Bali is a true paradise packed with rice fields, volcanic mountains, marine life, beautiful beaches, and an abundance of culture, add the food and warm climate and it’s easy to understand its allure for revellers, culture vultures, and beach-lovers alike.
This article details my full 16 days in Bali, with some useful information that’s good to know before you go (skip to the end if that’s what you’re after), we visited from 22nd March – 8th April 2023 just outside of the rainy season.
♪ You can also watch my daily vlogs on Tik Tok.
The prices included in this article were correct at the time of publication.
Let’s get started…
Flights to Bali
As I was flying solo I opted to use Singapore Airlines for their exceptional reputation as one of the best airports in the world – sadly my layover time didn’t give me enough time to explore but I was extremely pleased with the service from Singapore Airlines and wouldn’t hesitate to use them again.
My total flight cost was £1,595 for Economy with 30kg checked baggage.
Outbound
My outbound flight departed London Heathrow T2 at 09:10 am on Friday 22 March 2024 arriving in Singapore at 06:05 am local time on Saturday 23 March 2024 with a total flying time of 13 hours. My transfer departed Singapore at 08:20 am and arrived in Denpasar Bali at 11:05 am local time with a total flying time of 2 hours and 45 minutes.
When transferring you do not need a visa for Singapore, and there was plenty of time to exit the plane and make my way to my transferring flight without urgency. When boarding the second transfer flight, you will need to go through another security check before going through to the boarding gate.
The bag drop at Heathrow was seamless as they’ve introduced an automated system that allows you to check your bag using self-service machines – this option was not yet available in Bali airport.
Inbound
My flight departed Denpasar Bali at 9:45 pm on Sunday 7 April 2024 and arrived in Singapore at 00:20 am with a total flying time of 2 hours 35 minutes. My transfer flight departed Singapore at 01:10 am and arrived at London Heathrow at 07:45 am on Monday 8 April 2024. The time between transfers was under one hour and as one of the terminal sky trains was not working, it meant we had to rush over to a second train and then walk a short distance to the gate which was boarding just as we arrived. It meant we got off one plane and straight onto another, so for this reason I’d recommend a minimum 2-hour layover to allow yourself time.
Entry Requirements
There are three items required to enter Bali:
Bali Visa
You can apply for a visa before arrival or you can get one on arrival, if you wait until arrival be prepared for long queues if you’re visiting during popular times. Having completed the visa before arrival I was able to walk right through to passport control and baggage claim with no queues at all. I applied for a B1 Tourism (Visa on Arrival) for 30 Days from the official website and was approved almost instantly and cost around £24. I was asked to provide this before exiting the airport.
Tourist Tax
As of 2024, Bali introduced a tourist tax that costs around £7.50 per person that you can pay online here before arrival. When arriving in March 2024 I was not asked to provide a receipt, however, I believe this may become stricter in the future as they get to grips with the new enforcement.
Declaration
The final item is to complete a declaration of entry, you can do this on arrival near baggage claim at Bali airport, in advance online or they had a QR code to scan during my transfer in Singapore – however you decide to do it, you just do need to have completed it before exiting Bali airport.
Passports
I have heard stories of visitors being turned away due to damage to their passports, so be sure to do your due diligence on passport requirements, particularly as some countries ask for minimum 6 months validity and no visible damage.
Bali Accommodation
Since the trip coincided with Kim’s 30th birthday, we opted for the more luxurious side of travelling with our accommodation and activities.
We pre-booked all of our accommodation using www.booking.com as most allowed us to pay later or at the property, but we opted to pay them off in full before the trip. Here’s a quick list of where we stayed, the number of nights and the cost per person based on two of us. We splashed out on a private pool villa in Gili Trawangan since this is where Kim would be waking up for her 30th birthday. All but the Seminyak accommodation included breakfast.
I also documented these on an accommodation TikTok available here.
- The Bed By The Sea, Canggu – 2 Nights – £48.50 pp
- Alum Terrace Cottages, Ubud – 3 Nights – £38 pp
- Ocean Terrace Suites, Nusa Penida – 2 Nights – £37.50 pp
- Villas Edenia, Gili Trawangan – 3 Nights – £139.71 pp
- Padang Padang Inn, Uluwatu – 3 Nights – £75.78 pp
- Moson Villa Legian, Seminyak – 3 Nights – £33.16 pp
Total accommodation cost £372.65
Bali Itinerary
Canggu – 2 Nights
Canggu was the first stop on our itinerary direct from the airport. Our accommodation in Canggu offered us a private driver transfer which after a long flight was extremely welcomed as Ngurah Rai Airport is overrun with taxi drivers fighting for your attention.
We only spent 2 nights in Canggu but I’d loved to have stayed longer as I liked the carefree vibe of the place, but we still had time to visit Finns Beach Club, try a breakfast board at Copenhagen, and explore some of the markets. Watch my day 1 and day 2 vlogs in Canggu on Tik Tok.
Read about our time in Canggu here.
Love Anchor Market in Canggu, Bali
Ubud – 3 Nights
Ubud is one of the picture-perfect postcards of Bali with its luscious rice terraces and an abundance of things to see and do. We felt of all the places we visited, Ubud offered the most activities so it’s worth spending a few days here to comfortably see everything. Watch my day 3 day 4, and day 5 vlogs in Ubud on Tik Tok.
