Majestic structures and sun-kissed beaches of Bali

As I planned my honeymoon, I was confused with the options that poured in from friends and relatives. After a lot of thought and research, I picked Bali as our destination.

The itinerary, covering seven nights and eight days, was charted out well.

I was very picky about the islands that we go to as I did not want a lot of tourists flocking the place and wanted to experience both the nightlife and the calmer side of the island. So I picked Kuta, Gili Island, and Ubud, two days in each place.

We landed at Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport and headed to Kuta, our first destination.

The hotel we stayed at was just by the beach and we had a wonderful view from our room.

Kuta has everything right from stylish and trendy resto-bars to roadside eateries. Though it is commercial, the place is full of life, a town that never sleeps.

We set out for a royal dinner on the cruise. It was a lovely evening with good music playing in the background.

Surfing and white water river rafting are some of the water sports that one can explore in Bali.

The next day, we went for the Telaga Waja white water rafting. My husband is not adventurous, but he thoroughly enjoyed the rafting. It was approximately a two-hour activity and was followed by a relaxing spa.

The next day, we had to pack our bags and leave to Gili Trawangan (Gili T). After a three hour ferry ride, we reached the island. Turquoise water, white sands, clearwater, turtles, snorkeling, scuba diving, horse rides, surfing and parties describes the island perfectly. The beaches at Gili are the cleanest and the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.

Gili is a very small island and cycling is one of the best options there. Cycles are available at all the hotels and cafes around. There are a lot of cafes and restaurants lined up on the road, close to the beach. I even spotted an Indian restaurant and they serve delicious dal.

We spent a quiet evening at the hotel and the next day we had booked a cruise with BBQ dinner on the beach.

It also offered snorkeling. I’d never snorkeled in my life before. You don’t need to know swimming for snorkeling, if you have a life jacket and a guide who can take you to the turtles underwater.

The guide took me to the deeper part of the ocean where I spotted turtles. It was a beautiful experience, swimming with the turtles and feeding the fish. I didn’t want to go back to the ferry. One will undeniably forget themselves in the deep blue sea and start enjoying the waves and the underwater life. Be it land or water, Gili T gives the best of both worlds.

After spending two memorable nights at Gili T, we departed to our next destination, Ubud.

It was again a three hour ferry ride back. Ubud is all the peace that I wanted after all the noise at Kuta and Gili. Majestic temples, structures, monkey forest, jungle safari, rice and paddy fields are the first few things that come to my mind when I think about Ubud.

Our last two activities planned in Ubud were jungle safari and the ‘Bali cycling tour: explore the true heart of Bali’. It did justice to its name. It truly was the heart of Bali. Rice fields
are the most visited spots in Ubud, after temples, monkey forest, and the museums.

For anyone who is looking a peaceful place to unwind their minds, Ubud is the place to look for.

The city slowly opens up to you and it’s truly magical. I would say it was a good idea to have kept Ubud as our final destination as we had saved the best for the last.

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