Bali

Bali: 

Getting around - Internet taxis e.g. Uber are very illegal in Bali. I think they’re okay in kuta and we had no problem in Uluwatu but in Canggu it was so hard to not use the local cab companies (which are really expensive). However in Seminyak we didn’t have a problem with bluebird taxi (download that app) and sometimes grab worked. KEY TIP: Get the number of one of the bluebird drivers so they can come pick you up as they are metered taxis. Grab drivers often WhatsApp you, change the price and get you to cancel the grab via the app and pay them directly so there isn't much point using the app in the first place. I would get a SIM card (SIM cards are for internet in Asia) for Bali literally just to make getting taxis easier. 

Uluwatu - Southern part of the island, Bali is just full of beautiful beaches and Uluwatu highlights this as well as having fun beach clubs.

Where to stay: 

• SR hostel (free dinner, really social) 

What to do:

• Single Finn (Sunday and Wednesday there are events - we went on Sunday and didn’t really rate it but I’ve heard loads of people love it so...) there is also a place called the shop around two doors away that sell pizza and snacks really cheap so you can get your late night munch. SR hostel do a shuttle there and back so it’s easy
• Single Finn in the day - this is literally paradise, it has great vibes, beautiful sunset and reasonably cheap food. However don’t stay for over 2 hours you will get bored. 
• Dreamland beach (don’t dive under the waves there is a fat rock under the water that you can’t see. I speak from experience...)
• Padwana beach is nice 
• Nyang Nyang beach so good: it’s not busy and there is a cool ship wreck, 
• Padang Padang beach is also meant to be amazing but we didn’t go as I’m scared of monkeys.

Where to eat: 

• Single Finn
• Google blogs as there are thousands of cute cafes (one is on the way to dreamland, but we didn’t go to any so can't be too much help) 

Kuta/seminyak - good for bars and cheap villas in Seminyak but otherwise not much else.

Didn’t stay here but potato head beach club is in Seminyak (we just went there from Canggu). Main pull for Seminyak is that in groups you can get luscious cheap villas. If you go to Kuta, which I don't overly recommend, go to sky garden and Motel Mexicolo. In Seminyak stay in Capsual and go to la favella. Heard amazing things about both of those bars so definitely try and go. Look into age restrictions for both bars as I think it may be 21+.

Canggu - cute cafes, good nightlife, mini Melbourne.

Where to stay:

• Lay day! Such a party hostel but drinks are literally double the price of normal so bring your own drink. 
• Escape hostel and Tipsy gypsy are also both meant to be good (but tipsy gypsy is not so great for travelling alone). 

What to do: 

• Go out as it is the main thing to do here. Go to: old mans, pretty poison (apparently there is a bar next door/something like that where you open a door and there is a bar through it...google it. Think it’s in the minimart).
• Sand bar (below old mans) 
• Potato head (we went in the day and it’s £25 for a bed. You can spend the £25 on food and drinks or whatever you want between 4 of you so it’s definitely worth it, you have to go on a waiting list so get there early in the day to sign up for the waiting list. We bought breakfast somewhere cheap and then went back and spent the day there, people also go there at night but no clue what it’s like then. 
• Bali’s pretty small so you could do day trips to waterfalls from here but you will probably be too hungover.

Where to eat: 

• Luigi’s apparently the best pizza ever, some sort of bar as well I believe. 
• Crate - so good and decent prices definitely go here 
• The loft looked really good (The street where the loft is has loads of cute cafes so just walk up and down and find the cheapest!)
• Sea circus Bali looks cool.

The nusa islands: 

Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan are connected by a yellow bridge and you can easily travel between the two islands on mopeds as they are so tiny!  Nusa pendia is not attached and you need a boat to get there (public boat is about 100,000 return?-maximum, we just went on a snorkelling trip for 150,000 and got them to drop us there and got a public taxi back for 50/60,000 each) 

There are loads of cheap villas so if there’s a group of you defiantly get one somewhere.

Nusa Penida:

If you have time I would stay on the island if not day trip it from one of the other nusas. If the time is right swim with manta rays (snorkel or dive- diving: fresh kiss divers, just beware sometimes they know conditions aren’t good for snorkelling with manta rays but will sell the trip anyway so make sure you look up swells ect...and look to see if you coincide with full moon as that brings the big waves, diving is better in shitter conditions I think...even though the snorkel people tell you it’s not, just check) but the snorkelling trip is good you see lots of cool fish. (The snorkelling trip we did we from Nusa Lembongan). 