Read about our time in Ubud here
Tegalalang Rice Terrace, Ubud Bali
Nusa Penida – 2 Nights
Growing in popularity, Nusa Penida is one of three Nusa Islands but by far the most visited thanks to its spectacular viewpoints overlooking turquoise shores. It’s recommended to hire a driver for the day to make the most out of seeing the island or for the more adventurous head under the waves with manta rays. Watch my day 6 and day 7 vlogs in Nusa Penida on Tik Tok.
Read about our time in Nusa Penida here.
Diamond Beach, Nusa Penida
Gili Trawangan – 3 Nights
We selected Gili T as the place for my friend to wake up on her 30th birthday, so we chose a more luxurious accommodation and opted for a private sunset snorkelling tour for a perfect day under the waves with the turtles and marine life. Gili T is a truly magical island, and what it lacks in size it makes up for in activities and things to do. Watch my day 8, day 9 and day 10 vlogs in Gili T on Tik Tok.
Read about our time in Gili T here.
Uluwatu – 3 Nights
Uluwatu is a beach clubbers paradise with an abundance of offerings it was difficult to select which ones to visit, but we settled on Sundays Beach Club and OneEighty Day Club plus an extra special dining experience that you can read about using the link below. Watch my day 11, day 12, and day 13 vlogs in Uluwatu on Tik Tok.
OneEighty Day Club Lagoon Pool in Uluwatu, Bali
Seminyak – 2 Nights
Seminyak was the final destination for our 16-day Bali trip, chosen for being closest to the airport. As much as I liked Seminyak, it felt more like a city and there wasn’t as much to do here as available in the other places we visited, however, I do still think it’s worth a visit. Watch my day 14, day 15 and day 16 vlogs in Seminyak on Tik Tok.
Bodyworks Spa in Seminyak, Bali
The Weather
We visited from 22nd March – 8th April 2023 just outside of the rainy season. It was mostly sunny and when it did rain it only lasted 1-2 hours before brightening up or it was overnight so it wasn’t an issue. It was extremely hot and humid, even on overcast days, so opt for light and comfortable clothing.
Vaccinations
I consulted my GP in the UK who advised getting Japanese encephalitis and Rabies before travel, as well as boosted for Hep A, Hep B and Typhoid. Consult your GP or a medical professional for advice.
Travel Adaptor
Interestingly, the plugs in Bali were like EU plugs however they are quite prone to power surges that can damage devices. My track hack is to take an extension cable so we used this surge protection extension cable to protect our devices when plugged in and had no issues.
Currency
The currency is Indonesian Rupiah, the majority of restaurants and establishments accepted card with a 3% charge added, except on the islands like Nusa Penida and Gili T where cash was mostly used. We also used cash in the markets, when visiting temples or paying the entrance fee to attractions and paying drivers. I recommended bringing a good amount of cash however there are ATMs available that don’t incur a charge when using cards like Revolut.
Useful Apps
AirTag
As it was a long haul flight with transfers, I used an Air Tag so I could be reassured that my luggage wasn’t lost which I was quite pleased about.
SplitWise
This was by far our most used app, as one of us would pick up the whole bill or pay for both of us using this app tracked expenses and automatically calculates it. You can upload an expense in either GBP or IDR. Download SplitWise here
PhotoCircle
Again this app was a lifesaver, even with just two of us it saved us sending tonnes of photos over via Whatsapp or AirDrop and instead uploading them to an app we can both access in private albums, it would be particularly useful for groups too. Find the App here.
Grab and Gojek
Essentially Asia’s version of Uber and Uber Eats, Grab and Gojek will be your go-to for taxis and food delivery particularly if you’re not comfortable hiring a scooter. You can hire cars or moped drivers to get you from place to place, be sure to add your card details before arrival – I just connected my Revolut Card.
Currency Converter
I love using a currency converter app to understand the cost of things, this was particularly useful when bartering at markets to realise what the cost would be and deciding if it was or wasn’t a good price.
Revolut Banking
I am a die-hard Revolut fan, whereas my friend prefers Monzo, they essentially do the same thing but I’d recommend having a travel card for several reasons. It takes the pressure and risk away from using your main current account, I wouldn’t recommend travelling with your main UK bank card. It allows you to budget by adding money that you can track expenses as and when you spend, which can be easily topped up. And if you run into any security issues the card can be easily blocked or cancelled from the app.
Singapore Airlines App
I highly recommend downloading the airline app before your flight (if they have one), not only can you turn on auto-check-in that will provide you with your boarding passes without having to do any extra steps, but it will notify you of your boarding gates and other useful information.
Bali Belly
Unfortunately on the evening of the third day I did spend most of the night well aquainted with the toilet after a constant bout of sickness and diarrhea. While I cannot pinpoint exactly what caused it, I also cannot be sure it was Bali Belly as it may also have just been stomach sensitivities. Even so, with the help of immodium, paracetamol and ibuprofen I was able to continue on as planned – albeit with a bit of nausea and slowly but surely I recovered. I wouldn’t let the risk of food poisoning put you off visiting, but do come prepared with rehydration sachets and other medication to help should you find yourself in a similar position.
Tipping
Quite often service charges were added on to the final bill, there was never an expectation to tip but when we did it was well received and appreciated. We only tended to tip our drivers or activity providers due to the additional charges at restaurants being included.
Shower Filters
There’s a lot of talk online about the use of shower filters in Bali, however I washed my hair in the showers without a filter, swam in the sea but avoided wetting my hair in pools and my hair was fine, I didn’t notice any issues or out-of-the-ordinary hair loss during my 16 days in Bali. Perhaps if you’re staying longer you may want to consider one.
