Never-ending Honeymoon

When most people picture Bali, they imagine a relatively small island. Open Google Maps and it doesn’t look particularly big.

Surely you can stay in one hotel and drive everywhere, right? Technically, yes.

Would I recommend it? Not really.

One of the biggest lessons I learnt while planning our Bali itinerary with kids (and remembering my first visit to Bali nearly 20 years ago) is that Bali is best explored in zones.

Traffic is simply part of life here.

A journey that looks like 20 kilometres on a map can easily take one or two hours, especially around popular tourist areas. Spending half your holiday sitting in the back of a car isn’t exactly anyone’s idea of a dream vacation.

Instead, we based ourselves in two completely different parts of the island, allowing us to experience two very different sides of Bali while dramatically reducing the amount of time we spent commuting.

It was one of the best decisions we made.

Zone one: Ubud – Jungle adventures and rice terraces

After landing in Denpasar in the afternoon, we didn’t stop anywhere. We jumped straight into a car and headed for Ubud. Yes, after an international flight, the extra drive feels long.

By the time we arrived at our private villa surrounded by rice terraces and jungle, we’d had a very full day of travelling. But here’s the thing… I’d much rather get that transfer over with immediately than wake up the next morning exactly where I wanted to be. Instead of spending two or three hours driving inland every day, we were already there.

Over the next few days we explored:

• Monkey Forest
• Tegenungan Waterfall
• Quad biking through the jungle
• The Jungle Club and the Bali Swing
• Rice terraces
• Lazy tubing through WWII tunnels
• Local art galleries
• Markets and cafés

And we made time to return to our villa for a swim, a rest or a floating breakfast without another long drive.

Ubud feels peaceful, green and adventurous. It’s where you’ll find waterfalls, temples, jungle landscapes, traditional art and some of Bali’s most iconic scenery.

Check out our post on Ubud and what we did and saw.

Zone two: Canggu – beaches, surf and sunset experiences

After a few busy days exploring Ubud, we packed our bags and headed towards the coast.

Our second base was Canggu and the change in scenery was immediate.

Gone were the jungle roads and rice terraces.Instead we found surf beaches, trendy cafés, beach clubs, boutique shopping and spectacular sunsets.

We checked into a beachfront resort and embraced a much slower pace. Our days were filled with:

• Surf lessons
• Beach clubs (at sunset)
• Pool time
• Exploring Tanah Lot temple (at sunset)
• Shopping
• Markets
• Beachside restaurants (at sunset)
• Long walks through Canggu’s lively streets

It was exactly the change of pace we wanted after several adventure-filled days in Ubud.

Two holidays in one

One of the things I loved most about splitting our stay was that it genuinely felt like two separate holidays.

Ubud gave us adventure.

Canggu gave us relaxation.

Both felt completely different despite only being a couple of hours apart. If we’d stayed in just one location, we would have spent far more time commuting and probably seen less. Instead, every morning we woke up close to the experiences we wanted that day.

Our biggest Bali tip

If you’re visiting Bali for five days or more, don’t choose just one base. Think about the experiences you want and group them by location.

You might combine:

• Ubud and Canggu (like we did
• Ubud and Seminyak
• Ubud and Uluwatu
• Nusa Dua and Ubud
• Canggu and Uluwatu

You’ll spend less time in traffic, more time exploring and your holiday will feel far more varied.

Would we do this way again?

Absolutely. If we came back to Bali this is exactly how we’d do it.

Splitting our Bali stay between Ubud and Canggu gave us the best of both worlds. The kids experienced monkeys, waterfalls, jungle adventures and rice terraces before swapping muddy shoes for surf lessons, beach clubs and sunsets.

Looking back, it didn’t feel like we’d spent five days in one destination. It felt like we’d experienced two completely different versions of Bali.

And if there’s one piece of advice I’d give anyone planning their first trip, it’s this: Don’t just visit Bali. Explore it one zone at a time.