We recently spent two weeks in Bali and Lombok, indonesia, and had an incredible time exploring both islands. While the two islands are very close geographically (~30 min flight / ~2hr+ ferry), they are pretty different in terms of culture, infrastructure, activities offered, and tourism levels. however, there were a few constants – the people were incredibly friendly and so proud of their culture, and they love sharing it with you. We really enjoyed visiting both islands for different reasons, which you’ll see below.
Separately, If you’re in need of outfit inspiration, you can find all of mine linked here!
The itinerary: at a glance
If you’re planning 2 weeks in Bali and Lombok, I definitely recommend using our itinerary as a template for creating your own. we had a good balance of activities vs relaxing with the spots we chose!
We spent 7 nights on Bali (4 in Ubud, 3 in Seminyak) and 6 nights on Lombok (3 in Northwestern Lombok, 3 in Southern Lombok). we flew in and out of Bali, and flew to Lombok rather than taking the ferry. Click any of the locations highlighted in pink to jump to that section in this post!
Stop 1: Ubud, Bali
First up on the itinerary when spending 2 weeks in Bali and Lombok is Ubud. Ubud is a city known for its terraced rice paddies, rainforests, traditional crafts, and numerous Hindu temples. We spent four days here and felt that it was the right amount of time to do the things we wanted, while also relax.
stay
We Stayed at Capella Ubud. This was by far the nicest hotel we stayed at on our trip and we used Amex points to offset a good bit of the cost because it is definitely pricey! They were also running a “Stay 4, pay 3” deal when we booked, which also helped. That being said, this hotel is 100% worth the cost and I highly recommend it! we also got a free upgrade since we booked through Amex and Capella is a part of their “fine hotels and Resorts” group. I wrote an entire post on this hotel because I loved it so much.
Other hotels we considered: Mandapa (a Ritz Carlton Reserve), amandari, Padma resort Ubud, Banyan Tree, and the Samaya.
Eat & drink
we ate at the hotel’s main restaurant for breakfast each morning and for dinner 2 of the nights we were there, but I still have a few restaurants that I highly recommend in the area:
- Api Jiwa: this japanese omakase restaurant is the other onsite restaurant at Capella. The 10 course meal was phenomenal and the experience was a lot of fun! They only offer one seating at 7pm each night, so I highly recommend making a reservation (non-hotel guests are welcome, too!).
- Room4Dessert: This was a first for me – a meal centered around desserts (10 courses of them to be exact!). This restaurant is definitely one of a kind – you start in the back garden area to begin your meal with 5 savory courses, then move to an indoor bar-vibe room for your first 5 dessert courses, and eventually finish your last 5 dessert courses in the garden. This was such a fun experience and it is 100% enough food to qualify as a full meal!
- Fold: omg this cafe. unreaaallll!! The mini croissant cereal was life changing. Their sandwiches were chef’s kiss. and their plain croissants were top tier. seriously you need to go here!!!
- Tucky: another fab cafe! their peanut butter latte was next level and loved their sandwiches too.
- Kumulilir: We stopped here to try the famous Luwak coffee. They gave us a little tour too which was nice!
Play
We did so many cool activities in Ubud and the surrounding areas while we were here. Definitely try to do as much as possible – there is so much to do and see!
- I Wayan gama Traditional Painting School: This painting school was opened to keep traditional Keliki painting alive, which is incredibly detailed and complex. When you visit, you see the children and students practicing around the grounds and you have the opportunity to purchase their work, with the funds going to the artist. We bought two pieces that we will cherish forever.
- Monkey Forest: Exactly what it sounds like! There are literally tons of monkeys wandering around this forest, and they aren’t afraid of getting close to you. Hold on to your belongings because they just might try to grab them lol.
- Lavascape adventure: we booked this excursion through our hotel and it was absolutely insane. We started the day off at 4:30am by driving to a lookout point to watch the sunrise over Mount Batur, Mount Agung, and Mount Abang. Then, we toured the Pura Puncak Penulisan Temple before heading to Mount Batur’s lavascape. We then hiked part of Mount Batur and finished off the morning with breakfast on a little boat on Danau Batur! I highly recommend this if you stay at Capella.
