Travel Tips & Tricks- Bali

So our Bali adventure is sadly over. This mini holiday away was desperately needed for both Ben and I. We spent the entire time lapping up the sun, floating in the roof top pool at our resort, enjoyed luxurious $5 massages, hung with our amazing group of friends, we walked and explored the streets and ate lots (and I mean lots) of yummy food. We were privileged to have been invited to our gorgeous friends wedding in Bali, so we decided to book the trip so we could share their special day, but also stay for the week to enjoy being away (amazing wedding Lana- Love you).

Bali is gorgeous, we have been several times before. I would highly recommend this place for couples and even families (kiddies, babies and families every where). In the past we have done all the touristy must haves- The Monkey Forrest and watching the fire dancing, Water Bomb Park, Ubud rice fields, sea food in Jimbarin Bay and of course white water rafting. But this time, we purely just relaxed and enjoyed every minute of it.

I thought I would share a few of my tips & Tricks that are essential for Bali, but also for any holiday:

Pack properly- Use large clear sandwich bags to seal up you toiletries. Not only does it conceal up any shampoo, toothpaste or cream explosions, but it also makes you feel far more organised when packing. You can also use the giant sandwich bags to put your shoes in on your way home. My shoes were terribly dirty from walking the streets, so storing them away in these bags means your clothes won’t get dirty or ruined in your case. Make sure you take with you- A pen for the declarations on the flight (I forgot and had to keep asking for one), hand sanitiser and use it throughout the day ALWAYS, some painkillers and Imodium are a must have also!!!

Pool Side- Be smart and plan ahead. As soon as you get up in the morning, before you go to breakfast make sure you take a towel, a book or your sunnies etc. to the pool area and secure yourself a comfy pool chair. We did this every morning and as soon as we were ready to use the pool our seats were still sitting waiting for us (and the rest were also taken). If you don’t do this, then there’s a chance you will miss out and then have to sit on the floor and wait until someone leaves. Don’t feel like this is cheeky, everyone does it I promise!!!

Learn the language- I don’t mean learn the language fluently, but it’s definitely a good idea to write down the basic words you know you will use and try and use them as often as possible. Words we used were (I’ve spelt them how they are pronounced)-

• Tidak- No
• Bagus- Good
• Bagus Sekali- Very good
• Berupa- How much
• Selamat Pagi- Good morning
• Teramakasi- Thank you
• Nama Saya Kyree- My name is Kyree

Transport- Only choose the light blue bird taxis. DO NOT go in any others as they are known to be dodgy and rip you off. Before you get into the taxi, always ask and confirm if they have a meter. If they say no, then don’t travel with them. An example whilst we were away, we caught a blue bird and our friends in front of us caught a dark blue taxi. At the end they paid more than double than what we did- All because the dark blue taxi did not have a meter.

Buy bottled water- As soon as you arrive, go and suss out where you local supermarket or deli is and buy some large bottled water. You need these to drink from and to wash your teeth with. DO NOT use tap water, and don’t open your mouth when showering. The water has lots of bacteria there and it doesn’t sit well with our stomachs- Hence why people can get Bali belly while on holidays there (not all that nice to get).

Bartering- Be firm when you want to buy something on the streets. When you ask them how much something is, they will usually give you a seriously ridiculous price. To you it might not seem much, but don’t be fooled into paying a lot for what is most likely crap quality. The trick is to offer them half the price of what they are wanting and work from there. Don’t back down though, they will generally give in to your price if they want your business.

Eating- There are some fabulously trendy and delicious places to eat in Bali, but I urge you to book a reservation to ensure you don’t miss out. Get your hotel to call and book for you. Try and eat as much local food as possible with in the nicer places as it tastes amazing and of course it’s good for the experience (satay and rice and migoreng OH EM GE). Some great places I would highly recommend are La Favela in Seminyak. TJ’s Mexican in Kuta on Popies Lane One. Brazilian BBQ in Kuta. Mozzarella in Legian. Sardines and Potatoe Head are also meant to be amazing however we didn’t manage to get there.

Relax- Ok so massages are a must have and I mean every day if possible. The massages in Bali are out of this world amazing and we found the most gorgeous little Australian owned boutique. If you’re going to Bali then please go and get a massage from La Karma Bali– There are three boutiques but the one we went to every day was in Legian. They are that amazing and that busy that we had to book in advance. I am so glad we did because each time we went, we got something different and we always left feeling incredible.

Enjoy Bali if you’re going and don’t forget to find me on @misskyreeloves for more Bali happy snaps x