Onur Yurdusever

Everyone comes here for the sunset, so it will be crowded. My tip: don't just watch the Kecak dance and leave. Walk to the far end of the cliff path, away from the cameras, and watch the sun go into the ocean with your own eyes, not through your phone. Mind the monkeys, they grab sunglasses.

One of the most famous waves in Bali, and not one for beginners. If you're still learning, watch from the cafés on the cliff: seeing the lineup from above is a show in itself. Going down to the cave? Only at low tide; at high tide the waves come right in.

The royal family still lives in the back. You can walk through the front courtyards for free, no sarong needed, just cover your shoulders and knees. Across the road the art market is all bargaining; if a price isn't right, the same thing is a few stalls along. Stay for the Legong dance in the evening: buy the ticket at the gate and come early for a seat.

Don't just watch from the side, get in the water. Come early, before the crowds. Stepping under the cold spring water first thing in the morning, before the island wakes up: for me, that's Bali. Leave your phone in the bag.

A good coffee stop on the road to Uluwatu Temple, just before you get there. A smoothie bowl, or coffee and something sweet. No air con inside, so sit in the garden.

A small coffee shop with a teal front in south Sanur; the barista is a local latte art champion. Get the oat milk cappuccino or the chai latte, and the eggs Benedict if you're hungry. It's tiny, so big groups should come early.

Everyone up top is queuing for the swings. Skip them, come early in the morning and walk down to the lowest terraces. It's quiet down there, and you can hear the water running through the channels.

The temple on a rock in the sea, the classic Bali sunset. It gets crowded, so be there an hour early for a good spot. At low tide you can walk to the base of the rock and get a blessing from the priests. Have your driver wait for you, finding a ride back is a pain.

Not the real Egypt, but with kids it's the easiest night out in Sharm: fountain, ice rink and bowling in one square. The fountain show starts around 8pm, and that's when it's busiest. Prices are higher than in the Old Market. Lots of hotels run a free shuttle.

The Australian café everyone in Seminyak ends up at sooner or later. Brunch runs all day, so you can have eggs at two in the afternoon. They don't take bookings for small groups, so expect a short queue at weekend lunchtimes. Good coffee.

You pick your fish at the counter and have it grilled, that's the whole idea. Ask the price per kilo before it goes to the kitchen. Portions are big, so order less than you think. Get a table right on the water. The cats will come for your plate, they're part of the deal.

If you need gifts, this is the easy place. Start at the flea market for sarongs, rattan bags and wooden bits, then cool off in the air-conditioned Seminyak Village. Half the stalls sell the same things, so don't buy at the first one. Bargain, keep it friendly, and bring small notes.

Best in the morning, before the heat and the vendors. You can walk from Double Six to Petitenget in under an hour. The surf is strong, so swim only between the flags. A polite no thanks is enough for the massage offers.

A good stop on the way to or from Tirta Empul. It's quieter than the big tasting places on the main road: you sit in the shade of huge trees with your coffee and nobody rushes you.

A small turtle hatchery right on the sand in Sanur, free to walk in. Kids love it. Feeding and baby turtle releases cost extra and the money goes to the programme. Releases don't happen every day, so ask the day before. Go in the morning while it's cool.

A narrow lane into the rice fields just off Ubud's main road, and suddenly you're among paddies and ducks. The turning is on the right as you walk from the palace towards the Campuhan bridge, and it looks like someone's driveway, so it's easy to miss. Go before the midday heat, stop at a café over the fields and walk back the same way.

A walkway straight through a lotus pond up to the temple, right in the middle of Ubud. Go early: by mid-morning the groups arrive and the light gets harsh. You can't go into the inner temple, but the pond is the reason to come anyway. Cover your shoulders and knees.

Go for the forest as much as for the monkeys: moss on the statues, roots over the steps, a stream at the bottom of the ravine. Mornings are quieter. Put your sunglasses and anything loose in your bag, and bring no food. They will check.

A bar on the rocks at the foot of the cliff; you go down in a little inclined lift. Probably the most famous sunset drink in Bali, so expect a queue. Staying at AYANA? Book your sunset on day one. No tank tops, swimwear or big bags, and it's card only.

Dahab's go-to morning stop. Get the cinnamon roll or the blueberry vanilla pretzel, and come early while everything's still warm. If the flies on the terrace bother you, sit inside. In a rush? Take it to go.

