Nomads of the island

We stayed in Bali for nine days and eight nights, moving to a different villa every 2-3 nights. This gave us the opportunity to see way more of the island.

For the majority of our time in Bali, we stayed in the village of Ubud known for traditional crafts, dance, and yoga. The hospitality industry is massive for Bali’s economy. As a part of their Hindu, karmic beliefs they pride themselves on hosting and offering a helping hand so getting around was easy.

Nestled amongst the jungle, rice fields, and century-old temples are traditional Balinese villas. Most are made from organic materials like bamboo and teak wood. We booked three out of our five stays in Bali through Airbnb. Which gave us the chance to be more immersed in the culture and get to know the locals.

Ceylon Villas, ubud:

Our first stay in Ubud was a gorgeous two-bedroom in Ceylon Villas for 3 nights. Though this villa is not traditional Balinese, the in-door out-door design creates a balanced harmony with nature. The infinity pool overlooked rice fields and jungle, along with the active volcano Mount Agung.

It also came equip with a full staff; our own driver, and a villa manager who helped us get food and book our driver for the day. We ended up becoming close with our driver, named Pak Wayan who showed us some very special parts of Ubud (stay tuned for more about that in our Bali travel guide).

We loved how private and quiet this villa was, along with being only about 10 minutes from the center of Ubud.

Authentic Bamboo Hut, ubud: 

From there, we moved our belongings to an authentic bamboo hut that we booked through Airbnb. The hut is on a Balinese family’s property that can only be reached by scooter. We met the staff at a cafe in town. They threw our luggage and us onto the back of their scooters and whisked away on a ride not for the faint of heart. Holding on for dear life, we rode through back alleys and narrow roads to get to the hut.

We stayed two nights, rented a scooter and kept ourselves busy all day as the hut was only for sleeping. The architecture was stunning but it was a bit loud and being that it was a hut, there were a lot of run-ins with large bugs. We loved the authentic adventure of it though.

kupu villa, ubud: 

For our last stay in an Airbnb and in Ubud, we ventured more north closer to rice fields and further from tourists.

This authentic Balinese villa was two stories, our room was the downstairs half. The kitchen and bathroom were in separate structures that took some getting used to. The entire house is on stilts and surrounding the house is a koi fish pond and jungle gardens. It was stunning. The only thing you could see from the villa for miles was thick lush jungle and we could only hear the many sounds of birds.

Here, we had a villa manager as well, named Reni. She would cook us the most delicious breakfast every morning and even come turn our lights on at night. The hospitality was a bit overwhelming here but this was her job and very much her honor.

During our stay we rented a scooter and went on a long ride deep into the country of Bali through remote villages and jungle.

Sukhavati Ayurvedic Spa, Seminyak

This was the only spa/resort that we stayed in during our time in Bali and was our big honeymoon splurge. We spent 24 hours in this luxurious Ayurvedic spa. The experience was a true dream come true for me being immersed in the healing powers of Ayurveda.

Our stay here began with meeting an Indian Ayurvedic doctor. By listening to our pulse, he was able to figure out our Doshas and treatments for any alignments we have. For instance, he told me I am Vata/Pitta and my acne problems are being caused by Pitta imbalance. He prescribed me herbs and other healing modalities to help balance.

We spent the day getting massages, facials, and foot massages rooted in the ancient practices. One treatment, in particular, called Shirodhara was our favorite. It is a treatment for soothing the nervous system, by slowly pouring oil on the third eye in a steady stream. It was magical and hypnotic.

Dreamsea Surf Camp, Uluwatu 

From the luxurious spa, we moved to the coast to a small surf village call Uluwatu for our last 24 hours in Bali. This boutique hotel is built into the cliffs overlooking the ocean, rooted in the spirituality of surfing. Cole got to experience his heaven here and I have never fallen in love with the ocean as much as I did here.

To get to our room, we had to climb up a steep ladder, then another set of stairs. Once in our room, we had was sprawling ocean views, like a treehouse overlooking the sea. We loved the restaurant/ bar overlooking one of the beaches, it had amazing food and cocktails.

Our only regret here is that we didn’t stay longer than 24 hours. We would go back and stay here for a week if we could!

My hope is this guide inspires the wanderlust in you and helps paint a picture for one way to travel to the sacred island of Bali. Stay tuned for a full guide of the adventures we went on and places we ate.