- Cocktails in the Sawah: another activity booked through our hotel that we loved! We walked out to the Sawah (aka rice Paddies) on site at Capella where a cute seating arrangement and bar had been set up for us. We were served three different cocktails while enjoying the peaceful atmosphere!
- Spa day at Taksu Spa: We did massages + facials here and loved it! Definitely take advantage of the multitudes of spas in Bali while you’re there. they’re very cheap compared to american prices and very high quality from what we found.
Stop 2: Seminyak, Bali
Next up on the list for spending 2 weeks in Bali and Lombok is Seminyak. Seminyak is one of the towns on the southern shoreline of Bali (other popular beach spots include Canggu, kuta, and Uluwatu). in Seminyak you’ll find a ton of beach clubs, restaurants, and shopping!
I did unfortunately get sick with “Bali Belly” at this point in the trip, so we didn’t get to do as much as we had planned to originally. but I will include all of the places that were on our “Want to go” list!
Stay
We stayed at Potato Head and LOVED it! Definitely a highlight of this stop of the trip. The hotel has a really cool laid-back, earthy vibe to it, a lot of which has to do with their commitment to sustainability. We booked one of the studio rooms, and were pleasantly surprised by how roomy they made a relatively small space feel. The hotel also sits right on the beach, has an awesome pool, and has a very popular beach club (which is separated a bit from the rest of the hotel). Again, I may need to do a full write-up on this hotel – it was fabulous and I would 100% stay here again!
We also considered staying at Alila which also looks great.
Eat & drink
Ok, separating this out into 2 parts: 1. Places we went and recommend and 2. places we wanted to go to but didn’t make it to.
Where we went
- Pizza Garden: This is a casual restaurant at the Potato Head Beach Club. their pizza almost seemed too good… like what is Bali doing having such amazing za??? anyways, 10/10 rec
- Bossman: A fast casual burger / chicken tender spot. really good!
- Motel Mexicola: A fun / vibrant mexican spot with actual good Mexican food. margs were also good. apparently it’s a lot of fun at night too!
- Tanamera Coffee: The cold brew from this place was fantastic!! it’s pre-bottled so good for on the go / buying ahead too.
Wanted to go
- Sisterfields
- 32do
- Babaghanoush
- Bread Yard
- Mamasan
- Kilo Kitchen
- Kynd Community
- Magali pascal petitenget
- John Hardy
- La Lucciola (apparently great for sunset)
- Batik
- La Favela
- fed
Play
Seminyak and the surrounding towns have a ton of shopping, beach clubs, spas, workout studios, etc. We obviously didn’t get to do all of this, but these are all the best spots according to my research!
Beach clubs
book ahead of time! You will often have to meet a minimum spend for certain day beds / lounge chairs, but it is typically reasonable. there are also more beach clubs in the neighboring towns.
- Potato Head (where we went and loved!)
- Mari
- Alila
- Mrs. Sippy
Shopping
- Sae Design Gold and Silver Jewelry (handmade, unique items)
- Inni Kulit (leather goods)
- Amaruz leather
- Tume
- Elce Swim
- Koncept by Kynd
- The Bali Taylor
spas
- Mello spa
- Bodyworks Spa
- The Care Day Spa
Stop 3: Northwestern Lombok
Moving on to the Lombok part of spending two weeks in Bali and Lombok! Northwestern Lombok is great if you want to do outdoorsy activities like snorkeling and hiking. From our experience, there aren’t a ton of restaurants outside of the hotels, so just be prepared for that! It is a really beautiful part of the world though – the water is unbelievably clear, it isn’t crowded, and the mountainous landscape against the water is gorgeous.
stay
as i said, restaurant options are pretty slim in this area, so you’ll want to pick a hotel with good restaurant options. this is where we went wrong lol.
We stayed at the Kayana, which was honestly a beautiful hotel with the friendliest staff, they just didn’t have the best food which was unfortunate! other hotels we considered in the area: The Lombok Lodge, Hotel Tugu, The Sira, Makalele domes (these are super unique looking!).
Another option to consider is staying on one of the gilis – Gili air, gili meno, and gili trawangan – which are right off of the coast of northwestern Lombok. Gili Trawangan is the biggest of the three and has the most going on in terms of restaurants and bars, so it could definitely be a fun place to stay! Gili air and Gili Meno would be much more laid back. some good hotels there look like Cocana Resort, Pondok Santi Estate, Kardia Resort, and Gili Teak Beachfront Resort.
