LocationKaba Kaba Estate’s manager will have a wealth of information about nearby places of interest and will help arrange extra transport or make any bookings required. Do also ask the staff about the local area. Many of them live nearby and can give an interesting insight into some of the fascinating aspects of Bali life.
In the meantime, here is a taste of the many and varied activities on offer within reach of the villa.
1. With its warm seas, almost year-round season, relatively uncrowded beach and reef breaks, and suitability for all levels of experience, Bali surfing is world-renowned.
2. Explore the scenic rice-field landscape and rural villages by bicycle; a great way to get under the skin of the 'real' Bali. Stop off at a local warung (café) to sample some basic Balinese fare or cool off with a cold drink.
3. If you’ve always dreamed of galloping along a beach or riding through villages bordered by rice fields, now’s your chance. Kuda P Stables (in Pererenan) can arrange horse riding tours, as well as children’s riding lessons and horse-drawn carriage outings.
4. Visit the mystical Hotel Tugu (Bali’s first museum-hotel) studded with priceless Indonesian artworks and antiques. Its award-winning spa offers age-old Eastern therapies. The hotel's restaurants offer authentic Chinese and Indonesian fine dining, as well as an international menu, in a variety of unique settings. At the rustic Waroeng Tugu, you can taste the traditional Javanese and Balinese cuisine of bygone centuries.
5. Make a pilgrimage to the sacred Pura Tanah Lot, one of Bali’s biggest tourist magnets. Perched high on a craggy, wave-lashed rock, this ancient sea temple is best savored at sunset; be sure to receive a blessing from the Hindu priests (and watch out for the monkeys, who are very adept at helping themselves to anything from snacks to sunglasses and even cameras!).
6. Desa Seni at Berawa Beach is an eco-friendly village resort providing an authentic Indonesian experience through the exploration of culture, art, and yoga. The resort offers a wide variety of yoga classes and also has its own spa.
7. Fashionistas, trendies, and shopaholics should hot-foot it down to Seminyak, Bali’s most cosmopolitan enclave. Here, you can indulge for hours in the glut of stylish, chic boutiques. There is a wide choice of fine dining, mid-range, and cheap ‘n cheerful restaurants in Seminyak, too: fine dining venues include Mamasan, Sardine, and Métis.
8. There's a strip of restaurants and cafés at Echo Beach offering a wide range of dining options from chic and scenic to cheap and cheerful. Try The Beach House for fresh seafood barbecues every night and live music on Sundays. And check out Café Dian here too - owned by the delightful Wayan, it serves local dishes and great fish ‘n chips.
9. Discover the charming Tabanan regency, revealing terraced rice fields, volcanic mountains, and black-sand beaches dotted with fishing communities. Or head north to explore the volcanic lakes near the mountain town of Bedugul, including Lake Bratan with its photogenic and stunningly positioned Pura Ulun Danu – one of Bali’s most important temples.
10. Jatuluwih Rice Terraces is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its preservation of traditional Balinese farming techniques. True to its name, which means extraordinary or truly marvelous, this scenic point at 850 meters (2,700 ft) above sea level offers one of the most breathtaking panoramic views imaginable, with rice terraces stretching all the way to southern Bali. Padi Bali (indigenous Balinese rice) with long graceful stalks is grown here.