Last December, we had the opportunity to visit Bali 🏝️– an island filled with nightlife 🌃, shopping 🛍️, beaches 🏖️ and good food 🍲!
In today’s blog, we’ll be sharing some places to explore and restaurants that you should definitely try out 😆
✈️ First Stop: Ubud
We spent a day at Ubud, located in the mountainous region of Bali. Here, you can find a quieter and slower life.
Ubud is known as a centre for traditional arts and crafts🎨, so we definitely had to check out the Ubud Art Market! The art market is located in the centre of Ubud, just opposite the Puri Saren Royal Ubud palace.
From wooden bowls and intricately carved statues, to woven bags and beautiful dreamcatchers, you can find various hand-crafted goods at Ubud Art Market!
This is definitely a great place to shop for unique souvenirs to take home 😄
While in Ubud, we had to stop at Bebek Bengil for a meal 😋
🦆 Also known as the Dirty Duck Diner, this iconic restaurant has been serving “The Original Crispy Duck” since 1990.
We had their lunch set featuring half a deep-fried duck and Balinese-style vegetables served with steamed white rice and various dipping sauces 🍚🍗 The duck is super crispy and flavourful (the duck doesn’t have a gamey taste at all), while the vegetables were infused with spices that made it irresistible!
🌾 With views of paddy fields and surrounded by nature, the restaurant had a calming atmosphere to it. The seating was also in huts, which added to the experiences and offered some privacy 🛖
📍Location: Jl. Hanoman, Ubud, Kecamatan Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
🚗 Next Stop: Kuta
Located on Bali’s southwestern coast, Kuta Beach is one of the best places to revel and bask in the sunset 🌇 You can also enjoy activities like surfing 🏄🏻♂️, sunbathing, and swimming 🏊🏻. Do note that the beach can become overcrowded with tourists though!
We also explored the streets of Kuta that were dotted with shops and restaurants.
Just opposite the beach is Kuta Beachwalk, a modern shopping and dining complex featuring stores like Zara, Uniqlo, Surfer Girl, Pepper Lunch, Sushi Tei, and more! This area is also home to highlights such as the Sea Turtle Conservation site and Hard Rock Cafe.
Most of our days were free and easy, spending time at the beach and exploring the streets of Kuta 🛣️
Nestled in Kuta’s many side alleys, we stumbled across Yulia’s Kitchen, a restaurant serving both Indonesian and international cuisine. Of course, we had to try their local food 🤤
Our order:
- Pork Nasi Campur 🍚
This mixed rice was topped off with Balinese-style vegetables and tempeh, an egg, and generous helpings of shredded pork and crispy pork. This dish overall was quite tasty 😋
- Pork Satay with Rice 🍖
The flavourful and succulent pork satay was served on a charcoal burner, served alongside a generous portion of rice.
- Soto Ayam 🍜
Soto ayam is a chicken bone broth served with rice vermicelli. Like the other dishes, the soup was tasty and the restaurant was also generous with the toppings of chicken and egg
- Gado-Gado 🥗
This is an Indonesian salad served with peanut sauce, in other words, it’s like a rojak. It was a light appetiser that had a nice balance of sweet and savoury.
Overall, the food here was delicious. In fact, we loved it so much that we visited the restaurant twice during our trip! The restaurant had a nice, clean environment, and the staff’s warm hospitality and great service added to our experience at Yulia’s Kitchen.
📍Location: Jalan Pantai Kuta No 43, Kuta 80361 Indonesia
🚌 A Day Trip: Tabanan & Jimbaran
On one of the days, we took a day trip to visit Tanah Lot, one of Bali’s most important Hindu temples, uniquely built on a rock just off the shore. 🌊 It was low-tide when we visited, so we could cross to the base of the temple.
📍Location: Beraban, Kediri, Tabanan Regency, Bali 82121, Indonesia
🌅 In the evening, we headed over to Jimbaran Beach for a sunset dinner by the sea. The golden hour is a perfect backdrop for a seafood meal of prawns 🦐, fish 🐟, clams, crab 🦀 – all grilled to perfection!
It was delightful, watching the sun dip below the horizon and painting the sky in shades of indigo and orange 🌆
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