Bali Honeymoon Trip Guide & Itinerary - eNidhi India Travel Blog

Bali Honeymoon Trip Guide & Itinerary

I have already written a complete guide on Bali, Indonesia. But I get lots of queries w.r.t newly wed couples or their family members who wish to plan their honeymoon in Bali. So far I have been guiding them to my earlier written Bali Guide, but I felt there is a strong need for a dedicated Bali Guide post focused on Honeymoon couples. This is because unlike a solo or family tourist, honeymoon couples have some unique needs
- Honeymoon couples prefer luxury accommodation budget stays or hostels
- Honeymoon couples aren't interested in a hectic schedule- they need lots of personal time with some outdoor activity
- It is best to let honeymoon couple stay put at one or max 2 places- won't be convenient to ask them check out and check-in every other day
- Honeymoon couples would rather prefer private/less crowded beaches over popular but crowded beaches, a more peaceful location than croweded areas
- Honeymoon dates are often fixed just a few month or few weeks in advance once marriage date is known. They can't book low cost tickets six-nine months in advance.  Also they might prefer to spend a bit more on a reasonably comfortable airline than ultra cheap low cost airline.

With above factors in mind, if you are planning a honeymoon in Bali for self or someone close to you, below would be my tips.
This post covers following aspects:
  • Which location to stay? 
  • Which hotels might be better? 
  • Suggested itinerary
  • Planning your flight
  • Planning local travel & food
Which location to stay?
Bali is a large island. While selecting a hotel, location question pops up. For Bali, below would be my most preferred locations for honeymoon couples, in the order of priority. If you have 7 days or more, select any 2 location and split 3-4 days each, if your visit is short like 3-4 days, stay at any one place.
#
Bali Location
Reason to Prefer
1
Ubud
·         Central to several attractions
·         Lots of reasonably priced luxury resorts available in the middle of nature
·         Many resorts run free shuttle to neighborhood attractions
·         One time 30-40 km travel from airport is needed but will be nice calm area otherwise
2
Nusa Dua
·         Calm, less crowed premium location
·         Lots of luxury resorts with private beaches
·         Not too far from airport and closer to several places of interest in South Bali
·         Good for sunrise
3
Sanur
·         Closer to ferry point to Nusa Dua and other islands
·         Not too expensive, not too cheap, not too far- Good compromise of location, price and convenience.
·         Good for sunrise
4
Kuta
·         Crowded area but very close to airport.
·         Good for shopping & night life
·         Good to spend a night in case of early morning departure flight or late evening arrival flight.
·         Good for sunset
·         Popular but crowded beach, surfing lessons and other water sports
5
Seminyak
·         Further north from Kuta, relatively calmer place.
·         Not too many attractions around- less crowd
·         Not a most sought after location in Bali- might be possible to find good resorts at reasonable place
·         Good for sunrise

Which hotel is better?
Once you've identified the location where you'd like to stay, decide on a luxury hotel you'd like to stay at. I've personally stayed at following properties- you can read detailed review and select them or do your own research and find any other property that suits your interest and budget. (There're 100s of luxury stay options in Bali- you will definitely get one in your budget and location preferences)
#
Location
Hotel Name
Points to Note
1
Ubud
Scenic Location and amazing facilities
2
Ubud
Part of Marriott Group
Nice landscapes, brunch on the river option
3
Kuta
Kuta Heritage hotel by Accor

4
Kuta
Mercure Bali Legian by Accor

5
Seminyak











Suggested Bali honeymoon Itinerary
Below is a recommended 7 day itinerary in Bali for honeymoon couple. I've assumed a 4 night stay in Ubud area, 3 night stay in Nusa Dua area.You can tweak a bit based on your needs.

Day 01: Arrive, Transfer to your hotel in Ubud (approx 90-120 mins travel)
Depending on your time of arrival and time left after reaching the resort plan rest of your day- relaxed stay at resort or visit Ubud town if interested. Lunch/Dinner enroute or at resort. Sitara Ubud is a nice Indian restaurant if you're specific about Indian/Veg food. They support online order if you wish to order from the comfort of your room.

