply wonderful people, and the fact that true love – be it for your partner, your friends or your mom – is something very special that we  should always be thankful for.

Offerings for the many gods can be found everywhere in the streets, shops and even on the windshields of cars and motorcycles x

Dinner @Laba Laba

Famous Luwak Coffee from Bali: eaten, digested and defecated by a little animal called Asian palm civet

Delicious smoothies @KAFE

Exploring Campuhan Ridge Walk

Roof top terrace of the Ubud Village Hotel

Family dinner

MY TIPS & RECOMMENDATIONS

• We really enjoyed our stay at the Ubud Village Hotel, a beautiful, upper class hotel right in the centre of Ubud for only €100 per night for a double room – a la carte breakfast included, complementary afternoon tea and yoga classes, very friendly staff and a breathtaking rooftop terrace
• Lovely places with the most delicious food in Ubud (meal prices ranging from €2-12): KAFE & Warung Laba Laba. KAFE offers a broad menu of healthy lunch/dinner/smoothie/drink/snack choices, including amazing vegetarian and vegan options. I can recommend the green curry at Laba Laba, served by the sweetest waitresses.
• Having a driver that takes you around the island is definitely recommendable. We met Ngurah on our first day and decided that he was a nice guy and that we’d like to ride with him whenever we needed a transfer. For a half day trip from Nusa Dua to Ubud (1,5h), including a special tour of the Tegallalang Rice Terraces, he charged us €20. Ngurah was very social and talkative and shared his knowledge, stories and experiences from being a driver on Bali with us. Whether you’re looking for a tour guide for the day or just a transfer, riding with Ngurah won’t disappoint you – just shoot him a WhatsApp with your request: +62 812 3676 8788.
• Strolling through downtown Ubud can easily take up a whole day. Hidden galleries with beautiful art, cute cafes and vegan restaurants, here and there a little temple or offering, and a massage shop every couple of meters to give your feet some well-deserved rest and relaxation. Take your time to just explore the streets and shops of this artsy and vibrant place.