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- Snorkeling: we booked this snorkeling excursion and loved it. They picked us up in a boat from our hotel and we headed directly to the Gilis from there. We saw a ton of fish and plenty of turtles!
- Mount Rinjani: If you’re into Hiking, then consider doing the 4-5 day hike to the top of Mount Rinjani!
- See the waterfalls: There are a few different waterfalls to choose from. Tiu Kelep is on the northern side of the island, while Benang Stokel and Benang Kelambu are in central Lombok.
- Spend a day on Gili Trawangan (otherwise known as Gili t): this is known as a bit of a party island! you can also rent a bike to ride around the whole island.
- Lombok Wildlife Park: a very popular wildlife sanctuary with a ton of animals!
Stop 4: Southern Lombok
Lastly, if you’re spending 2 weeks in Bali and Lombok, southern Lombok should definitely be on your itinerary. Southern Lombok, especially the Kuta area, is much more populous than Northwestern Lombok. It is also where you can find some of the best surfing in the world! I personally liked this area a bit more than Northwestern Lombok, but a lot of that probably had to do with the hotel we stayed at in this area. Regardless, this is definitely an area to include on your Lombok itinerary!
Stay
We stayed at Boni Beach and loved it – could not recommend it more! location wise, it’s away from the busy Kuta area (~40 min drive), but close to great surfing and restaurants/bars. Boni’s restaurant was amazing though, so we never felt the need to eat elsewhere honestly (and I was still recovering from bali belly lol). The staff were all beyond friendly and hospitable, too. we stayed in the Deluxe Bungalow (which had a private pool) and it was only around 142 USD a night! Here are some tiktoks showing our room and the hotel if you’re interested. They were also super easy to schedule transportation and other activities through!
Other hotels we considered: Somewhere Lombok, Amber Lombok Beach Resort, Segara Lombok Beach Resort, and Porter Hotel.
Eat & drink
Like I said… we didn’t venture out of the hotel for food and drinks, mostly because of how I was feeling. But, we had a bunch of places saved before the trip from our research, so including those below! Boni also had a bunch of recommendations, too.
- Aura Lounge and Bar
- Klub Kembali
- Laut Biru bar and Restaurant
- Somewhere Restaurant
- Ashtari
- Mia Mia’s Kitchen
- Warung Flora
Play
- Surfing: A must in this area! some of the best surfing in the world is here. We took two surf lessons through Mul’s surf school, which we booked through Boni. Selong Belanak beach is great for beginners, so we did that the first day. the second day, we headed to Lancing Beach for some more challenging waves.
- Snorkeling: we unfortunately had to cancel this excursion because of how I was feeling, but the reviews are insanely good so we were so bummed to miss it. Definitely look into this though because it looks fabulous!
- Shopping: bounce around Kuta shops!
- Sukarara Weaving Village: we actually stopped here when we were on the way to Boni from the Kayana, but it isn’t too far from Southern Lombok. We loved this experience though! Sukarara is a traditional weaving village in Lombok where the women learn from a very young age how to weave the most intricate, complex designs for tablecloths, wall art, etc. We did a little tour where one of the women showed us around the village, taught us about the process, and let us practice some weaving. They also have a huge selection for sale, too! Check out my tiktok for more. 🙂
- Pink beach: I think this is very hit or miss, or the sand may actually not be super pink. But the pictures where it is pink do make it look stunning, so maybe worth a shot? We didn’t make it here on our trip.
General things to know
a few things to keep in mind while you’re in Bali and Lombok!
- Do not drink the water / be careful with cooked meats !!! i have no idea what made me sick, it could have been either of those. Hotels give you filtered water bottles, so make sure you use those for drinking, brushing your teeth, etc.
- have cash on you at all times. Tipping is very much appreciated here!
- be Open minded. The people on both islands really want to share their culture with you (not force it on you)! it’s super interesting to hear about their traditions and day-to-day lives.
- enjoyyyy!!!!
Need more help planning your 2 weeks in Bali and Lombok?
Let me know in the comments below!
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