What to do: see manta rays (try snorkel/swim), go to kelingking beach!!! Walk down the steps it’s defiantly worth it! Then there is angels billabong, broken beach and Atuh Beach we didn’t do any of these as we just wanted to do kelingking properly (we only have 4 hours after our snorkel trip) but all the attractions looked good. The roads here are pretty shit and people get injured all the time but they were drivable just not comfortably (we hired drivers but if you are experienced I think it would have been okay if you are careful)

Nusa Lembongan and Ceningan: 

Where to stay: nyuah gading home stay or something, it’s the nicest hostel I’ve ever stayed in there are duvets!!!

What to do: you can do snorkelling tours to see manta rays from here. Dive with fresh kiss diving to see them aswell they have an amazing track record of seeing them so if the conditions are bad your best bet is to dive with them! Go go blue lagoon it’s incredible! And devils tear (meh missable after you see blue lagoon), dreamland beach is also really nice. Nusa Cenigan has the cutest beach bars ect it’s like a mini canggu you could defo spend the day here going around the beach bars and chilling.

Where to eat: lemon grass is meant to have amazing pizza. 

Gili T:

Where to stay: ‘my mates place’!!!! Gets booked out like a week in advance so make sure you book. If not there stay in gili castle or gili mansion or broken compass is good too apparently.

Where to eat: pizza Regina- Regina Pizzeria on maps me (AMAZING  PIZZA for like £3.2), The night market be careful with the chilli sauce apparently you can get food poisoning as they just leave it out (we were okay tho), Kayu cafe and Bayan tree! 

What to do: snorkelling tour is okay (in day wouldn’t say the stops are all too great) defiantly go not through the hostel and try to go as early as possible. When we went the statue was PACKED. You literally should leave at 9am latest. Diving there is cool you can see all the turtles (only go if you’re qualified other wise you can’t get close to them) and it’s pretty cheap! (£22 or something, Gili scuba was cheap but think Buddha dive might of been cheaper?), cycle round the island (sunset beach is on the other side to the party side). Snorkel at turtle point (to see them go right to the end of the beach like as left as you can go and get into the water without standing on sea urchins. And just swim back towards the bars/turtle point (if the current is going the other way do it the other way round or you just won’t go anywhere). 

Gili Air: 

Where to stay: begandang (the mushroom pool hostel, I probs spelt it wrong). It’s literally where everyone stays but it’s £10 so we decided not to. The guest house opposite it is way cheaper and still really nice. 

What to do: just chill out. Le bistro had really good chips! Not actually on the beach (no sand) but the sea is perfect for swimming in and really nice water. Apparently there are movie screens that play films at night which would be cute but that was on the other side of the island. Watch the sunset!!! The sunsets are incredible here!!!! 

Where to eat: lunch: le bistro, camila beach sushi and grill (was a cool place to chill and decent sushi but wouldn’t say you have to go). El mexicana (that’s actually soooo good! And really good value eat there!). Good earth cafe really good smoothie bowl but not that cool looking a cafe.

Ubud: 

Where to stay: sunshine vintage house (if you want some down time not partyish at all but really nice). If you are literally a billion Air: Kupu Kupu Barong is next level insane!!! Or the hostel on the volcano (it’s not on hostel world something rocks maybe) or in da lodge apparently? 

What to do: driver/tour guide for the day 500,000 per car (£26) but have to pay enterence fees we went to the normal rice terraces- tegalalang, tegunagan waterfall (missable) kanto lampo (sick!!!) and Tukad pretty cool . Or 700,000 (£37) for the whole car to sekumpal waterfall (best waterfall in Bali) and to the bigger rice terraces (Jatiluwih rice terraces) so would probs just do that tour instead if there are a few of you! Lempuyang temple has the ‘gates of heaven’ and are a cool photo. You have to pay entry of like 50p for EVERYTHING. Go to a spa and get a flower bath and massage they look sooo nice! Ubud market SOOO CHEAP go upstairs where no one is to get an idea of how cheap you can get things, cheapest shit shirts I’ve found got them for like £3. CP lounge is the only club but is funny. Yoga barn for yoga is meant to be good. Climb mount Batur isn’t always good cause of the clouds but was incredible when we did it. Lots of cool cafes. 

Where to eat: clear cafe is vegan and sells no alcohol but the food is really cool and the tables downstairs are insane. Wheatgrass, le Mexicana and habitat are all apparently decent?