10 Days in BALI as a Couple – Ubud, Canggu, Nusa Dua, Kintamani Travel Vlog Guide & Itinerary 2025

10 Days in BALI as a Couple – Ubud, Canggu, Nusa Dua, Kintamani Travel Vlog Guide & Itinerary 2025

We almost didn’t visit Bali: We’d heard, 
too many tourists, too much traffic, full of drunk party goers. And, as one couple 
rapidly approaching a serious mid life crisis, seeing younger, more attractive people having 
fun, is no longer our idea of having fun. We almost didn’t visit Bali. 
But I’m so glad, that we did… Whilst Bali absolutely won’t be for everyone, we experience 4 very different slices 
of this beautiful Indonesian island, but from a couples, no nightlife perspective. 
After spending 2 and a half weeks in total, this is a suggested 10 to 14 day itinerary. 
Rice fields, bouji restaurants, Hindu Temples, questionable coffee tastings, sunrise mountain 
hikes, yoga classes, and magical hotel wake-ups. This is Suitcase Monkey with 
a much more peaceful Bali. 🙂 So what might a cozy Bali itinerary actually look 
like? Well, by far, our favourite area was Ubud, where I’d recommend above anywhere else, with at 
least 3 or 4 nights. From rice fields to temples it’s the spiritual heart of Bali, and its central 
location makes for the perfect stopping point towards the more spacious north. Which then moves 
us nicely to 1 night in Kintamani, most popular for hiking Mount Batur, but with one potential 
bad reason to skip entirely, which we’ll cover later. Finally, our last stop would be 3 nights in 
Nusa Dua: A southern resort hideaway, perfect for a relaxing end to a busy trip. But before we’d 
get to all that, our story begins with Canggu. Of all the places we visited, 
Canggu was the biggest party magnet, with neighbouring Seminyak and Kuta, 
potentially even more. So we chose Canggu mostly out of curiosity, and booked 
a stay in this pleasant, affordable hotel, right on the edge. This put us away from 
the noise, but still a short walk from the indulgence of trendy shops, restaurants and 
cafes. And boy is this where Canggu excels… Yes it’s easy to write all this 
off as surface level tourist stuff, but we never found it insincere. The hospitality 
was amongst the best we received in all of South East Asia with locals frequently starting 
friendly chit chat. Bali might have gone all in on tourism, but they were showing 
their experience because of it. Turned out, our preconceptions were slightly overblown. I 
mean, even the party goers seemed respectful enough. And yes we were largely in bed 
by 9pm, but I’m sure they behaved after . So, the only real negative so far? Getting 
from A to B. You’re either stuck in a car not moving for minutes, or you’re hanging off 
the back of a taxi bike for dear life. So we just kept things local on foot. Crossing 
a road is an accomplishment in itself, but once you have, just make sure 
the pavement doesn’t kill you. Despite the minor risk of potential 
amputation, maybe it was just our incredibly low expectations but we quickly went 
from Canggu – boo hoo, to Canggu – who knew?! Ultimately, our guards were considerably lowered, and we were now eager what other surprises 
lay ahead. Tomorrow, we’d be escaping the heaviest traffic with some island exploration, 
visiting some of Balis most popular sights… The Ulun Danu Beratan Temple dates back almost 400 
years. One of Balis most iconic and scenic sights, it’s dedicated to the water goddess Dewi 
Danu. Although, this is undoubtedly the postcard shot, the surrounding compound 
will probably take up most of your time. Its high elevation not only lowers the 
temperature to a pleasant level, but its grounds are enjoyable enough to walk around 
with Balinese dance and music echoing throughout. Since this is one of the most popular 
tourist attractions on the island, you can also expect other quintessential 
Balinese traditions. There’s the swan boat ride, a bunny rabbit petting zoo, and 
everyones favourite Indonesian icon, Father Christmas. Despite the 
obvious clash of culture vs popular, I’d say this is a must visit stop, especially 
if it isn’t too far from your chosen path. For us, we’d taken only a slight detour to get 
here, but looking back, we did make the best choice with transport around Bali. Our destination 
was ultimately our hotel in Ubud, but whereas a taxi would’ve cost $20 for a 90 minute A to B 
journey, we instead booked a private car for the day, which I’ll link below. Costing $40, this gave 
us the luxury of being able to stop at numerous sights along the way, as you’ve just seen, but 
with the added guidance of our driver. We found this bespoke island tour through the sponsor of 
this video, GetYourGuide. Long time partner to the channel, we always find their app and website 
a useful tool when searching for well organised activities and transport, with digital tickets 
conveniently located within the GetYourGuide app. Later on this trip, both our sunrise 
