Banjar Sambahan

We left Nusa Penida by boat with a solid plan in mind before getting to Ubud in central Bali: rent a scooter for 4-5 days from the port where we would later depart from to avoid taxis and messing around with transfers to and from Ubud. On arrival at the port, literally as the ferry doors had opened we were greeted by a man popping his head through the little hatch on the boat calling ‘taxi, taxi’. We hadn’t even got off the boat before being harassed, a new high! Seriously, give us a chance to get off, please. After getting off the boat, the harassment didn't stop - very frustrating when we just wanted to be left alone to action our plan.

As usual we ignored everyone around the arrival port and walked away to assess the situation in peace. This situation was becoming quite bleak as we couldn't find a scooter rental as planned. The port turned out to be far more remote and empty than expected. Speaking with locals they didn’t have scooter rentals nearby nor did they have taxis or Grab (Asia’s Uber). Speaking with a hotel receptionist to find out more didn’t help either and on leaving, a local drove past to say hello. We got chatting and explained our situation so he offered to take us to the next closest town sure to have motorbike rentals. We agreed for a small fee and drove 30 minutes to Semarapura.

He dropped us off right in the centre so we could search for a scooter hire. Long story short and 2 hours later we were still walking around. Again, no scooter rentals. We also couldn’t find any taxis, hotels or restaurants with WiFi and it became apparent this was not a place for tourists. To make matters worse, the locals here of course spoke no English. Luckily we greeted someone at a market who did speak English. During our chat, one guy left and came back with a scooter taxi for us. Needing one each he called his friend to pick us up and agreed to ride us to Ubud. After an hour journey we finally made it to our hotel in Ubud after a less than ideal afternoon.

Well known for its natural beauty, jungles and rice terraces, we felt it was important to book into a hotel overlooking these views if possible. Unlike other places we’ve visited so far, when it comes to accommodation cost, the sky's the limit here. We’ve come across rooms and villas for £1000+ per night and although central Ubud accommodation is pricey, a short ride away opens up lower priced accommodation. After a good bit of research we found this highly rated hotel with only 3 rooms in total, yet had a swimming pool, 24 hour reception and breakfast included all for £11 a night each. In all honesty, we hadn’t gotten our hopes up about the advertised ‘view overlooking rice terraces’ considering the price. However, upon walking into the hotel room, we saw towels arranged on the bed in a beautiful swan like shape with full patio doors opening onto a balcony overlooking a stunning rice terrace, just as advertised. Jess literally burst into tears at the sight and we put this down to the roller coaster of emotions experienced throughout the day. Our room was beautiful, with amazing detailing on the walls, windows and doors and had a real Balinese feel. Without a doubt one of our favourite stays!

We spent the rest of the evening scheduling the next few days before riding over to Campuhan ridge for a sunset walk. We then enjoyed dinner at a restaurant that looked nice from the front however the host offered to take us to their gardens out the back to eat. Through a back door revealed this maze of plants, stone sculptures, ponds and small pagodas scattered around for guests to eat under candlelit tables. It looked very cultural, almost religious but lovely. We couldn’t really take photos because it was dark, but we certainly enjoyed a peaceful dinner with some of the best food we’ve had in certainly the nicest setting so far, although it did cost a small fortune of £7 each!Read more