Bunny’s Bali Itinerary for 7 Days
Bali is a popular destination and for good reason. This small Indonesian island seems to have something for everyone.
Bali has gorgeous scenery, interesting culture, surfable waves, superb food, heavenly spa culture and genuinely friendly people. Unfortunately, it also has a lot of tourists, including the worst category: large tour groups. Ugh.
Bunny has visited Bali twice, and will surely return again. For now, she is happy to share her itinerary for a perfect week in Bali, consisting of relaxation, yoga and sightseeing in perfect measure.
Best of Bali
Wherever Bunny travels, she tries to pick the best, and most essential, activities of each place.
For Bunny, Bali embodies most of all yoga, relaxation and pampering. There are few places in the world that are better suited for a yoga holiday than Bali. Super friendly service means that you can also enjoy some real pampering at an affordable price - or go for a truly luxurious experience like Bunny did.
Even if you go to Bali for relaxation only, you should not forget about the island’s rich cultural life, the myriad temples and shrines, Balinese dance and handicraft shopping.
As for the beaches, Bunny generally prefers the gentle Caribbean waves to the rougher surf around Bali. You should not go to Bali if you are interested in beaches only, Bunny says.
Read below about how Bunny organised her nearly perfect seven-day holiday in Bali.
Bunny’s Luxury Escape to Bali
Day 1 - Arrival in Ubud
Bunny started her trip in Ubud to catch the essence of Bali in one swoop. Known for its local craft markets, art and yoga studios, surrounding rain forest and rice terraces, Hindu temples and shrines, Ubud is gorgeous and chaotic at the same time.
Mr. Bunny was not impressed at first glance, calling Ubud “a tatty hodgepodge of shops hawking penis bottle openers”. Bunny, who had visited before, knew better and was eventually able to convince Mr. Bunny of Ubud’s quiet, more hidden charms during their visit.
Bunny thinks Ubud makes a great introduction to Bali and is a good place to start your holiday. It is also a reasonable driving distance from the airport (1,5 hours, depending on the traffic).
Top Tip
Whatever your itinerary in Bali, use private chauffeurs during your trip. They are affordable and safe in the congested, crazy traffic. Bunny chose Bali Safest Driver and was very happy with their services. The cars were new and comfortable and the drivers friendly, prompt and professional.
Where Bunny Stayed - Como Uma Ubud
Como Uma Ubud is a quiet haven just outside of hectic Ubud, offering a tranquil setting for relaxation but also easy access to the excitement when you need it. It has simple but elegant rooms (the fanciest come with their own pools), excellent food, lovely gardens and a superb pool area, complimentary yoga and friendly staff.
Day 2 - Cooking Course
The Bunnies started their first full day in Bali with a pre-breakfast guided walk past temples, rice fields, chirping cicadas and herb gardens. It was a lovely entrée to the place and a chance to enjoy Ubud at its calmest.
In the afternoon, they enjoyed a private cooking class at Como Uma Ubud. The excellent cooking provided insight not only into food but also into Balinese life and culture. Working with exotic herbs and spices, the Bunnies learnt to prepare a traditional (vegetarian) Indonesian meal, which they then enjoyed for lunch.
In the evening, Bunny joined a soothing yoga class and Mr. Bunny engaged in his own brand of meditation: laptop time.
Day 3 - Pure Relaxation
After breakfast, the Bunnies moved to another Como property, Como Shambhala Estate, a 30-minute drive from Ubud, for three days of relaxation, yoga and first-class pampering.
They spent their first day in wonderment, exploring this amazing 8-hectare property in the middle of the rustling jungle. There seemed no one else around (always a plus in Bunny’s books!) so the Bunnies felt like they had this paradise to themselves.
They walked on (seemingly) ancient steps to natural spring pools in the forest, splashed around, enjoyed a delicious afternoon nap among the jungle sounds, marvelled at the beauty of their glass-walled forest villa and finished the day with a candlelight al fresco dinner.
Where Bunny Stayed - Como Shambhala Estate
Como Shambhala Estate is Como’s flagship hotel, a residential health retreat that offers fabulous accommodation, heavenly spa treatments and a butler service for all guests. It does not come cheap but it is worth every penny. Como Shambhala Estate is quite possibly the most gorgeous and relaxing hotel Bunny has ever stayed at.
Day 4 - Meditation, Yoga and Spa
The Bunnies started their day with a complimentary Pranayama meditation session. Surprisingly, even Mr. Bunny loved it. Freshly made waffles and crepes at breakfast tasted particularly delicious afterwards, with hummingbirds fluttering about.
Since the whole purpose of the Bunnies’ stay at Como Shambhala Estate was to slow down and relax, they did not want to pack their days with activities although plenty would have been available.
It was more than enough for Bunny to enjoy some more soothing yoga practice and then join Mr Bunny to meander along the estate walk above the rumbling Ayung River and engage in some further lazing by the myriad pools on the grounds. In the evening, Bunny further indulged in a sublime hot stone massage at the hotel’s spa.
