Travel Guide: Uluwatu, Indonesia

February 06, 2014

Need a break from crowded cities and burning trash? Forget about heading to Kuta, Uluwatu is the place to be.

Accommodation

Bali Bule Homestay

This peaceful homestay has a great location on the Bukit Peninsula, situated between two popular surf breaks at Uluwatu Temple and Padang Padang Beach. 360,000 rupiah a night gets you a private bungalow with hot water, AC and wifi. There are plenty of restaurants, beaches and shops in the area. There is a pool you can enjoy and they rent out scooters, for 60,000 rupiah per day, if you need a way of getting around. Though this homestay is a bit expensive for Bali, we had an incredible time here and found it well worth the money.

Restaurants

We only spent one night in Uluwatu, and found most of the restaurants we tried weren’t very memorable. We checked out one restaurant overlooking Uluwatu beach that served Western food, but found both the food and the bill unsatisfactory.

If you like fresh grilled seafood, the beachfront restaurants at Jimbaran Bay are well worth the 30 minute ride. There are around 10 seafood restaurants lining the beach that will vie for your attention and money; some look nicer than others but we’re pretty sure they’re all delicious. When you pick which fish you want to eat, be sure to agree upon a price before they start cooking it or you’ll be in for a surprise on the bill. You pay per kg, and we found one fish was more than enough food for the two people. The meal comes with a heaping portion rice, vegetables and fruit. Be prepared to spend 150,000 rupiah or more.

Things to Do

Uluwatu Temple

This temple was spectacular. It sits high on a cliff with the crystal blue water below. There are many different view points where you can enjoy the scenery and take pictures. Beware of the monkeys, they are everywhere!

We wanted to see the traditional Indonesian Kecak dance, but the tickets were sold out. Make sure you get to the temple at least 30 minutes before the show to get a seat. The entrance fee is 20,000 rupiah per person. You will need a sarong and sash to visit the temple, but they are available for free at the entrance.

To see more photos of this incredible temple, click here.

Uluwatu Beach

This beach is an absolute must visit if you’re spending any time on the south side of Bali. Located a few miles from Uluwatu Temple, on a small side road, this pristine white beach features a dramatic backdrop of beautiful cliffs and stunning sea caves. Its home to one of the best surf breaks in the world. Matt rented a board on the way down for 360,000 rupiah for 3 hours. It’s an incredible place to spend the day exploring and playing in the water.

Good Things to Know

Renting a scooter is cheap, but be sure you have an international driver’s license because the local police make a sport out of pulling over foreigners and giving out tickets. After a spectacular day at the beach and a delicious barbecue fish lunch, we had the misfortune of driving straight into a road block. The police flagged us down, checked if we had an IDL, and promptly took our scooter keys away and demanded we pay them 500,000 rupiah. We weren’t carrying this much cash and didn’t even have an ATM card with us. Fortunately, after demonstrating we couldn’t pay this bribe by literally turning out our pockets and emptying our backpack, the officer begrudgingly took what we had, around 120,000 rupiah, and let us go. If you don’t have any money, they will take your keys and tell you to walk home, so your best bet is to be smart and get an international driver’s license before you visit.