Sanur and Ubud

Sanur and Ubud

If you decide to spend a full day in other parts of Bali such as Sanur and Ubud, please leave early in the morning. The car journey from Seminyak to Sanur may take 30-45 minutes, or even more, depending on the traffic.

First stop should be Sanur beach. In the morning, it is normally much less crowded and cleaner. The water in the east part of Bali is calmer, and at this time of the day you can still feel the freshness from the sunrise earlier in the morning.

Among the nice hotel beach clubs in Sanur are: Puri Santrian, Mercure Resort, Segara Village, and Prama Sanur Beach.

Early lunch in Sanur

After a relaxing morning on the beach, venture out to the stores and cafes on streets of Danau Tamblingan. 

Among the restaurants I recommend for lunch are: Café Batu Jimbar (Indonesian), Massimo (Italian), Three Monkeys (Mediterranean), Kayu Manis (Indonesian), and Le Bon Vivant (French).

Try to go for an early/quick lunch so you can go visit a monkey forest and make it on time for sunset in Ubud. 

Monkey Forest

There are two main monkey forests in Bali, located in Sangeh and Ubud. If you have plenty of time, then venture out to the one in Sangeh because it’s slightly bigger and less crowded. And they say the monkeys are friendlier. If you are pressed for time (to catch sunset in Ubud) then go visit the one in Ubud. From Sanur to Sangeh Monkey Forest is about a one hour drive. The Ubud Monkey Forest is in the centre of Ubud.

Sangeh Monkey Forest is a 13-hectares nature reserve, home to several monkey kingdoms, where each have a ring leader. But there is only one highest ruler or king. The habitants of this nutmeg forest are called grey macaques. In the past they were well known for their mischievous and pickpocket behaviour! However, this issue has been properly taken care of by the local community.

Inside the monkey forest you will find a sanctified temple called the Bukit Sari Temple (or Pura Pucak Sari) that dates back to the Mengwi Kingdom in the 1600s. Most of the trees in this forest is believed to be three centuries old.

Shopping and sunset in Ubud

From Sangeh Monkey Forest to Ubud is about a 45-minute drive, so if you are on schedule when you arrive in Ubud, you will have plenty of time before sunset to browse along the shops and art galleries. And possibly have coffee in one of the cafes overlooking the magnificent view of rice paddies in the valley.

Among the best places to watch the sunset while having cocktails are the hotels that are facing the west, such Amandari, Four Seasons and Kupu-Kupu Barong

Dinner in Ubud

There are several restaurants in Ubud that serve good-quality food. The top restaurant is Mozaic, which you normally need to book way in advance.

Other well-known restaurants for dinner in Ubud incude: CasCades Restaurant (The Viceroy), The Sayan House, Putu’s Wild Ginger, and Murni’s Warung.