Lakad Pilipinas

Bali, the so-called Land of the Gods. Everyone, it seems, wants to go to Bali, the beach island paradise south of Indonesia. It first appeared on the tourist map as one of the three K’s eighties backpackers and surfers jump to around Asia, Kathmandu, Khao San Road, and Kuta—the most famous area on the island province. From what was once a back-country Indonesian island, it quickly rose to fame. And soon, huts were replaced by luxury hotels, and its multitude of age-old temples started to fill up with tourists.

I visited Bali a few times the past years, my trips ranging from overnight to a full ten-day beach and temple bonanza. But for the course of this Bali travel guide, I would limit the trip to a single week just to make it simple. A few of those ten-day trips were spent doing nothing anyways, just lazing around the pool and hunting for bargains at the local markets.

Food isn’t really the first thing that comes to mind when one speaks of Bali. What this island paradise south of Indonesia conjures up are images of white sandy beaches filled with skimpily-clad bodies and moss-laden temples perched on cliffs. Bali has become such a popular year-round destination for tourists that modern air-conditioned restaurants and popular fastfood places can be found just about anywhere. But dig deeper through the local eateries they call warung and you just might be surprised to find something unique to eat in Bali.

BALI’S INFAMOUS BABI GULING

Yes, they do serve local dishes on the many fancy restaurants in Bali, but for a more local taste—which is a lot easier on the wallet, by the way—the way to go is to eat where the locals does. Be brave. Go down and dirty, and legitly eat your way through Bali.

Twilight was upon us as our van wended its way across the traffic-laden roads of Kuta and parked along the driveway of the Trans Resort Bali in Seminyak. We were supposed to check in around midday but our Bali temple tour took much longer than expected. Now on the tail-end of the Bali leg of our two-month Asean Summer Loop tour, it has been more than a week of non-stop touring for us around the island. What we’re now craving for was a much needed rest before we fly out to Jogjakarta.

EVENING ARRIVAL AT THE TRANS RESORT BALI

THE RESTAURANT OVERLOOKING THE POOL AREA

Located near Seminyak’s restaurant lane and shopping area, Trans Resort Bali is a fairly new resort on the island. It has, however, quickly garnered a reputation for being one of the premier resorts in the Seminyak area of Bali, and fairly so. The five-star resort boasts of almost two hundred rooms and suites, sixteen of those are grand villas each with an access to a private pool. It has a dedicated restaurant that serves legit Indonesian and Western cuisine, and it also has a spa which provides superb Balinese massage.

Over the course of our travels in Bali, we got to visit and revisit nature places that are unique to the island. Not counting the numerous beaches of Bali, we were surprised to find volcanoes, coffee plantations, and rice terraces reminiscent of those in our home country. These places, we were able to check out on a single day using a rented van from Bali Golden Tour, and as a bonus, we were even able to squeeze in a tour of Gunung Kawi Temple too.

The morning gracefully greeted us in the town of Ubud. Rice paddies brimmed with bountiful harvest, the sky, deep blue with wisps of clouds floating slowly by. It was like waking up on a farm, except we’re not on one, we’re inside a resort in town, Bebek Tepi Sawah Villas.

BEBEK TEPI SAWAH VILLAS’ OPEN LOBBY

We arrived late the previous night, having toured the whole day, traipsing about the beaches of Bali and sneaking in a couple of temples into our itinerary. It was almost nine in the evening when our van from Bali Golden Tour dropped us off at our lodging.

THE RESORT WAS MADE FAMOUS FROM ITS CRISPY FRIED DUCKS

Bebek Tepi Sawah literally means duck by the rice field. And ducks, like crisply fried ducks, is where it got famous for. The restaurant fronts the resort which is home to six Balinese villas with twenty five rooms, two swimming pools, a restaurant, and real-life rice paddies surrounded by maze-like gardens.

POOL NUMBER ONE NEAR THE RESTAURANT

POOL NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS A BIT MORE SECLUDED

It is located about two kilometers away from the center of Ubud. It is walkable, but why walk when they have complimentary daily shuttles to and from town from nine in the morning ‘til ten in the evening.

THE RESORT IS LADEN WITH GARDENS

We settled in at the second floor of their Batuan Villa [CHECK DISCOUNTED ROOM RATES] which shares with two other rooms. We actually got the better deal since ours has its own verandah with a sprawling view of the rice paddies.

