Recap of Travels in Seminyak & Ubud
We started off in Seminyak which is really just a short drive from the airport distance wise, but yowzers I hadn’t seen this much traffic since we were in India in 2009! There are loads of motorbikes everywhere in Bali – this is their #1 mode of transport …. many transporting entire families (5 people on 1 motorbike!), construction supplies, an entire coffee cart on wheels…. There are absolutely NO traffic rules in Bali. This is why it was highly recommended we get a driver while we’re there – also because they are driving on the other side of the road vs. U.S… Seminyak has a really cool vibe to it – lots of restaurants, shops, bars, as well as a beautiful beach area. It is always super busy but probably lesser so since the Volcano (Mt Agnung) had been acting up and entire countries were still prohibiting citizens from traveling there due to the prior evacuation a month earlier. We stayed at a Courtyard Marriott known for their delicious breakfasts, and really enjoyed hanging at the hotel pool & pool bar as well as the beach – and trying our best to adjust to the timezone. We had some of the best food of our trip while we were in Seminyak as well. It was a good starting off point but I’m glad we didn’t stay longer. And -OH DID I MENTION that we also saw one of the MOST vibrant and amazing sunsets I’ve ever seen in my life??? <-
Our next destination was Ubud, but on the way we hired a driver and drove North to see the Tanah Lot Temple This temple is often found on postcards and images of Bali – it’s special becuase it basically sits in the ocean on a large rock. If it is high tide you aren’t gettting to it. Many tourists at this spot… one of the funniest points of our trip was when a large group of young-ish teen girls came up to me… i thought they were going to ask me to take a pictureof them and was ready to say “yeah sure” but they wanted to take a picture WITH me! LOL. Apparently I looked VERY American with my Nike shoes & fanny pack! I sort of chuckle when I think of who they may want to show this picture to.
Next stop from here was the Tegalalang Rice Terrace directly North of Ubud. I remember thinking, what’s the deal with these rice terraces and why would we want to make a special trip to go see one. BUT – as you see in the pictures – they are really cool and impressive. This one is one of the most scenic & often-photographed Rice Terraces in Bali.
We were now ready to get to the glamping tents where we were going to be staying for next 3 nights….. after a 2 km drive on a dirt road through a rice field… our driver was side-eyeing us as if to say “are you sure you really want to stay here?”. But, after checking in and seeing the beautiful welcome center & grounds, we were SO happy we were. This place is like nowhere else we’ve ever stayed – it can’t even really be called camping because everything is sooooo, well, luxe. I’ll let the pics speak for themselves but our tent was so well-appointed it had air conditioning & full bathroom / shower. 
You could order room service by swinging around a little bell outside of your door and one of the staff would be there within seconds.
The view from the back terrrace, with own private pool and outdoor shower, overlooking the jungle is one of my best memories in Bali. We were also able to book a private yoga class – which Joseph even participated in (and it was SO cute… if I wasn’t doing yoga poses I would’ve taken pictures)… We also had massages in the tent – Joey had the ipad in bed and we were able to really relax (a bali miracle!). We liked the restaurant so much we ate dinner there all 3 nights + 1 lunch. The staff in the restaurant were the sweetest Balinese people we had met – and Joseph was enamored with them. This was definitely the most special place we’ve ever stayed and would recommend to anyone. The owners have another glamping property in Italy outside of Venice and we are dying to try and check it out! link to sandat glamping tent here
There is SO much to do in and around Ubud, we wanted to take in some of the sites but not go too crazy (which is our typical travel style). When traveling, I think absorbing the local culture and customs can be just as entertaining as checking the boxes on the “Top 10 Trip Advisor Recommendations”. We also have a 4 year old to keep entertained so there is definitely a balance! Here is what we opted to do while in Ubud:
- Elephant Sanctuary (our hotel arranged this with a pick-up and drop-off and lunch included). We all really enjoyed the elephant ride and I sincerely hope the story is true that all the elephants here were rescued from Sumatra and given a much nicer home
! - The Monkey Forest (it was so funny being able to roam amongst the wild monkeys – they are super quick though and can’t bring anything in with you or they will steal it)
- Yoga Lesson (didn’t make it to the Yoga Barn unfortunately!)
- Walk through the downtown Ubud shops
- Ubud Palace & Dance Show (Legong and Barong Waksirsa Dance)
Ubud is often characterized as the cultural center of Bali – many artists are based here and the city really does have a laid back vibe to it. If planning a trip to Bali I think it’s worth a stop for a few days. Our next 2 stops were Nusa Dua & Jimbaraan – this portion of our trip was all about chilling out, spending time as family, and lying around on the beach (welllll, actually, maybe those were my plans as Miguel also got in a couple scuba diving trips)
Nusa Dua is located on the southern part of the island of Bali. We stayed at a big all-inclusive resort while we were there, something we hadn’t really tried out yet in our travels. Can’t say I’d recommend this resort to others as it did have it’s shortfalls, but we had a very lovely New Years eve there and a few good nights of R&R.
Next stop was Jimbaraan where we stayed at the Intercontinental, based on recommendation from my Uncle David & his wife Isha who is Indonesian… and OMG I’m so happy this is where we ended our trip. From start to finish the service & grounds at this hotel were top notch. They had an AAAAMAZING kids club that Joseph actually wanted to go to. Parents had some free time to check out the swim up bar while he was in kids club… win/win! We also saw some of the most beautiful sunsets just hanging out at the beach bar which had free drinks everyday from 5-7 (amazing!). When it was time for dinner there were loads of places along the beach where you could eat with your feet literally in the water…. Joey could play with new friends in the sand and be well-entertained.
long with the water to see the Little Mermaid statue. Short in stature, but big in terms of it’s infamy. We also saw the Royal Castle & spent some time in the dusk hours in Tivoli Garden which is absolutely magically lit up for Christmas time. Joseph was so excited to meet Santa Claus that he took a running leap into his arms – it was really cute. He told him he wanted the blue whistle for Christmas (which Santa DID deliver on…. kudos to Santa ;)) We ended the evening with a great dinner, during which Joey fell fast asleep just sitting in my lap….it was a long day. That was of course fine by us – as the adults enjoyed their wine and oysters in peace.