Day 02: Rice Terrace and Adventure
Visit to popular Bali Rice terraces in Tegalalang and Enjoy couple Bali swings

Afternoon, depending on interest try any of the following
  • Visit to popular Monkey Sanctuary
  • Visit to Ubud market, Ubud Palace
Day 03: Ubud local
Option 1: Sunrise trek to Mount Batur (if Ok to get up very early)

Option 2: Visit popular waterfalls in the area- Git Git waterfalls and Tegenungan waterfalls

Option 3: Rent a scooter and explore Ubud on your own, your hotel staff will be happy to guide you on interesting places to visit.

Option 4: Relaxed personal time at resort, any resort activities such as morning walks, village visits, romantic candle light dinner/floating brunch, Couple Spa etc

Day 04 - Change of resort to Nusa Dua
Breakfast, check out and transfer to Nusa Dua
Enroute stop at UC Silver Gold for shopping if interested
Or at Bali Bidadari Batik to observe hand made batik designer cloths and dress materials

Reach Nusa Dua, Check-in, enjoy Nusa Dua beach, rest

Day 05 - Island hopping- Nusa Penida
Day trip to Nusa Penida island (You can visit any other island or even fly to Lombok but unless you can spare 2-3 extra days it may not be worth it)

Day 06 - South Bali
Relaxed morning and breakfast
Visit to GWK or Garuda Wishnu Kanchana Cultural Park
Visit Pandawa beach
Visit Uluwatu Temple (if interested) or visit Sundays beach club for nice sunset and dinner experience
Back to Resort, Rest

Day 07: Return to India
Relaxed morning, check out in time for your flight
If flight is in the evening, might be worth visiting Kuta area for shopping before heading to airport
If flight is early morning, might be good idea to spend previous night in Kuta.

Which airline is better to fly to Bali?
Unless you can plan your honeymoon dates 4-6 months in advance, return ticket to Bali would cost in the range of INR 20000-25000 if booked a month or so in advance. Since as a honeymoon couple you'd want some comfort and luxury than super cheap flight, I would recommend either Singapore Airlines or Malindo Airlines to fly to Bali from various cities in India.

Bali local transport & tours
You can avail official blue cab in Bali (Blue Bird Taxi- beware of clones), who are metered and offer reasonably priced service.

Other options are
  • Shuttle vans at airport- fixed price drop to specific locations around Bali
  • Rent a bike or car on your own-Bali is crowded and driving will not be most enjoyable but if you are adventurous, do try. It is fairly manageable.
  • Book tours- several tour operators offer hotel pickup, sightseeing and drop off at reasonable places- these can be booked online or from the comfort of your hotel or a travel shop near the hotel after arrival as per your convenience.
  • Luxury resorts often offer free shuttle to nearby spots, or allow you to rent a cycle for free. Using these you can manage your local exploration once reaching the resort.
How much should one budget for Bali Honeymoon Trip?
  • Flight ticket- INR 25000 per person or 50000 per couple
  • Stay: Approx INR 6000 per night for a luxury stay * 6-7 nights; INR 40000
  • Food & Drinks: INR 2000 per couple per day * 6-7 days: INR 15000 approx
  • Local Tours/Transport/Entry fees- Depends on multiple factors, roughly INR 20000-25000 for a week for above itinerary, can be less if fewer outdoor trips are opted or budget options are used.
  • Visa: Free
Total: 50k+40k+15k+25k = INR 1.3 lakh rupees for a 1 week trip. Can be varied a bit depending on hotel type, flight fares, food n outdoor activities.
Shopping: Extra

Why Bali is better instead of say Maldives?
Bali is relatively cheaper to stay and explore compared to Maldives. Maldives island resorts can get insanely expensive. Bali also offers more things to see/do compared to purely watersports of Maldives

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