mountain hike and Ubud cycle day were also found through GetYourGuide after 
browsing for some inspiration. All experiences shown are linked in the 
description below, along with hotels, attractions and restaurants visited during this 
trip. Thank you to GetYourGuide for continuing to support this channel and making travel 
vlogs like this one possible. Now, on to Ubud… Of all the places we visited over our entire 
100 days in Asia, Ubud was easily in our top 3…. We immediately felt a difference 
in the air and unfortunately for me, a difference that’s hard to show on 
film, so I’ll try my best with words. Compared to Canggu, it seemed more mature, 
more balanced and felt made for solo female travellers and couples. It still had all 
the trendy hang outs but was just more at peace with itself. The holes in the road 
were harder to fall down and there was even a pedestrian crossing. But by this time 
I’d already perfected the “I’m absolutely crossing this road and you’re just gonna have 
to deal with it” mentality that you need…. So, we’d gone from Canggu, who knew to 
Ubud. You absolutely should. I’m sorry… Don’t get me wrong though, Ubud is still 
catering to tourists, but it just felt a little more lived in. Balinese homes are often 
laid out in walk-through family compounds, and our accommodation formed part of one so 
it always felt like a homely return. Coupled with a nice pool for cooling off, and this 
peaceful balcony where breakfast was served, it was a good price for what it was. It was 
also nestled on this quiet street, just a few minutes from Ubuds most popular roads, and was a 
great base for some of the towns biggest sights… One ritual we were becoming very used to seeing 
were these offerings placed outside homes, shops and temples. Known as canang sari, 
they’re a symbol of gratitude and respect to the Gods. It’s worth noting 
that throughout all of Indonesia, Hinduism is practised by only 2% of people, but 
it makes up almost 90% of the population in Bali, which in turn, is a healthy difference maker 
to the islands unique vibe, especially in Ubud. Similarly, Ubud has also long been connected to 
yoga, and before arrival, I assumed my mornings would look like this. Unfortunately for me, 
they were still looking like this. But we were inspired enough to take this sunset yoga 
class, something that isn’t a regular thing for us. As the session wore on, the open ended room 
allowed for a natural soundtrack of cicadas, and rustling leaves. And as night fell, 
it was the ideal time to take a moment. One of our favourite moments of all though 
was this walking trail, perfect for the cooler mornings, and something I definitely want to put 
on your radar. Although it begins more rural, it eventually scatters a few much needed 
rest stops. It was at this point that, we almost turned back, but 
I’m so glad we pushed on, as the path eventually opened up even 
further, to our favourite breakfast location. After our favourite breakfast, we struck lucky 
again for the evening. This popular family run restaurant settles nicely within the open air 
family compound setting. Their signature dish is an Indonesian favourite, Nasi Campur, essentially 
translating to rice being mixed with an assortment of small dishes; tofu, egg, deep fried corn, satay 
chicken, vegetables and sambal matah, a tasty slaw that brought everything together really well and 
it ended up being, our favourite Bali restaurant. This 3 hour electric bike tour was also one of our 
top Bali highlights. Our excellent guide Kadeck showed off various stopping points in and around 
Ubuds most popular local rice field – Tegallalang. It’s also here, where you can recreate THAT 
infamous shot… The giant Bali swing photo. Being just about the worst advocate for social 
media reach, I instead opted for this tiny, no fuss baby swing, and despite 
looking ridiculous in practise, you can almost end up, not 
looking like a massive bell end. The strangest part though was this coffee tasting. 
Introduced by the Dutch in the late 17th century, Indonesia has become the 4th largest producer 
of coffee in the world. And because of this, you’ll see coffee plantations all over Bali 
but what often makes them unique is Kopi Luwak. This is where the coffee beans are digested and 
then pooped out by these guys, locally known as luwaks. The beans are then cleaned, roasted and 
ground as usual, with the idea this provides a richer, heavier flavour. Putting aside the small 
question of how anyone discovered this difference in the first place, reactions range from calling 
it the holy grail of coffee to questions around animal welfare. This location did have an “animal 
welfare” checkmark on Trip Advisor with the Kopi Luwak being served as optional at a cost, still 
leaving a large selection of coffees to taste. As we Finished the day trip with 
another excellent Nasi Campur, we were now closer to the end of our 
