I absolutely loved Ubud. It was a relaxing and restorative break after Tracey and I had spent three weeks of camping in New Zealand. Yoga, good cafes, great restaurants and awesome market shopping? Yes, please. Here are some of the highlights:

What to do 

Yoga at Ubud Yoga House - This place is a dream. Nestled in the rice fields, this studio is secluded, serene and exactly what you pictured when you thought of doing yoga in this magical city.

Ubud market - All the rattan products you can imagine (including more interesting versions of the purses that every fashion blogger is spending a fortune on at home) as well as gorgeous beaded products, homewares, fruits, veggies, teas, spices...I could go on. God, I love markets.

Tegalalang rice field - Get your greenery fix here! Hire a driver and go early in the morning to avoid the masses. Get ready to see a lot of people posing for their IG...it's a weird time to be alive.

Legong dance - There are several types of dance to see in Ubud, but the Legong was most appealing to us because of the intricate costumes and unique but very beautiful style of dance. Most temples do it a few times a week at 7:30pm, always on Tuesdays for sure.

Paon Cooking Class - We love doing a cooking class in cities where we aren't as familiar with the cuisine. There are a lot of classes to choose from in Ubud, but the woman who runs this one is awesome and super funny, it’s in an outdoor kitchen and the food is delicious.  

Pura Tirta Water Temple - We went to this temple and got “cleansed” - that is to say we made an offering and got into the water and made a wish/splashed out face/drank from the 12 fountains. If you go, wear a bathing suit and bring a sarong (or else you can rent one there).

Pool day pass at Kamandalu Resort - We had a small pool at our boutique hotel, but when we wanted a more bougie day of relaxing by a pool, we did a day pass here. It was about $20 for 2 people including a drink and a bunch of appetizers. If you want to really splurge they also do a floating breakfast or lunch in the infinity pool.

Definitely hit the spa! We didn’t love the one we picked but there are sooo many and you can literally do a full day of treatments for like $40. The full body scrub was particularly necessary post-camping.

Eating + Drinking

Lazy Cats Cafe - A beautifully curated vegan cafe perfect for breakfast, lunch or a happy hour cocktail. Also, the name really speaks to me.

Yellow Flower Cafe - Tucked in what feels like a jungle (aka it’s a little tricky to find) you can get the most instagrammable smoothie bowls in this beautiful outdoor space.

PICA - This is a small but swanky South American restauarant with incredible food and cocktails to match. It was such an unexpected find but one of the best meals we had.

Nusantara by Locavore - The guys behind Locavore have completely taken over the food scene in Ubud - we couldn't get into Locavore, but we did go to its sister restaurant that was an upscale culinary take on traditional Indonesian food (also great cocktails). This was an awesome introduction into the ingredients and landscape of Balinese food.

Night Rooster - Also by the Locavore group, this spot consists of extremely inventive craft cocktails. Sitting at the bar was like a front row seat to a show!

Sweet Orange Warung - Casual Balinese food in a fun space (lots of painted coconut shell "heads") in the middle of the rices fields, so the walk there and view is worth the trip. Get their house dessert!

Cafe Pomegranate - The food was meh but the view of the rice fields is everything, and you sit on the ground on a pillow at your table. Go for a beer at sunset!

Near the beach - Canguu + Seminyak

We spent the last 4 days in Bali in total vacation mode at The Chillhouse in Canguu. We loved staying at this very millennial/IG spot which included a daily yoga class, breakfast at their adorable cafe, and a communal dinner. But even if you don't stay here, I would come for lunch and stay and use the pool. One of the best avocado toasts I've ever had, for what it's worth. 

We got spa treatments at Goldust Salon in Canguu and it was lovely.

We also loved La Brisa beach club because it was laid back and you could lounge in the bohemian beachouse vibe while watching the surfers in the ocean all day. We also went to Finns and it was exactly what you’d imagine for a clubby beach vibe. At any of the clubs, make a reservation or prepare to wait! We also spent an afternoon at the pool at Alila Resort (you can use their beach bag loungers and the pool if you eat/drink there) after dodging Potatohead (#notsorry) and it was really nice for sunset. Oh, and if you're wondering why we went to so many beachside pools, it's because what you've heard about Bali's beaches being dirty is sadly true. But if you can swim in a pool with a view of the ocean, that'll work! In terms of food, we had a really nice lunch at a fanhcy seafood place called Sardine that’s beautiful and delicious but not super near anything so you have to taxi to/from. 

Enjoy this magical place!