Trip Logistics & Points:
SFO -> HKG -> DPS -> HKG -> SFO
I used 70,000 American Airlines points to book a one-way business class flight on Cathay Pacific from SFO to HKG, and 80,000 Singapore Airlines points (through Chase Ultimate Rewards) to book a one way business flight from HKG back to SFO. The round trip from HKG to DPS was booked with ~300$ USD.
Hotels via points:
I particularly liked Element by Westin Ubud (Category 3 Marriott property - 17,500 Marriott Pts. per night). They had phenomenal service, great amenities, and a wonderful restaurant. I also stayed at the Grand Hyatt Bali off of points (8,000 Hyatt points per night at a 5-star resort).
Getting around:
Motorbikes can be rented from hotels for 100,000 IRD (around 7 USD) for 24 hours. Drivers charge around 100,000 IRD per hour if you want to have someone drive you around and wait for you as you explore. (You can often get a driver for around 700,000 IRD for 10 hours). Grab (Southeast Asia’s uber) works here as well and is generally cheaper, but Blue Bird Taxi is also an alternative.
My itinerary:
I did 2 nights in Ubud, 1 night near Ulun Danu Beratan Temple (Handara Gold Resort), 1 night near Semarapura (Wyndham Tamansari Jivva Resort), 2 nights near Komodo Island, and finally a night in Nusa Dua (Grand Hyatt)
My Recommendations (Must-Do’s!)
Sunrise Trek to Mount Batur
This was absolutely my favorite experience in Bali. You can book this sunrise trek through most hotels, local tourist stands scattered throughout Bali, and from online resources. The cost winds up being about 75$ per person for transportation from Ubud (around an hour drive), a guide for the trek up the volcano, and breakfast/coffee. If you’re living in Ubud, the driver will likely pick you up from the hotel around 2:30 AM (so get ready for an early start!) . You’ll arrive at a place for breakfast and coffee with some others until around 4 AM, where you will be taken to the base of the mountain to meet your guide. The trek up takes anywhere from 1 to 2 hours and would be rated as moderately strenuous. You can even pay for someone to drive you up most of the way on a motorbike. Note: It seems that a guide is almost required, and you should plan to bring something warm, as it does get quite cold that early in the morning before the sun rises.
As we got there a little late, my friend and I ran up most of second half (took us around 1 hour and 15 minutes) to catch the sunrise. The views are absolutely astonishing (shown in pictures above), and you can see two other volcanos, shrouded in clouds, as well as the city below, sometimes in mist. As expected, there were a lot of people up there, but the guides and locals are all extremely friendly. Some of them started playing the guitar and singing, and we were free to join in. You can also see volcanic steam and get boiled eggs (boiled from the steam from the active volcano) /banana sandwiches for a second breakfast. The trek back down will take approximately an hour as well.
Subak Sok Wayah (Beautiful for Sunsets in Bali)
This narrow, rocky street starts right across from Bisma Street and takes you uphill to a path with plenty of guesthouses, small quaint cafes, and little shops along one side. On the other, farmers are hard at work on beautiful rice paddies. This area is a stark contrast to the bustling tourist areas right down below it and is actually quite serene with beautiful views of the setting sun over rice fields. This was probably my favorite spot for the sunset in Ubud, and a perfect place to watch it is from Pomegranate Cafe, where they have seats facing directly at the sunset over rice fields and serve many different types of cuisines.
Tukad Cepung Waterfall
This waterfall seems to be less well-known, but it has one of the most spectacular sights when the sun is up above (around mid-day/early-day) and is shining light through the cave and waterfall, as shown in one of the pictures above. It’s about a 50 min scooter ride from Ubud, and on the way, there’s some really pretty rice fields! The hike down is pretty easy, but you’ll have to wade through water, so bring sandals or water shoes!
Overnight trip to Komodo Island!!!
An absolutely amazing experience - you can fly 40 minutes to LBJ (Labuan Bajo Komodo Airport). I stayed at the Ciao Hostel for 2 nights, which had an amazing view (shown above). There, you can book a tour (or book ahead of time online) for anywhere from 30-100$ for a full day starting at 6 AM and ending at 6 PM. The tour will be on a speedboat. You can see some of the pictures I’ve attached below, but for the one day excursion, we started with light trekking on Padar Island. Then, we went snorkeling and headed over to Komodo Island. We saw the famous Komodo dragons, which are literally just out in the wild, and even took photos close up to them. Pink Beach for more snorkeling, Taka Makassar Island for some beach and snorkeling as well, and finally, we got to see sea turtles (or manta rays depending on the season!) at a point in the ocean.
Other Cool Places to See :)
Pura Lempuyang Temple
THIS is the INSTAGRAM photo you ALWAYS see with the reflection of a mountain behind a gate. It looks like there’s a lake in front of it… however there’s no lake. It’s a guy sitting there with a mirror and your phone camera, creating the reflection with the mirror. Go early if you want to get a photo (you might have to wait upwards of 6 hours if you’re going midday).
Ulun Danu Beratan Temple
This is a neat temple with a garden. Go early if you want to beat the throngs of tour buses!
Taman Tirtagangga
A nice water garden and temple on the East side of the island.
Campuhan Ridge Walk
Great place for a sunrise walk along the ridge. You have beautiful views on both sides, and the trees and nature are quite refreshing.
Sekumpul Waterfall
This waterfall has three treks. It takes around 15 minutes to get to the viewpoint, where you’ll get the view pictured above. It takes around an hour and a half to hike down to the actual waterfall. Finally, the round trip to another waterfall + this one is around 5 hours or so. The waterfall itself is quite pretty.
Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary Ubud
This is quite the tourist attraction, located in the center of Ubud. I really liked this place, although it’s filled to the brim with other tourists. The monkeys are really cute and playful. There’s also SO many of them, and right outside, there’s shopping streets leading to the main shopping streets/bars of Ubud.
Uluwatu Temple
This temple is on the southwest part of the island and one of the most popular attractions. Unfortunately, it’s quite underwhelming.
