Hey all! Going to Bali & Gili Islands for a couple of weeks this October. What are your top suggestions on where to stay and things to do? All recommendations are welcome, thank you in advance!

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We really loved Uluwatu, the nicest beaches and great for surfing! All of Bali is great though. We stayed in Ubud, Munduk, Canggu and Uluwatu and would recommend all 4. We had originally booked 4 nights in Munduk but found for us that was a bit too long but the waterfalls are amaaaazing there!

If you are wanting to dive I have recommendations. On Gili T be sure to check out my friend”s Big Bubble Dive. Might be worth the Fast Boat Ride from Sanur harbour to Nusa Lembongan (25-30 minutes) to check out Blue Corner Dive which is owned and operated by 2 Alberta guys! Check out their FB page! Have a great time! I am going to Gili T and Nusa Lembongan end of Oct! Just love it there!

Rocky’s is name of Boat Company we use

Marcus D Johnson Yes Marcus totally agree that Nusa Penida is beautiful! Our son building a home/villa there! Hope he remembers to make a “parent suite”!

i spent 2.5 weeks alone in bali and had the time of my life
i visited seminyak, nusa dua, candidasa, lovina & ubud. of those - candidasa & ubud were my fave; candidasa is the cutest little beach town with amazing rock beaches - and close to the gilli islands for you. also lots of jungle walks nearby! ubud of course is the hub; make sure to hike mt. batur
uluwatu is a stunning beach as well. i truly loved all of bali and felt so safe & lovely the entire time. no matter where you go, it will be incredible!

Ubud was my favorite part of Bali. We stayed at Ubud Sari, which is both gorgeous and cheap. I really enjoyed the dinner and dancing at Puri Saraswati.

Do yourself a favour and ensure you're on the fast boat to Gili T. Worth the few extra bucks and you're spending less time at sea.
Ubud was amazing. We also hired a personal driver for the day and he took us to a bunch of places, was about a 11hr day, but well worth it in my opinion.
Here's a recap of my adventure there: youtube.com/watch?v=CdEzQRpxgHU

I have a great guide for Bali. He won’t rip you off like a lot of them do. Avoid Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant and definately do a silversmith tour.

Darcy I agree with Bubba Gumps. It was the worst greasy food. Stick with Indonesian food, it’s fabulous.

Have been to both Gili T. and Gili Air. If you want a quieter experience, go to Gili Air or Gili Meno. On Gili Air, we stayed at Lucy's Garden http://lucysgardenhotel.com/ which was great because they had bicycles we could use and we biked all over the island. On Gili T., we stayed at Gili Palms Resort for several nights - great rooms, lovely pool and grounds, friendly staff and made-to-order breakfast. We stayed at Tropica Gili on our first night, but it was not very clean (dozens of dead flies behind the TV, as an example), the pool water was green, and we both got sick from the breakfast.... you know it's not good when you see them spooning rice that has already sat out in the buffet for three hours back into the containers it came from at the beginning of the breakfast service. Also, be wary of eating at the market ... we saw several vendors washing plastic cutlery for re-use in basins of water that was absolutely black.

I spent 3 weeks solo in Bali and Gili T. Canggu, ubud, munduk moding plantation - has the most amazing infinity pool ever, wild dolphins in Lovina, diving in Gili T... time of my life. Hire a driver - best way to get around. Go off the main roads in ubud - the food is amazing. Bike ride though the villages was an eye opener. Dreamland beach (I think that’s the name), echo beach also was beautiful. Tanlot temple was breath-taking; the healing baths were spiritual and amazing. Get a massage everyday - they are cheap and sooooo good.

Can you please advise how much was the trip? A travel agency told me 3K to Bali

Kristy Moore this is so cheap..

Do planes fly to the Nusa islands? I got really sea sick the last time I took a boat ride on the ocean

Rael No planes! Lots of Gravol and hope the wind stays away so the seas remain calm!

Susan argh! Have you taken that boat ride?

Rael Yes I have several times from Sanur harbour to Lembongan and never had any problems! BUT we had to take a 3 hr boat ride from Gili T to Lembongan and there was terrific winds the day before! Got on the boat which encountered motor issues just as we were getting on our way then eventually we got going and between the diesel fumes from motor and rough seas, I will not lie I wanted to die! There was a very kind Australian gentleman sitting across from me and he really wanted to visit and finally I said to him “ sorry I don’t mean to be impolite but I am too nauseated to visit” and he proceeded to fan me which did help! He even left the window down and got soaked just for my cause! I was dang thankful that after about 2 hrs the sea calmed and things were looking sunnier and I was feeling better! I should have had gravol!
Won’t forget that trip but will be doing it all over again in November! It is all in a day’s travel and the adventures! By the way the driver of that boat did everything he could to work that boat to try and make it a smoother ride - he worked hard at the steering! Good luck on your boat rides! Nothing worse than being sea sick!

Susan oh man that sucks
. I felt like that on a ferry ride in Ireland . Don’t want to experience that again. Haha

Susan oh man that sucks
. I felt like that on a ferry ride in Ireland . Don’t want to experience that again. Haha

Both of these places were amazing. The rice Joglo in Ubud is accessible only by moped (easy to hire) or walk (which is lovely). Food there was fantastic and so peaceful. The sunsets at Puri Darjuma were heavenly and pools were great but it is a quieter area of Bali

We loved the gili islands!!!! Best tuna sashimi ever was at scallywags. We also stayed at two amazing places on gili T - Martas Hotel and Ko-ko-mo resort. Loved them both!!!! Enjoy :)))

Jen Becker We also stayed at Martas! Loved it!
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The legian was stunning.

Go to Ubud and stay in www.bebektepisawahvillas.com

Nengah Ciparsa was our driver for most of our time there. Contact him on fb .. very reliable and trustworthy. Took us to a lot of out of the way places ...

Treat yourself to a night stay and day at the spa at the Maya Ubud, an amazing experience! Their kechak ke yak show and buffet dinner was great too. We also hired a driver for the day, dont don't miss Tanalo, great low cost restaurant there, to the right overlooking the sea.

If you go to Ubud, Nick's Pension was gorgeous and close to the center of everything there. Didn't need a driver.
In Gili trawangan we stayed at the Gili trawangan dive shop, typically you also get a discount if you want to do some scuba. Also close to tons of restaurants and the more lively side of the island!

We stayed on Gili Meno and wishes we'd spent more time there and less on Bali!! Gili T was too busy and loud, Gili Air was a bit too posh I think (still nice though), Meno was amazing. Stayed right on the beach in a private cabin, it was peaceful and beautiful and honestly perfect.

uber Scuba on gili T they are so personal! We've been going for years We stayed at Bale Sampan down the island and on the beach away from all the noise. good breakfast and lunches.

Has anyone been to Bali and Hawaii ? Just wondering which was preferred. Have been to Hawaii 3 times but no Bali yet

Kristy Moore thx for that.

Hi, I preferred Bali. Just more culture and you cant beat the warm clear water on Gili Islands,, and the 12$ massages!!!

Go to ceningan island. Absolutely loved it there. R u going with Kristina? U guys can message me and I can help

The Gillis are magic! The largest island is where I would stay. It’s still super small. Book ferries from Bali early to ensure you get a good time/fast boat.

Kristina Kobat