10 Days in Bali: Ubud, Seminyak & Canggu

10 min readJun 25, 2019

We spent 10 days in Bali. We stayed in Ubud, Seminyak and Canggu.

Day 1–4 in Ubud

What to expect from Ubud?
Ubud is my favourite place in Bali. I could have easily stayed a few weeks; just wandering around the markets, sitting down at the restaurants/coffee shops and exploring the temples.

For me, Ubud is about the Spiritual living. There is a strong cultural heritage and lots of traditional Balinese craftsmen with skills passed down through generations. The passion and love for their art and culture is what makes this part of the island so special.

Central Ubud is made up of a very busy one-way road, lined with shops, restaurants and people. If you are staying in Bali for 10 days I’d recommend visiting Ubud for at least 3–5 days as there is a lot to see and do; from the Ubud markets, to the rice terraces, temples and so much more…

Arya Villa
This villa took us a while to find, but it was worth it. We were a short walk from everything, set down a side road in the heart of Ubud. The apartment was Large, sunny and airy with plenty of space to relax and unwind. An authentic first Balinese experience.

Chickens would hop around the garden and you could see all of this from the balcony where we regularly sat in the morning/evening.

If we had any problems or needed transport the owners would happily help. On the first morning we were surprised with a traditional Balinese breakfast. It was delicious.

Mr Ketut and his family gave us an amazing impression of Ubud.

Day 1: We made lots of friends

The Airport
At the airport the Taxi drivers enjoy following you into the toilets. A great first impression of Bali. I also think some drivers have fake Blue Bird badges. Make sure your Taxi is branded up Blue Bird for the best rates. Ubud is located right in the heart of the island, around an hour’s drive from Denpasar airport. The Taxi to Ubud from the airport should cost around IDR 300–500.

Markets & Local Area
There is no shortage of wooden bags and fabrics here. The wooden bags cost us around IDR 150,000–300,000 and the fabrics between IDR 80,000–300,000. We didn’t buy anything until day 2. If you arrive early in the morning the venders sell items cheaper for good luck.

Its rare you come across a place that has a strong link between local living and tourism. The locals are very kind and they seem to enjoy the travellers.

Day 2: We wandered around

Campuhan Ridge Walk
A morning or afternoon stroll on The Campuhan Ridge Walk is a must while in Ubud. It’s free and you get a workout. The only downside is that it gets hot during the day, so I would recommend going Between 5–11am or 4–6pm. We visited at 4pm and took a detour. It’s the perfect way to start or end the day. You’ll find the starting point of the walk to the left of the entrance to Warwick Ibah, just follow the path over the bridge and past the temple.

Shopping
Yesterday we scanned the markets and shops. Today we buy, we buy too much… Plubbyland can give you a better overview on Ubud markets.

This little girl helped her mum sell Batik fans. I practised my Bali price haggling and got one for IDR 20,000!

Day 3: We visited the sights

Tegenungan waterfall
Tegenungan waterfall is apparently the most touristy waterfall in Bali. It costs IDR 10.000 per person. A short walk down to the waterfall offers some beautiful views and the refreshing water is popular for a dip if your brave enough. We arrived in the morning so it wasnt too busy, Catching the shining light was magical. I’ve been told that people who visit this waterfall have been known to queue for photos. There is also a cute birds nest that you can jump into.

Pura Tirta Empul
Due to a sacred spring running through this temple, Pura Tirta Empul is an important Balinese temple and is a place people come for a spiritual cleansing experience. Indoor fountains divert water from the spring into this long rectangular pool.

You need a sarong to visit, You can purchased one for around IDR 90,000 from a lady in the car park. On religious holidays, Balinese locals flock this temple, so queues to use the baths can be quite long — definitely worth bearing in mind if you’ve got limited time to see as much of the island as possible.

The Taxi driver that we hired for the day was very knowledgable and told us the story about how this sacred spring was created by the God Indra.

Here is Plubbyland making friends with the local people.

Goa Gajah
We stopped off at this location to check out the cave and see the gardens.