OUR VERY BALINESE ROOM

A four-poster bed sits at the center of the room, an ornate wooden vanity on its right, and a mini-sitting area on its left. The furniture all looked antique and the room is capped with a beautiful pitched cogon ceiling. Our room can’t get any more Balinese.

The toilet and bath looks dated with its marble finish, but the open-roof shower more than made up for it. If you’re worried about privacy, there’s absolutely nothing to fret about as high-rise structures are not allowed in Bali.

MINI LIVING AREA

My only beef with our room is the lighting. While having muted dim lights is nice and cozy, it can get annoying if you need to find something in your bag or if you need to work. An option to have a regular-powered light would’ve been very considerate.

THE BALE BANJAR RESTAURANT

Breakfast is complimentary at the Bale Banjar Restaurant, which sits right by the pool. It’s not a buffet but the options are quite varied. They have Continental, American, and Indonesian. You can, of course, also order their Tepi Sawah breakfast menu, if you want some duck for your morning meals, but it’s not free of charge.

OUR FAVORITE MIE GORENG FOR BREAKFAST

And during our four-day stay, we have tried all their morning fares, the mie goreng topping our list. It was just too bad that we didn’t have time to actually try their fried duck, an Ubud specialty.

BEBEK TEPI SAWAH IN UBUD

Bebek Tepi Sawah Villas in Ubud is the perfect getaway from a getaway. It is secluded enough for those wanting a quiet stay in Bali, but still close enough to town for shopping, dining, and partying. Plus, if you want your Balinese fried duck, it’s literally just a few steps away from your room.

~ BEBEK TEPI SAWAH HOSTED OUR STAY IN KUTA. VIEWS AND OPINION ALL MINE.

Bebek Tepi Sawah Villas
Address: Jalan Raya Goa Gajah, Br. Teges,
       Peliatan Ubud, Badung, Bali, Indonesia
Contact Number: +62 (361) 972-987
Email: sales@bebektepisawahvillas.com
GPS Coordinates Map: -8.5236857,115.2706991
► CLICK HERE FOR DISCOUNTED ROOM RATES
► BOOK ONLINE FOR DISCOUNTED TOURS IN BALI

Mention Bali and the first things that come to mind are its white sand beaches and the hundreds of ornate temples that dot its landscape. But there’s more to Bali than these, and no, it’s not babi guling—although that porky delight is indeed another aspect of the island worth considering. It’s the traditional Balinese villages that still celebrate the way life was on the island before hordes of tourists started invading this paradise.

COLORFUL TRADITIONAL WOODEN MASKS BEING SOLD ON THE VILLAGES

During the course of my visits to Bali, I’ve visited only two of these so-called Bali traditional villages. There are more, like the Trunyan Village which has the custom of leaving their deceased above ground, a cloth and bamboo canopy its only cover, to the more famous jewelry-making village of Celuk and the culturally rich and more touristy Batubulan Village in Gianyar.

It was past ten in the evening when we arrived at our lodging. The resort was peacefully quiet, the moon rising in full, as our Balinese hosts led us to our villas overlooking the pool. Rama Beach Resort was our first taste of Bali. It was literally the place we went to directly after flying from Kota Kinabalu, Bali being the third leg of our ASEAN Summer Loop trip.

RAMA BEACH RESORT & VILLAS AT BALI’S SOUTH KUTA AREA

Set on two hectares of sprawling land ten minutes away from the Ngurah Rai International Airport, the four-star resort has 104 rooms for tourists wanting to experience the Beaches of Bali and the island’s unique cuisine. Of the six room types, five are on detached villas—which we were lucky enough to be billeted in.

AirAsia recently bagged the title of being the World's Best Low-Cost Airline as proclaimed by Skytrax. This is the tenth consecutive time that AirAsia has held the title. And rightfully so.

Ever since I started traveling, AirAsia has been my go to carrier for my trips, especially during my partner-in-crime's and mine's annual two-month summer trips around South East Asia. In fact, our first one, the ASEAN Summer Loop four years ago, came about because of AirAsia's really affordable ASEAN Pass. It was followed by Beach Hop Asia, where we travelled across the beaches of South East Asia, Sri Lanka, and Maldives. Then the Same Same Summer Trip, and finally, our most recent one, the SEA2africa trip.