Description
Tailor-Made Private Experience
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Itinerary
Day 1 | Arrive in Bali
Arrive in Bali today.Upon arrival, you will be met by your driver and transferred to your hotel for check-in.
The Haven Bali Seminyak
The Samaya Seminyak
Day 2 | Bali [B]
Today is at leisure to fully enjoy your resort and the amenities it offers.Day 3 | Enchanting Bali (B/L)
Start with a scenic drive to the World Heritage Site of Jatiluwih. This is the best example of Bali’s iconic suspended rice field formations. The view is enhanced with striking views of Mount Batukaru and Mount Agung. We enjoy a leisurely walk and get an insight into the ancient Balinese irrigation system of subak. This was developed in the 9th century and it is still in use today.We continue to tranquil Banyumala Waterfall. Not many tourists know about this site and it is the perfect place to enjoy true serenity.
After lunch at a local restaurant, we take the road to Lake Bratan. This sits in the caldera of an ancient volcano in an elongated valley. A small temple, Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, honours Dewi Danau, the goddess of the lake. We then get an excellent ‘Instagrammable’ opportunity at Handara Gate. Featured in countless media, this is a classic Balinese-style structure that resembles a temple entrance and it is perfectly framed by a spectacular backdrop of lush greenery and rugged mountains. We then head back to the hotel.
Lunch is served at a local restaurant.
Day 4 | Bali [B/D]
Full day at leisure to relax and enjoy your resort.Enjoy a wonderful evening with a Kecak and Fire Dance performance at the open stage of Tanah Gajah Resort by Hadiprana. The Kecak dance involves a chorus of at least 50 men. They sit in concentric circles around an oil lamp and begin to chant. The sound they make is “cak-cak-cak”; up to seven different rhythmical combinations of the chant are interwoven, creating a tapestry of vocal sounds as the musical accompaniment to the dance.
The performance duration is 45 minutes, then continue with a Balinese royal dinner at the hotel’s pavilion open-air restaurant overlooking lush rice paddies. Indulge yourself with a 3-course Balinese menu.
Day 5 | Bali [B]
Today is free at leisure, or you may opt to join a full-day cruise to Nusa Lembongan.This excursion includes a scenic catamaran journey, snorkeling, banana boat rides, a village visit, and a buffet lunch. Additional experiences such as a glass-bottom boat ride and sea-walker activity allow you to explore the vibrant marine life and coral reefs in a unique and immersive way.
Day 6 | Bali – Ubud (B)
This morning after check-out, you are picked up from your hotel.On the way to Ubud, we view a famous Barong and Kris Dance show. This performance describes the eternal struggle between good (Barong) and evil (Rangda) and ends with a scene where the Kris dancers fall into a trance and try to kill the demon Rangda.
We then drive to Batuan village to view a traditional Balinese house compound, known as a karang. A Balinese home is the result of a complex interweaving of various elements – a kind of feng shui (the interaction of the physical world with the spiritual one), economic wealth, caste, kinship ties, and practical social requirements.
We then take a stroll around bustling Ubud Market where we gain insight into local life, followed by a visit to Puri Saren Palace, the seat of the rulers of Ubud from the late 1800s.
Dropped at your hotel in Ubud, Bali’s romantic honeymoon paradise where couples can reconnect with nature and serenity at a special time in their lives.
Ayung Resort Ubud
The Samaya Ubud
Day 7 | Full day Ubud discovery [B/L]
Your day begins with a drive to the iconic Tegalalang Rice Terraces. This is truly a magical site which has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. We can take a picture in the giant heart-shaped bird nest, with the rice field as a perfect background. We then proceed to the holy spring of Tirta Empul, which contains a large shrine to the deity Indra. There are onsite bathing pools believed to have strong curative powers, and we can take a dip in these.Next stop is the Ubud Monkey Forest near the village of Padangtegal. Local residents own this spiritual and conservation site that is home to three revered temples and about 700 monkeys. Finally, we stop at the 19th-century Puri Saren Ubud, the former palace of the Ubud royal family. This now serves as a cultural base for arts, dance, and literature.
Lunch is served at a local restaurant.
Day 8 | Eat – Pray – Love [B/L]
A fascinating day of cultural exploration begins at a traditional Balinese house compound. This provides an illuminating insight into the philosophy of building homes that incorporate religious concepts and fine architectural elements. We are also taught the art of lontar, a Balinese manuscript written on palm leaves. We can have our names written on a leaf as a memento of our visit. It is then time to undertake a spiritual journey.We will be given a sarong to wear as we take offerings to a shaman’s home. We start with a spiritual consultation, followed by a purification ritual and finally a healing session conducted by a revered shaman. With our minds enriched, it is time to refuel our bodies in a fun cooking class, including lunch of the dishes we have created. A stroll around the village to absorb local life is followed by a 60-minute Balinese massage – a super relaxing conclusion to this excellent excursion.
Day 9 | Balinese wedding blessing ceremony [B/L]
On this special day, we gain insight into a traditional Balinese wedding ceremony. We are taken from our hotel to a Balinese house compound in beautiful Kemenuh village. The elaborate process begins with a purification ceremony, known as a melukat. This spiritual cleansing ritual is conducted to wash away bad spirits and purify the body and soul.We then meet with a fortune teller to analyse our horoscope and receive a prediction of our future lives together. We are then dressed in payas agung, traditional Balinese wedding attire. Welcomed by a couple of female dancers, we enter the yard for a mekalan-kalan, an age-old ceremony to neutralise negativity.
Afterwards, the main ceremony continues at a Balinese house, called a bale gede, where a natab procession is conducted by a priest. The ceremony concludes with a traditional lunch. This completes this fascinating ritual.
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