Bali, Indonesia & The Philippines
written by Jerli
This past May, I took the most memorable trip to The Philippines and Indonesia accompanied by two very special people. We were there for 19 days and it was a life changing experience. Planning this trip was very time consuming but worth it. Below I will share some of our highlights to make your trip planning a bit more seamless.
Traveling To South East Asia from New York:
Our first destination on this trip was Bali, Indonesia. To get there, we flew from New York City’s JFK Airport on Philippine Airlines. We booked through Travelocity using their multi destination tool, which is very convenient. The trip itself was very long but layovers can make your trip incredibly longer. One of our layovers was 12 hours. Plan ahead: you can use this time to relax or take advantage and explore- which is exactly what we did!
We flew Philippine Airlines when we traveled to our next two destinations as well; Cebu, Philippines (which requires another layover in Manila) and El Nido, Palawan- which is a quick one hour flight.
Bali, Indonesia
We stayed at The Dipan in Seminyak, Bali- a very chic boutique hotel with a beautiful green pool area which made you feel like you were in the middle of the jungle. This hotel had great amenities; on-site dining, spa services, free breakfast, and you can stay in a villa with your own private pool. The Dipan was within walking distance of great bars, restaurants, nightclubs.
Pool area of The Dipan
Private Villa in The Dipan
Pool area of The Dipan
Things to do in Bali:
Potato Head Beach Club; we loved it so much we went several times.
(Potato Head Beach Club)
-Ubud Monkey Forest; Great experience but beware, they will jump on you!
-Tagallagang Rice Fields
-Ubud Water Palace
-Lunch near Kintamani Volcano overlooking Mount Batur; you can tell your taxi driver “lunch on Mount Batur” and they’ll take you right to this restaurant. The view is spectacular!
(Tagallagang Rice Fields)
We also visited many temples, of course. Some of the temples we visited included:
-Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal
-Pura Prajapati
-Pura Beji
-Pura Lempuyang
-Pura Ulun Danu Beratan Temple
Visiting these temples and learning about their culture and worship rituals is an unforgettable experience. However, before you jump out of your seat and book a trip to Bali expecting an Eat Pray Love experience, here are some things you should know:
Because of the fame of Eat Pray Love, tourism in Bali has grown tremendously (according to the locals). There are many tourists; especially if you visit between May and October. The downside of many tourists is that they are all over the place causing a lot of congestion. If you can deal with that then you are good to go!
Tip: You can pay a taxi driver an equivalent of $40 USD and they will serve as your private tour guide for an entire day. You can come ready with your itinerary and have them drive you to all your desired destinations or you can go with the flow and allow them to take you to the places they feel are worthy of visiting. We did a little of both. Bali is incredibly safe and you will feel completely at ease with any taxi driver.
Cebu, Philippines
Cebu was a completely unique experience for us. We stayed in the heart of the city at Best Western Lux Hotel. It was a very nice hotel with a beautiful rooftop infinity pool. The hotel had all the expected amenities; massages, room service, and fitness center. They included free breakfast and they were very helpful in guiding you to places you wanted to visit and securing transportation for you. While in Cebu we went to Badian to go Canyoneering and visit the amazing Kawasan Falls. We booked this excursion through our hotel for more convenience, but you can book this independently. You cannot go to Cebu and not experience this!
(Badian Canyoneering)
(Kawasan Falls)
Other things you can do while in Cebu:
-Fort San Pedro
-Magellan’s Cross
-Basilica del Santo Nino
-Tops Lookout
-Cebu Taoist Temple
-Sky Experience Adventure
-Temple of Leah
All of these can be found in Cebu City and can be done within one day or two.
In the rest of Cebu you can also swim with sharks in Oslob, enjoy some time in Mactan Island, and have several options for island hopping.
El Nido, Palawan, Philippines
This location may have been my favorite of all. As soon as we arrived we felt right at home. Flying to Palawan from Cebu is about an hour long but getting to El Nido will take you an additional 4-5 hours via bus, as the airport is located in Puerto Princesa and El Nido is located on the northern end of this island. We stayed at the Marygold Beachfront Inn, the cutest little cottage style accommodations right on the beach. We were in the center of everything you can possible do or want to see.
When in El Nido, it is encouraged to do the island hopping tours. This is where you will see the crystal turquoise waters that you find online when you search for pictures of El Nido. We did Tours A and C (we didn't combine them which is an option). If you combine them you spend less time at each location, and unless you are pressed for time, I don't recommend this option. Tours A and C will take you around:
The Small Lagoon
Big Lagoon
Twin Rocks
Simizu Island
Entalla Island
Commando Beach
Matinloc Shrine
Tapiutan Island
Star Beach
Secret Beach
Hidden Beach
For about $45 USD you can opt for your own private tour/boat. I recommend this option if it fits your budget as it gives you the flexibility to choose how long you want to stay at each location and they are only catering to you and your group. The lunch provided on this tour was delicious! It is so fresh and prepared right on the boat while you are sight seeing.
(Island Hopping)
In addition to the Island Hopping Tours; these are some other things we did that you may also consider:
Ziplining on Cabanas Beach
Sunset on Cabanas Beach
Taraw Cliffs
Nacpan Beach - the steamed crabs here are amazing!
The food in El Nido is delicious. We loved a particular restaurant/bar called Sava. Their menu was very diverse and you are sure to find something that will satisfy your appetite. In addition to Sava, we also loved Altrove Pizza- the line is worth the wait!
feast on our island hopping tour
I also encourage that you just get out there and explore in this area, this area is very safe and there is so much to see, do, eat! We didn't have time to do it all, but I’m sure there are any more hidden gems in El Nido.
Additional tips:
I can’t speak for the rest of the year, but if you visit between May-October it is very hot and humid so pack accordingly. Very light garments or clothing, don’t expect to wear heavy amounts of makeup, definitely take a fare share of mosquito repellant and drink lots of water!
If you are aiming to travel to several locations, as we did, pack lightly. We were gone for about 3 weeks and I fit everything I needed in a carry on. If I can do it, you can do it. I also opted for box braids so that I did not have to worry about styling. A protective hairstyle is not for everyone, but it does save space in your luggage from hair styling products and saves lots of time while getting ready.