time in Bali than the start. Tomorrow we’d be taking a car to Kintamani, and 
whilst it definitely has its positives, there was one unfortunate downside that 
might be too much for some of you to ignore… Only 1 hour north of Ubud, but with an 
altitude 4,000 feet higher, Kintamani started well. Upon arrival, we stopped at 
a row of restaurants and were immediately welcomed with a refreshing temperature 
drop and this stunning mountain range. Fortunately, this view never 
gets old and was even more peaceful from our accommodation. With an 
incredibly kind family looking after us, again the room itself was basic, 
but the wake ups like a dream… There was one unfortunate flip side to our 
time in Kintamani and that was just how many house flies there were. So either skip 
ahead 20 seconds if you don’t like looking at lots of insects, or just close your 
eyes and listen to my thoughts. Ready? Now, I’m perfectly fine with real life 
breaking into the tourist holiday illusion, but when I’m drinking it, I’m less so. I don’t know if we were just unlucky, 
sometimes the flies weren’t so bad, some times they were, but I have to mention 
it, so I’m not presenting a false illusion. The good news is that the main reason 
we were here, the Mount Batur hike, was fly free. The bad news was of the 3 sunrises 
we stayed in Kintamani for, 2 were idyllic, and 1 was not. And you can guess which morning 
we chose. So that’s why, the night before, as the rain, thunder and lightning grew in 
volume, we crossed our fingers for our 3am pickup… After a hundred minutes of walking, 
2000 feet of sometimes steep elevation gain and all done in a pair of socks and 
sandals, the summit did feel like a worthy achievement. The hike is difficult enough 
that the average person will feel tested, but still manageable enough for the vast majority. 
Which is why it’s Balis most popular hike, and although it was busy, it never felt 
too crowded that it became an issue. Even though I’d still recommend this hike, 
I’m hesitant to recommend Kintamani as a place for more than 1 night. If you were still 
interested in the hike, the tour we used, do also pick up from both Ubud and Canggu 
so that might be a better solution. But with our legs now sorely 
aching, and socks basically ruined, our final days in Bali would now 
be centred around total relaxation… Located in the southern Bali, and less 
than half an hour from the airport, is Nusa Dua. A loosely gated community, 
but still open to the public, it’s purpose built for luxurious 
resorts, and less crowded beaches. They say variety is the spice of life and this 
spotless, nicely cut grass, non authentic Bali, was a brief welcome change. Instead of haggling 
at the market, the prices were now just displayed. There was no getting stuck in traffic, and instead 
of animal shit in my coffee, I now, had sugar. You can of course stay in Nusa Dua for 
as long as you want to pamper yourself and your accommodation will play a 
large part in this. Just because our dates didn’t quite work out, we split 
our time over 2 separate locations. The first was in more intimate, cozy 
villa setting. The grounds here were small but really well laid out, along 
with the usual top notch Bali service, and it was just so nice to 
finally take a breather… Our second stay, was a much larger hotel resort, 
and again in terms of the facilities and staff, ticked all our boxes, without the price 
getting too crazy for what it was.… But it was our room here that we particularly 
loved, easily our favourite of the entire stay. It had this wide open living space, with 
all the mod cons and a breezy outside balcony… For both properties we kept the cost down 
by staying outside of THE prime location, which is mainly along these two beaches. 
The hotels found here are usually 5 star quality and if you can justify the price, are 
definitely worth checking out as an option… These hotels, are still open to wander, and I’ve 
linked our favourites in the description below but, even if you aren’t staying here, they 
do make for a nice lunch or cocktail stop. And it was after leaving one of these hotels, 
we actually had this brief encounter with a whale and 2 dolphins, which turned out to be 
our final Bali surprise. We’d gone from Canggu who knew to Ubud, you definitely should, 
to Nusa Dua, where… 1 night is too fewer. SIGH. I resisted the urge to go with Kintamani, it 
isn’t funny, and I thought we’d turned a corner. But here we are anyway. Please come up with 
something better before the end of this video. If you’ve enjoyed this video, please leave a like, 
a comment, a sub, all that fun stuff. Check out our other videos from our 3 months in South East 
Asia and Japan with more still coming on the way, and as ever, until the next one, thank 
you so much for watching Suitcase Monkey. Nusa Dua – Ain’t nothin’ truer, 
for you-a as a viewer. No.