The building alone is worth it, like a Moroccan palace in the middle of Seminyak. Get a long massage, 90 minutes if you can, or try shirodhara, the warm oil one. Book ahead, the good slots go first. You don't need to be staying at Impiana.

Come for the sunset, then stay. The facade alone, built from thousands of old wooden shutters, is worth seeing. Sunbeds fill up fast in the late afternoon, so book online. There's an entry charge at sunset, but you spend it on drinks. Kaum is upstairs if you want dinner without moving.

A tiny cove you reach through a crack in the cliff. Go first thing in the morning; by midday it's packed. The stairs are steep and narrow, so no strollers. Watch your bag at the entrance, the monkeys are quick.

The one part of Sharm that feels like an actual Egyptian town. Come when the day cools, walk round the mosque as the lights come on, then eat at the small places in the lanes behind it: cheaper and more fun than Naama. Shopkeepers can be pushy; smile and keep walking.

A good first evening in Sharm: walk the bay as the sun goes down and the lights come on. The touts outside the restaurants will try to pull you in; smile and keep walking. Winter evenings get cool, so bring a light jacket.

Not a quiet dinner, a night out. Neon, tiles, loud music, and good tacos on tortillas pressed by hand every day. If you can't decide, order the Feed Me menu. Book online and come by taxi. There are branches in Canggu and Uluwatu too, so pick Seminyak when you book.

A beach club on Melasti; the road down is cut through white cliffs, and that's half the fun. Go in the afternoon and stay for the late light. The beach faces south, so the sun doesn't set into the sea. The front daybeds have a minimum spend, and the beach charges its own small entry at the top, so carry cash.

Dinner on the cliff with the ocean below. Book a table with a view and sit down before the sun starts to drop. You don't need to stay at the villas to eat here. It's a drive from most places, so sort out your ride back before dinner.

The north end of Dahab's seafront, around the little lighthouse, with cafés and dive centres right on the water. The reef starts a few steps from the beach, so bring a mask and just walk in. Come late morning, have lunch by the water and keep the afternoon free: that's a good Dahab day.

Kuta's calmer neighbour, a wide beach for a long walk at the end of the day. If you swim, stay between the red and yellow flags; the currents here are no joke. In the rainy season the sand can be messy with washed-up rubbish.

A big, easy-going restaurant on the Sanur beach path, with tables right on the sand. Order the Indonesian dishes, they're what it does best; skip the pizza. Service gets slow when it's busy, so don't come in a hurry.

Colourful umbrellas, bean bags on the sand, a cold drink at sunset. That's it, and it's enough. They usually don't take bookings for sunset, so get there early for the front row. Come by taxi, parking is hopeless.

An old Seminyak favourite, open since 1993, on the beach next to Petitenget Temple. Italian, mostly pasta and seafood. Book ahead and be at your table half an hour before sunset; upstairs has the better view, though they can't promise you a table there. There's no street entrance: you come in through the temple car park or from the beach.

Skip Kuta by day and come at night. Walk a few steps away from the lit-up strip and it's just you, the waves and the city lights on the wet sand. A completely different place. Just don't go in the water in the dark.

Jimbaran's real fish market, where the boats come in at dawn. Go early and wear shoes you don't mind getting wet. Buy your fish, take it to one of the warungs on the street and they'll grill it for you. Cash, small notes, and bargain with a smile.

Food from across the whole archipelago, not just the usual nasi goreng. Order a few plates for the table and try something you've never heard of: bebek se'i, smoked duck from Sumbawa, or mie gomak, Sumatran noodles with andaliman pepper. Book a terrace table for dinner. It's upstairs from Potato Head's beach club: sunset downstairs, dinner up here.

A spa in the middle of the rice fields, right at the end of the Campuhan ridge walk. Walk there, get a massage, add the flower bath. Slots go fast, so book on their website before you arrive. Getting back is the tricky part: Grab cars don't always come out here, so ask reception to call you a taxi.

A cliff a hundred metres above the reef, with Uluwatu Temple's cliff in the distance. One of the best sunsets on the Bukit. The last stretch of road is rough and there's a 500-metre dirt path to the edge, so wear shoes. No railings, so don't get too close. Come an hour early and bring cash for the gate.

Yes, it's the pink café from Instagram, and yes, the smoothie bowls are good. Go early or you'll wait for a table. Ask them to write a name on your bowl, they'll do it. There are branches in Canggu and Uluwatu too, so make sure you're heading to the Seminyak one.