Day 5 - Bliss Continues
Waking up in their gorgeous jungle room, Bunny couldn’t believe her luck when she realised they had another full day in this paradise.
Surrounded by pristine nature, enjoying amazing facilities and absolutely gorgeous, but not pretentious, food at every meal, immersed in total peace and quiet and indulging in delicious yoga on demand, Bunny just couldn’t imagine a better place to relax and reconnect.
She spent a good part of the day reading in the garden, with little breaks for yoga, splashing around in the pool and wandering around the property (including to try climbing for the first time!). In the evening, a candlelight outdoor bath in the lush jungle capped the Bunnies’ perfect stay.
Bunny's Book Tip
Beauty Is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan - a fascinating and entertaining novel deeply entrenched in Indonesian history. It is a wild ride that combines family history, satire, legend, tragedy, humour and romance in just the right doses.
Day 6 - Temples, Volcanoes and Rice Fields
On Bunny’s sixth day in Bali, she had an early morning wake up call. It was time to change accommodation and do a little sightseeing in the process.
The Bunnies started with an early morning visit to the Tegalalang Rice Terrace to experience the lush, green terraced rice fields that Bali is famous for. Hopping around the rice fields before (most of) the crowds arrived was a dream come true for lil’ Bunny.
A 45-minute drive further north, the Bunnies hopped out of the car at the Kintamani region which offered stunning views of Lake Batur, Mount Batur, an active volcano, and pretty villages clinging to its rim.
Last on Bunny’s sightseeing list for the day was one of Bali’s largest ancient temple complexes - Gunung Kawi. It is a unique archeological site which comprises 10 rock-cut shrines that have been carved into the sheer cliff face. Very impressive, Bunny says.
Later in the day, the Bunnies checked in at the fabulous Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay. Bunny’s Deluxe Villa was one of the coolest villas she has ever stayed at, with elegant living spaces, a gorgeous infinity pool, a stand-alone bathtub and an outdoor shower area.
Bunny was almost reluctant to leave her precious living quarters, but the Bunnies did manage to wander down to the hotel’s beautiful beach pool that evening for sunset drinks.
Where Bunny Stayed - Four Seasons at Jimbaran
After long and diligent online research, Bunny decided to splash out and stay at Four Seasons Jimbaran for her two final nights in Bali. She hesitated between this Four Seasons and The Villas at AYANA Resort, but eventually chose Four Seasons because it promised a more intimate and quiet experience.
Bunny made her reservation through Classic Travel and scored a number of extras for her stay, including daily breakfast, a villa upgrade and spa credit. Four Seasons was very good at communicating about and arranging these extras and Bunny felt like a very special guest from the moment she checked in.
Day 7 - Beach Day
Bunny saved her one and only beach day until the end of her Bali trip. She felt like she couldn’t leave Bali without at least sampling some of its famous beaches.
Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay is located directly on the beach of the same name. Bunny was looking forward to hopping around, enjoying the atmosphere, visiting some of the local shops and perhaps a beach bar or two.
For their last evening in Bali, Bunny had visions of a sunset tour at the nearby Tanah Lot Temple but her plan did not quite work out that way…
Emergency Strikes - Bunny’s Little Medical Extension
Bunny had started feeling unwell during her second last night in Bali. The feeling of great discomfort grew during her beach day and finally a doctor was summoned to the Bunnies’ beach villa to examine her. After some tests, Bunny was sent directly to the nearest hospital.
It quickly became clear that she had developed appendicitis and would have to be operated on there and then. Even the ever-supportive Mr. Bunny, who on their way to the hospital declared that “it cannot be appendicitis because the pain would be much worse” had to relent that the situation was serious.
Luckily for Bunny, she was wise enough to develop her condition near the excellent BIMC hospital in Nusa Dua. Bunny received outstanding care there. A fantastic doctor by the name of Yoga (how fitting is that!) removed her (partly burst) appendix and the very friendly nurses took excellent care of her in the following days.
It was not a cheap “treat” but luckily Bunny never travels uninsured so she was able to send the hefty bill directly to her insurance company.
What’s best, thanks to her ordeal, Bunny got to spend an extra week in Bali! She was originally due to leave Bali on the day of her operation, but she was not allowed to fly for a week following the surgery.
Considering the circumstances, recovering in Grand Hyatt Bali (and making good use of her accumulated Hyatt points), just a stone’s throw from the BIMC hospital, was a very pleasant way to end her Bali visit. Even if her trip had turned from spa bliss into a medical emergency, Bunny was eventually able to leave the island in good spirits and in more or less working condition.
7 Days in Bali Take-Aways
If you are planning a 7-day trip to Bali, make sure these are on your to do list:
- Do some outdoor yoga, regardless of whether you are a beginner or expert
- Get into the villages and wander around
- Enjoy temples of all shapes and sizes, from the most famous to interesting roadside ones
- Indulge in the local food and drink
- Treat yourself to at least one spa treatment (this is the place to shell out for it)
Bunny's Other Luxury Trips: