Travelogue S22 , Bali- Final - Hotels Review and Ubud Shopping Center

In the final leg of our Bali series. I would like to write about the two places we lived in Bali. We feel that would be important since we spent a significant amount of time researching the places, we wanted to stay in. Almost a month of research across various travel sites gave us these two options. They were economic and yet we lived in the lap of luxury! Also, they are probably more geared towards a western audience. Hence people from the west would enjoy these two places.

Also, I will write about one my best experiences in Bali. Shopping in Ubud. Its definitely a must do for anyone visiting Bali.

The first place we lived in was near Seminyak Beach.

The resort is called the Puri Chandana. We booked though booking.com.

The resort is about 10 kms from the airport. It takes about 35 mins to get there by Cab. It will cost you approximately 200K-300K. That’s a tad expensive but then airports don’t leave you with much of a choice. Cab travel is a lot cheaper in the city. However as mentioned before I would recommend a two-wheeler for travel with-in city limits.

It’s a resort with nice luxury independent cottages. This given you privacy, while at the same time being able to access all the services pronto. They have an interesting bathroom. Its fully made of glass and transparent from all sides. However, they have boundary walls and greenery to give you the privacy you want. It’s a great place for couples. Especially naughty ones! The bathtub is made of concrete and so huge that one could drown in it!

They have a nice walking path with green area and Garden with trees and sculptures of various exotic Hindu gods. The swimming pool is nice and cozy with seating and dining area around it. There is a small artificial waterfall in the pool and you can sit under it if you like. They also have a nice Balinese massage parlor beside the pool. Feel like relaxing after a swim. No problem Puri Chandana has you covered.

The restaurant and Bar are also located quite close to the pool. You can order yourself a nice chilled Beer and some snacks at a moments notice. The food is good, the drinks are exotic and the prices are reasonable. Perfect!

Another unique thing about the place is the proximity to the beach. The place is about 500 meters from the beach. One can walk out of the resort in a Bikini and hit the beach straight.

Breakfast was included the in-room rates. We have a choice of interesting local cuisine to choose from every morning. We would have our breakfast near the pool. Lunge there for a while before deciding what to do with the day. I would highly recommend the place.

Taman Rahasia

After four days near Seminyak we moved to Ubud to explore that side of the island. We took a cab. It took us over 90 mins to get to Ubud from Seminyak. The cab fare was around 400K IDR (USD $30). Cabs tend to be expensive here since Uber is NOT allowed in many parts of the island, especially near tourist areas. You can use a can from the main city to get dropped into a tourist area. But you cannot book one near tourist areas.

Taman Rahisya was a difficult place to find since it is located a little in the interiors. However, the positive side is it’s a very popular resort hence most people will be able to guide you to the location.

Taman Rahasia Tropical Sanctuary and Spa is a 10-minute drive from Ubud centre where the Ubud Palace and Art Market are located. Monkey Forest is 15 minutes’ drive away.

Spacious rooms feature a personal safe, seating area and a 4-poster bed with mosquito nets. Shower facilities are included in the private bathroom. The place looks like a private rainforest. With exotic trees and plants. I had a great time collecting passion fruits that were falling of the trees.

Guests can indulge in a relaxing massage at the spa or rent a bike and explore the surrounding area. Car rentals and tour assistance are also offered. Staff at the front desk can provide assistance with laundry requests and airport pick-up arrangements. They also have a small pool one can relax in and read book.

The best part of this place is the wonder. Its managed by a Canadian dude. His single-handed presence ensures the whole place is run professionally like you would expect an establishment would-be run-in Europe or US.

The place is very close to most tourist locations in Ubud. The prices are reasonable. And most importantly the bed mattress is normal. Not too hard not too soft. In Bali we were tired of beds that just sank like it was quicksand.

Ubud Shopping Market

Finally, I would like to share my experience at the Ubud shopping market. It is about 10 mins from the resort by a scooty. However, you can expect a lot of traffic on the way to the market. A good landmark for the same is the Ubud Palace. The place opens around 11 AM and stays till 9 PM in the night. While the shopping outlets close around 9.00 PM. The food outlets stay open till 10.30-11.00 PM.

The place is huge and spread over an area of 5-6 large blocks to give a frame of reference to western audience. You can get essentials to touristy tit bits to exotic cuisine to souvenirs. I spent an entire day there. I came back with the Last thing I tough I will pick up in Bali. Two beautiful Paintings. Also, they have interesting Balinese specialties such as musical instruments, knives, bags, cane products and bags and much more.

The food joints are insane. There would be atleast a 100 of them there. From continental to local to exotic food one can find everything. We even found Indian food outlets. However, to be frank we did not like the Indian joints much.

That’s pretty much our round up of the Bali trip. We were there for over a week. Lovely place. Would recommend it to anyone.

Some tips on parting note.

· Buy your own booze at the super market and stock them in your room. Avoid buying too much booze at the restaurants and via room service. Budgets can get derailed very quickly.

· Buy your own water in bulk. We got a 10-liter bottle in our room and used it to fill up our bottles.

· Snacks. We got our own potato chips and snacks to go with the booze from the super market and stored in the room. Avoid room service. Too expensive.

Most things in Bali can be purchased from super market and stocked in your room. We recommend that. That way you can use the money you have for experiences than pay for overpriced beer and chips via room service.

If you guys need any info on Bali. Do feel free to reach out to us. And we hope you enjoy the place as much as we did.

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Cher!

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