*LINKS FOR ALL TOURS, HOTELS, RESTAURANTS ARE HERE* 👇
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eFfNag9GzvZ3bwSRbo8sjEtA57vEh78T/view?usp=share_link

This video is sponsored by Get Your Guide. Get Your Guide is a great website and app for inspiration when looking for experiences in a new country or city. All tours, shown in the video are listed below. I’ve also created a free PDF written version of the video, which has more links, hotels, restaurants and attractions so you can add to your Map.

👉* Private car around Bali: https://gyg.me/f0HjJ1qq

👉* Ubud Cycle Tour: https://gyg.me/GFnW4EXj

👉* Mount Batur Sunrise Hike: https://gyg.me/VGRyR5F3 (They also do a hotel pickup from Ubud, Canggu which you can select)

👉* Bali Highlights Photo Day Trip: https://gyg.me/OWpP3R9c

HOTELS and alternatives (more info on the PDF above)

👉* Budget Canggu Hotel we stayed: https://www.booking.com/hotel/id/the-surf-motel.en.html?aid=1864334&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&label=BaliVl

👉* Canggu Luxury alternative: https://www.booking.com/hotel/id/chesa-canggu.en.html?aid=1864334&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&label=BaliVl

👉* Budget Ubud Hotel we stayed: https://www.booking.com/hotel/id/buana-ubud-inn.en.html?aid=1864334&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&label=BaliVl

👉* Ubud alternative luxury hotel: https://www.booking.com/hotel/id/the-ubud-village-resort.en.html?aid=1864334&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&label=BaliVl

👉* Budget Kintamani accommodation we stayed: https://www.booking.com/hotel/id/tegal-sari-cabin-kintamani.en.html?aid=1864334&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&label=BaliVl

👉* Nusa Dua villa we stayed: https://www.booking.com/hotel/id/kubu-dimel-homestay.en.html?aid=1864334&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&label=BaliVl

👉* Nusa Dua Resort we stayed: https://www.booking.com/hotel/id/amnaya-resort-nusa-dua.en.html?aid=1864334&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&label=BaliVl

👉* Nusa Dua luxury alternative: https://www.booking.com/hotel/id/the-laguna-a-luxury-collection-resort.en.html?aid=1864334&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&label=BaliVl

👉* 10% discount for using a Sim Local E-SIM when travelling abroad, with coupon code SUITCASEMONKEY, visit https://tidd.ly/4cHanRF for 10% off

👉 Full free written PDF travel guide to Bali with more info than here, all hotels, tours, attractions, restaurants listed in one place: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eFfNag9GzvZ3bwSRbo8sjEtA57vEh78T/view?usp=share_link

Visited in December and January

All shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max

* Denotes affiliate link that supports this channel at no extra cost to you.

👉 Suitcase Monkey Second YouTube channel for even more light hearted travel vlogs around the world: http://youtube.com/@CarryOnMonkey?sub_confirmation=1

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00:00 Should you Visit Bali?
1:17 Bali 10 Day Itinerary
1:56 Canggu
3:56 Island Day Tour
7:13 Ubud
13:27 Kintamani
15:21 Mount Batur Sunrise hike
16:49 Nusa Dua

#bali #travelvlog #indonesia