Thinking of going to Bali for 10 days and stressed about where to go and what to do? I got you covered. I did all the research necessary to come up with a Bali escape right from the flights all the way till you return to Dubai. Most of the accommodation is budget, with lots of surf, sun, yoga and chill. Check out this Bali 10 day itinerary, perfect for a trip with friends:

A photo posted by TheChillhouse (@thechillhouse) on May 1, 2016 at 7:41am PDT

Bali has been on my list for the LONGEST TIME ever and I’m so glad I’m finally going there tomorrow. But planning this Bali 10 day itinerary was no mean feat. But first, I wanted to be clear about this Bali 10 days itinerary so that you don’t waste your time reading the whole post. This itinerary is perfect for people who:

• Have a travel budget of roughly US$ 1,600(AED 6,000) .
• Want to learn or know how to surf.
• Enjoy yoga and meditation.
• Wouldn’t mind hiking up an active volcano.
• Enjoy learning about history and culture via visiting temples and the like.
• Dislike excessive amounts of partying.
• Enjoys spoiling themselves once during their trip by visiting a nice restaurant and the like.

Made it through the list? YAY! You and I would totally get along, haha. If you’re looking for a more romantic trip for your honeymoon, check out this Bali honeymoon guide instead.

Alright, then:

FLIGHTS

There is only one direct flight from Dubai to Bali, and that happens to be Emirates. When I was booking three months ahead, their prices were around AED 5,000. Yeah, I planned the whole trip for about AED 1000 more than that. The flight to Bali is long; you will lose 8 hours in travel time for just a direct flight.

Another alternative was Qatar Airways. Cleartrip was a saviour in that aspect, because at the time of booking we got the second ticket 50% off. An excellent offer if you’re traveling with a friend or more. Check in frequently with that site besides the usual Kayak, Expedia and Make My Trip, as you will often find offers. If you pay with a Mastercard, you can get an additional 10% off. (I’m one of those people who takes thrills in coupons and savings, quite often The Entertainer is my best friend.) The con is, we lose 10.5 hours, sigh.

COST – approx (AED 1,674)

DAY 1-DAY 4 on your Bali 10 day itinerary – Canggu

YOGA/SURF/CHILL. REPEAT.

Don’t talk about it. Be about it. Thanks to everyone who’s supports and loves all that we do. We do it for you. #thechillhouse 📷 @freeridenewzealand

On the first day of our Bali 10 day itinerary, we actually will be landing in Bali around 11.30pm. That’s our whole day gone, unfortunately. Since our primary aim was to learn how to surf, unwind and do yoga, we had to pick a place that gives us exactly that. Which is why we picked The Chillhouse.

Why The Chillhouse you ask?

I mean, look at this place!

A photo posted by TheChillhouse (@thechillhouse) on May 2, 2016 at 7:08pm PDT

I rest my case.

Not only does the Chillhouse have super cute housing, it’s located close to Echo beach which is perfect for beginner surfers. For novices, they recommend surfing in the early mornings; the waves grow bigger with time. They offer surf lessons that can be purchased as we arrive, as well as in-house yoga classes.

A photo posted by TheChillhouse (@thechillhouse)

Aww yeah.

They also offer organic, vegan cuisine, fresh water and fruits all day, wifi, an inhouse pool as well as paid for breakfast and dinner. However, guess what is the winning point for me here? It’s twice the price of a regular room, but I got us a room at the ‘Gerry Lopez Tree Top Loft! EEEE!

Have a look at it here:

The Chillhouse has many places to chill. This is one of our favorites! Thanks to @ahadzic727 for the photo. #thechillhouse

A photo posted by TheChillhouse (@thechillhouse) on Dec 29, 2015 at 5:04pm PST

Insaaaaaane. 😀 Surf classes here are roughly US$50 (AED 183) a pop. They also offer transport at US$25 (AED 93) from the airport and free bicycle rentals.

We are also planning to visit the Tanah Lot Temple, which is a gorgeous pilgrimage temple right on the sea. Just the pictures had us mesmerised. Have a looksie here:

There are a lot of gorgeous temples in Bali. You have to check out the conclusive list here.

COST: US$ 440 (AED 1,614) This includes accommodation, surf & yoga classes, breakfast as well as dinner and one way taxi fare from the airport)

DAYS 5-7 – Eat, Pray, Lovin’ in Ubud

I think Ubud became really popular after the movie ‘Eat Pray Love.’ We really wanted to visit the Monkey Forest and so got a place at Nick’s Hidden Cottages. And I gotta say, I really have a penchant for picking the right spots to stay on a budget.

We planned to rent bikes and cycle around Ubud and hopefully run into that cute old man Julia Roberts met. 😀 Ubud has an amazing yoga studio called the ‘Yoga Barn‘ that I really looked forward to checking out; but missed. With US$9 (AED 35) a class, it’s a premium studio and apparently has an amazing cafe next to it.

There is one thing that I really looked forward to trying, and that’s Babi Guling, or suckling pig. O.M.G. There’s this place called Warung Babi Guling Ibu Oka that I tried out. Which brings me to Indonesian food I have been craving like gado gado (veggies in a peanut sauce), soto ayam (chicken soup) and of course MARTABAK MANIS (an Indonesian pancake with chocolate, cheese, peanuts..and may I say…happiness!) Check out my Bali food guide for more foodspiration.

A photo posted by Mara ERIKOVNA (@maraerikovna)

Also as a last minute trip addition, we decided to take a hike on our 10 day trip to Bali! (Literally, see above.)

We took a trek to Mount Batur, which is an active volcano. It’s a sunrise trekking tour and we will be picked up at like 2.30am (sigh) but just in time to see the sunrise.We will also have a breakfast of eggs made by the volcano steam (how cool is that?), visiting a poop coffee plantation (yep, civet cat poop coffee is delicious btw) and visiting a hot spring.

We also went going to La View, a restaurant that  has the world’s best views and had a reservation to dine at the Bird’s Nest. This costs around US$80 (AED 300) a head for dinner and a three-course menu and can be missed if required. You will know what I mean by scenic after looking at this:

A photo posted by Linda Nguyen (@x__linda) on Jan 1, 2015 at 6:44pm PS

COST – US$245 (AED 900) Inclusive of stay for 3 nights + breakfast at Nick’s Hidden Cottages, dinner at La View, yoga class at Yoga Barn, and Volcano trek at Mount Batur.)

DAYS 8-10- ULUWATU, NUSA DUA AND KUTA

Because our time at Ubud was rather hectic, it was time to wind down again. We visited the gorgeous Uluwatu sea temple. Post that, we thought we’d head to Nusa Dua, for its pristine beaches but never made it due to the lack of time. Our last day ended in Kuta, which was not so bad as we thought it would be. You need to be careful in this part of Bali, keep your bags and wallets close and only exchange money at a legit currency house as many attempted to swindle us there. It’s dirt cheap for souvenirs though. It has quite a pumping nightlife, so may be worth exploring (just don’t get too tipsy!)

COST- US$25 (AED 89.5)

TOTAL- AED 4,277

For miscellaneous expenses, such as lunch and the like, we kept AED 2,000 excluding visa on arrival costs, but we didn’t spend as much. If you’re looking for an alternative activity, I would definitely look into this diving guide for when you are in Indonesia.

So there you have it guys, an awesome 10 day itinerary to Bali!

Disclosure: Cover image by Patrick Shopflin. Affiliate links have been used.