Honeymoon Discovery of Bali

Balinese locals are deeply spiritual people, with the roots of the island’s beliefs and traditions running deep into everyday lifestyles. Today witness one of the best examples of Balinese spirituality in the village of Sebatu, about an hour outside of South Bali. By car, head out from your hotel and arrive in this charming area. Home to a stunning collection of operating temples, follow your guide’s lead to explore these structures and learn about how they still play an important role in the lives of the pious locals.

After an illuminating guided tour travel deeper into the village to visit the site of the area’s holy water. Here your guide will help you put on a traditional Balinese sarong and lead you in a prayer to the gods. With each offering having a different colour of distinct significance, learn about how each hue represents a different prayer. After the procession, dip into the holy water – considered an important cleansing ritual – and wrap up your day with lunch at a local restaurant.

Enjoy the morning free at your own leisure. If you would like to get active, book an optional yoga class with your partner at nearby yoga studio, or alternatively bond in a relaxing massage or dip in the hotels pool.

In the afternoon, you will be picked up and driven to a nearby food kitchen to learn traditional Balinese cooking methods, before trying your hand at crafting authentic local flavours from scratch. With assistance from the chef, learn interesting Balinese culinary techniques and the individual benefits of each spice heavily utilised in Indonesian cuisine. Feast upon your own cooked meal in the middle of a beautiful organic garden, before heading back to the hotel.

After breakfast, you will be picked up and transferred to Uluwatu. The journey to Uluwatu will contain a series of stops to witness various places of interest along the route. Stopping firstly at the Jatiluwih Rice Terraces to delight in its exotic landscape. Once a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site candidate, the Jatiluwih rice terraces comprise over six-hundred hectares of rice fields that follow the flowing topography of the Batukaru mountain range. Next on the route is Alas Kedaton, home to one of Bali’s most famed monkey forests. Featuring towering nutmeg trees unique to this area and highly sacred to the Balinese people, this is the home of Bali’s cheekiest inhabitants, the macaque monkeys, and no trip to Bali is complete without seeing them. Lastly on to Mengwi, visit the former Royal Temple, Pura Taman Ayung, built in 1634 and arguably one of the most beautiful temples on the island. Upon arrival to Uluwatu, check in to your hotel and enjoy rest of the day relaxing. You will spend the next three nights at this hotel with your partner.

Occupy your morning at your own leisure. Head to La Laguna around 4:00pm for a sunset cocktail. With its beachfront locale and vintage décor, showcasing shabby-island-chic, La Laguna is the hot spot for sunset drinks – attracting expat crowds and travellers alike. Head to the trendy METIS Lounge, where a top-notch sound system and the best local and international DJs create a chic atmosphere for aperitifs with friends. After some more drinks,  head to the upper level of Mama San where leather club chairs, a plump banquette with scatter cushions and Raja Palace lights, chandeliers and candles twinkling softly. The atmosphere of Mama San produces the perfect ambience to chill-out with tasty cocktails and some amazing Asian bites, cooked by the famous chef Will Meyrick.

In the late evening, it’s champagne o’clock at Red Carpet Champagne Bar boasting Indonesia’s largest selection of Champagne. This Seminyak icon is cosy and intimate, with a splash of sexy décor. As one might expect of a Champagne bar, there is an exclusive feel – yet the atmosphere remains light, playful, and casually fun. After a wonderful evening of refreshing cocktails and champagne, transfer back to your hotel for the night.

Relax from your vibrant evening of drinking by spending this morning at your own leisure. This afternoon explore the illustrious temple of Pura Luhur, perched upon the edge of rocky cliffs above Uluwatu. Built in the 11th century, the temple provides a glimpse into the ancient life of this enchanting seaside setting. Delight in a stunning view of the Indian Ocean from seventy-metres above sea level, before spending the rest of your time exploring the scenery and befriending the monkeys that inhabit the temple. Hold on tightly to your hat and sunglasses, as these cheeky monkeys are notorious for their stealing abilities! In the late afternoon, savour a fresh seafood dinner on the soft sands of Jimbaran, while mesmerising at the Kecak Fire Dance performance presented upon the beach.

On the last day, check out of your hotel by 12:00pm, where your driver will pick you up and transfer you to the airport for your next destination.