Seafood grilled over coconut husks, feet in the sand: a Bali classic. Get there around 5:30 for a front-row table before sunset. Once your fish is weighed, ask the price before it goes on the grill. It's close to the airport, which makes it a good last night.

A shopping street in Hadaba built to look like an Italian town. Prices are fixed, so no haggling: much calmer than the Old Market and easier with kids. Go after sunset once the heat breaks, look around, then sit down to eat. At the fish places, ask the price per kilo first.

Stepping back from Kuta's chaos and just watching the street go by is strangely calming. I didn't get to try the food, but the espresso martinis and cocktails are excellent. And easy motorbike parking right at the door, which in Bali is a real luxury.

Fish from Sanur's own fishermen, picked from the tank and grilled Jimbaran style over coconut husks. Some nights there's live music; ask which ones and book. You don't need to be staying at Andaz, just walk in from the beach path.

Cushions, lanterns and old furniture spread over terraces that step down the cliff to the sea. Come half an hour before sunset; the cushions facing the water go first. Stay after dark when they light the candles, that's when it's at its best.

Canggu's proper surf beach. The left is fast and breaks over rock, so if you're still learning, this is a wave to watch, not to paddle out on. It's cleanest early in the morning. At sunset, take a table at one of the cafés on the sand: that's the Echo Beach ritual. After heavy rain, give the water a miss.

Seminyak's main street. Restaurants, local designers and the big brands all mixed together along about a kilometre. Walk it in the morning, when the shops are calm and the road isn't jammed yet. By evening it's a car park. Sisterfields is a few minutes away when you get hungry.

Bingin's quiet neighbour. There's nothing on the sand, no café, no toilet, so bring water and something to eat. The stairs down are steep and rough, and the climb back up is the real workout. Worth it when Bingin is crowded.

An easy ridge walk just outside Ubud, but there's no shade at all, so go at sunrise or late in the afternoon. The start is hidden: take the Ibah hotel driveway just before the bridge and walk down. Go all the way to the end and finish with a massage at Karsa, or take a taxi back from there.

A relaxed beach club in Sanur with a shallow pool and a playground, so a good lunch with kids. Order the handmade pasta. Book at weekends, and ask about the pool when you do. On a clear day you can see Mount Agung.

Right at the top of the Padang Padang stairs. After a morning on the beach, this is where you eat properly; down on the sand it's just coconuts. Get the tuna tartare. It's small and doesn't take bookings, so beat the lunch rush.

A small Asian place for when you've had enough fish. Noodles, teriyaki, spicy noodle soup. Everything's cooked to order, so don't arrive starving. Grab a seat on the roof if there's one free, and save room for the fried ice cream.

Dahab's most famous dive site, and you don't need to be a diver to enjoy it: put a mask on at the rim and the reef wall just drops away into the blue. Go early, before the tour buses from Sharm turn up. Anything deeper than the rim is for divers with a guide. Afterwards, sit in one of the cafés on the shore with a tea.

A small beach under the cliffs, with a fast left for good surfers. In July 2025, 48 buildings on the cliff were torn down, so for now there's almost nothing on the sand; bring your own water. The way down is rougher than it used to be, so wear proper shoes, and head back up before the midday sun.

See the monument, then walk down and sit here for a few minutes. Stone, sea, wind, that's all. In the evening it turns into a local hangout, so if you're on your own, come in daylight or as the sun starts to set.

Breakfast facing the bay. Shakshuka or the banana oat pancakes, with an iced coffee. It's a daytime place and it fills up at breakfast, so come early. Lots for vegans too.

Canggu's beginner and longboard beach: soft, long waves and surf schools everywhere. If you're watching rather than surfing, the cafés on the street behind are the place to be. In the water, keep an eye on the boards around you, it gets crowded.

A good half day with kids, about 30 minutes from Sanur. Orangutans, tigers, giraffes, and a water play area, so pack swimwear for the little ones. The main paths are fine with a stroller. Avoid Indonesian public holidays, it gets packed.

Much calmer than Padang Padang or Dreamland, and a lot more sand. Come in the morning. If you want to swim, wait for high tide; at low tide the reef shows. Park at the north end: a short walk and about fifty steps down. The warungs on the sand have cold drinks and let you use their toilets.

You don't have to be vegan to like this place. You build your own salad at the counter, and the portions are huge. Most of the menu is raw, so if you want something warm, ask for the cooked dishes. Have a look at the little shop on the way out.

Go just before sunset, when the lights of the Old Market come on around it. Don't make it a quick photo stop. Sit for a few minutes, then walk into the market.