LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION
Itinerary: Bali: Best of Bali
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ONE WEEK
First time visitors to Bali as well as old hands love the island for its beaches, shopping, nightlife, culture and simply beautiful scenery. This itinerary gives you the best of all this and more. Start in the hedonistic south and end up in the cultured climes of Ubud. You may need more than a week!
Stay at one of the relaxed and comfortable beachside resorts in Legian or Seminyak. You can get a large room by the pool and on the beach. Sample the Kuta Beach surf, then head north to Seminyak for world-class shopping. One night have a seafood dinner on Jimbaran Bay, on another try a trendy restaurant in Seminyak. At night you can sample clubs in Kuta and Seminyak or more relaxed bars in those two and Legian.
Consider some day trips. Head down to surfing beaches like Dreamlands for sun and fun, then on to the spiritual centre (and monkey home) of Pura Luhur Ulu Watu. Bali’s ancient rice terraces will exhaust your abilities to describe green. Sample these in a drive up to the misty Pura Luhur Batukau followed by the terraces of Jatiluwih.
In the east, the new coast road means that you can see wild and unvisited beaches like Masceti followed by the well-mannered royal town of Semarapura with its ruins. Head north up the breathtaking Sideman Road, which combines ribbons of rice terraces with lush river valleys and cloud-shrouded mountains. Pass through Muncan and then go east to Ubud, the crowning stop on any itinerary.
Bali’s rich culture is most-celebrated and most-accessible in Ubud. Here you can be enraptured by your choice of nightly dance performances. Hike through the surrounding rice fields to temples like Yeh Pulu and river valleys like the Sungai Ayung. Take a break in museums bursting with paintings in the many styles reflecting Bali: energetic, bold, moody, intricate and more.
For pleasure, stay in one of the many hotels near the centre with views across rice fields and rivers. Sample a spa or two before you sample one of the myriad of great restaurants to choose from.
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