Coconuts in Bali are Huge!

Tegalalang Rice Fields
Many people visit Ubud for the green rice-terrace fields. As you can imagine, The Tegalalang rice-terraces are extremely popular with tourists! As the Taxi approached the fields we paid a fee of IDR 10.000.

There is also the optional photo with a local farmer that has just finished a hard days work.

I bought some postcards…

Luwak coffee
This coffee is the most expensive in the world. In the UK it fetches up to £70 a cup. I’m a big coffee drinker, I tried some mainly for the novelty, I wouldn’t pay £70 for a cup.

Day 4: Our final day in Ubud

Today was unfortunately our last full day in Ubud. So we explored the town, found a shop called Threads Of Life and they educated us on Batik. This fair trade business works directly with weavers creating products using local materials and natural dyes. This shop is a small museum.

We went for coffee above the shop and enjoyed this view.

Walking back we met a man in a garage and bought some lovely fabrics at a good price and then headed to a shop called ‘Manik’ and purchased two shirts. I love the bold Bali Patterns that can be found on fabrics here.

Day 5–6 in Seminyak

What to expect from Seminyak?
Seminyak is trendy, sophisticated and packed full of cool hotels, restaurants, beach clubs and bars. It’s a great place to enjoy the other side of what Bali has got to offer, eating good food and soaking up the sun on the beach or watching the sun set at a beach club.

Green Studio Apartment (Super Clean Green Studio Apartment )
During our time here, we played evening music and drunk home-made cocktails.

Day 5: Explore south of Ubud

We woke up early and arrived at Seminyak at around 11am. After settling in, we headed to a cafe just around the corner called ‘Shelter’, they did a fabulous brunch.

We planned to explore the town and beach but things changed and we ended up hiring a taxi to explore some attractions.

Uluwatu Temple
Perched on a seaside cliff, the views from this Hindu temple are unbeatable. Consider arriving at sunrise or sunset for a picturesque look at Bali.

Be mindful of the monkeys, they target people who have expensive phones and glasses!

Dinner on Jimbaran Beach
We arrived here at night and was a bit weary on why the driver took us to this restaurant because it didn’t seem that special from the front, but once we walked in and sat down overlooking the beach things changed; the restaurant was packed with people and the food was delicious (The pictures don’t do this place justice) If you are ever in this area, I recommend visiting as you get to pick what you want to eat.

Oh, you may get to see some fireworks!

Day 6: Potato Head

Today we took a stroll into town, we ended up at the Potato Head beach club. The sun bed area and booths were full so we put our name down, got a buzzer and headed to the bar for a few special drinks. It felt like we had our own personal bar tender who knew the drinks inside out so we didn’t actually leave the bar for some time. A few cocktails and bottle of wine later we headed to the restaurant upstairs, the food was great! As it hit 6pm the sunset came through. It was very romantic!

Day 7–9 in Canggu

What to expect from Canggu?
Canggu is where the cool kids hang out! A great second stop on from Seminyak as it’s only around 15/20 minutes by car! We spent the final 3 days in Canggu. Here you can layback, enjoy the healthy breakfast, visit the cool bars and watch the surfers — It’s paradise!

Taman Nauli Botique Rooms
We decided that we wanted to relax after a busy week exploring some of Bali, so we decided to book a place at Taman Nauli Botique Rooms. Originally, used as a factory producing outfits that were featured in some top end fashion magazines, now transformed into rooms for guests.

The attention to detail and design of this place was fantastic and I’ve briefly written about it in this post. If I had my own home it would look very similar.

Day 7: Layback and eat

When we arrived at the Boutique Rooms, we just wanted to rest. we made use of the facilities and ate lots of food.

Day 8: Explore the area

We walked towards the beach and passed a few local shops and markets

The beach was cool.

Day 9: Chill at the Boutique Rooms

We reminisced the last 9 days and finished eating the whole menu, food here was the best we experienced in Bali. The Taman Nauli boutique Rooms restaurant is a hidden gem!