Uluwatu Bali Travel Guide – 2 Days
During our honeymoon to Bali, we split our time between Ubud and Uluwatu. These two regions have completely different feels and work really well together for one trip if you have diverse interests. Uluwatu is a must visit if you want to see the best beaches of Bali whereas Ubud is more traditional with rice terrace and temples.
We stayed in in the Bingin area as it has the highest concentration of cafes, restaurants, and walking distance to beaches! I think this is the best spot to base yourself and there are a number of hotels and villas.
Day 1
9am Padang Padang Beach
Pick up your favorite coffee and head on over to the famous Padang Padang beach. The criticism of this beach is that it’s crowded. But if you go nice and early in the morning, you’ll easily find a spot to yourself on the beach. The entrance to the beach is clearly marked from the street and there’s a set of stairs you’ll need to walk down to get to ocean level. This is one of the warmest waters I‘ve been in! Even though the water is not crystal clear, it was very enticing and the waves are quite calm here. With 2 days in Uluwatu, I’d definitely recommend seeing Padang Padang beach!
We also bought a coconut from a local vendor and I felt like I was living out of a movie scene!
12pm Change + Cute Cafe Crawl
Take a Grab back to your hotel to get changed and then you’ll have the difficult choice of picking where to eat because there are so many great choices! You won’t find many traditional Indonesian restaurants in Uluwatu, but you WILL find beautiful cafes all along the streets! Two of my favorites on the trip are: The Deli and Bambu Cafe. The Deli serves sandwiches and it was the best bite we had all trip (sorry to nasi goreng!)
Bambu Cafe is located next to Bambu Fitness. All of their food is health conscious but that does not mean bland. My chicken wrap was full of flavor and this matcha mango slushy was to die for!
2pm Massage at a Spa
It’s all about relax and recharge in Uluwatu. To escape the afternoon heat, head indoors to a spa! We found that a reservation is preferable in Uluwatu compared to Ubud. A few of the spas we bookmarked were already busy when we walked in. A few recommendations are: Spring Spa, Resting Koala, and Our Spa.
At Spring Spa, I tried out their Matcha Foot Facial. It was ~$20 for 30 minutes and included this beautiful foot bath. I would have loved to do a 60 minute body massage but there was no availability. So make sure to send them a reservation via Whatsapp!
6pm Nice Dinner at Alma
There are so many beautiful restaurants in Uluwatu. Luckily our choice was made easy as Alma was literally downstairs from our hotel. My husband let them know we are celebrating our honeymoon and they spoiled us with prosecco, snacks, and even a dessert! Alma serves Spanish food which is a nice change of pace in Bali. The service was very attentive and I’d highly recommend! Our bill with drinks was just under $100 which felt like excellent value.
Continue your Bali adventure with my Ubud guide!
Day 2
9am Melasti Beach
On your second day in Uluwatu, you need to visit another beach! This time, take a 20 minute car ride to Melasti Beach for a completely different experience! Melasti Beach is wide and long with beach chairs and umbrellas ready for hire. There are no rock formations so it’s a bit less scenic than Padang Padang Beach. The waves here are much stronger too but just as warm. This is a more commercialized beach and perfect for a classic beach day. You can easily read a book or take a nap under the umbrella shade as you dip in and out of the Indian Ocean. A set of 2 chairs and an umbrella costed us 200,000 IDR (lower than expected probably since it was low season). There’s washroom facility onsite for changing.
3pm Visit Uluwatu Temple
The most famous attraction in Uluwatu is definitely the Uluwatu Temple. The nightly Kecak Dance performance draws in big crowds. We actually decided to skip it as people started lining up 2 hours before the show and it was so hot outside! You should definitely visit Uluwatu Temple but note that the iconic structure cannot actually be viewed up close. The access is not open so you’ll have to admire the Temple on the cliff from the distance. Without the Kecak Dance, allocate just over an hour for the temple.
5pm Enjoy a Drink with a Sunset View
We went to Single Fin (an iconic spot) in Uluwatu to catch the sunset. The restaurant is massive, spanning 3 levels and there’s even an infinity pool onsite. We were able to snag one of the last seats along the edge but the view wasn’t the best as there was a metal tin roof right in front of us (see first photo). I really enjoyed watching the surfers in the ocean as they were some of the most skilled I’ve ever seen – even compared to Costa Rica! Personally, I wouldn’t recommend Single Fin as I thought the drinks were so overpriced and the view was only okay. Maybe give Mana or La Terraza a try instead?
