If you enjoy walking, yoga and some pampering then Ubud is the place for you. Situated an hour north from Denpasar, Ubud makes a fantastic first stop in Bali. My partner and I spent 3 days there and stayed in a beautiful villa at Pondok Pundi Village on the main strip. Although Monkey Forest Road is known for it's plentiful bars and restaurants, if you are set back from the main road as these villas are, it's very quiet.

Mornings were spent lazing by the pool, whilst afternoons we strolled through rice paddies, visited Monkey Forest, indulged in a massage, explored the town by scooter and sampled some delicious food. And of course partook in many 'happy hour(s)'!

Trekking is also very popular in Bali, especially the 'Mount Batur Sunrise Trek'. If you like to participate in group excursions, plenty of tourist booths down Monkey Forest Road sell this trip. If i remember rightly, I think we paid 250,000 IDR (approx £13.50) each. However, if you like to do your own thing then I would recommend driving there yourself. It takes around an hour to get there. A scooter costs around 70 IDR per day and 20 IDR to fill up the tank (yes just over £1!). My partner and I went on an excursion but felt that we would have enjoyed it more if we had gone on our own. Hundreds of people climb this volcano for sunrise so getting lost is not an option once you get there. I recommend you wear trousers and take a jumper/jacket as even in the hottest of months, it is still quite chilly once you get to the top. If you are on an excursion they take you to a shop and feed you fried banana before-hand along with a hot drink, climb (yes, take your trainers/walking boots and a walking pole if you struggle with steep hills) the volcano altogether and then spend approximately two hours at the top watching the sunrise and then walking around the craters before you descend (for me the descent was the best part - see main image above). They then take you to a coffee plantation which is surrounded by stunning greenery and you get to sample a range of delicious coffee and teas. We left at 1.30am and returned to our villa at 11am. However, if you drive there yourself from the centre of Ubud, you could leave at 3am and be home by 9.30/10am.

Personally I believe 3 days in Ubud is enough time if you, like me, are trying to get around Bali in 2 weeks and anxious to reach the beach!

Recommendations:

Drink

The Laughing Buddha gathers the crowds at night with some top live music and dancing! The food is also quite popular here.

If you like a good (strong) Mojito or two then head to Cinta Grill for happy hour 4-7pm and 10pm-12am or just stay all night. A great place to people watch. The sweet potato fries are an excellent choice if you need to line that stomach before round two!

Food

The Alchemy serves amazing raw dishes, vegan and gluten free. The smoothies are also very delicious. I recommend the raw pizza and sexy brownie.

The Lonely Planet names this place as the 'home of rendang' and they aren't wrong. Waroeng Bernadette served up the best chicken rendang curry I had ever tasted, and I had a few in Bali! Wash this down with a cold Bintang and you're in heaven!

Another recommendation from the lonely planet is Sari Organik which is located in the middle of an organic farm. Enjoy a picturesque walk through the rice paddies and sample some delicious fresh produce with great views.

Sleep

We stayed 4 nights at Pondok Pundi Village and could not fault it. Our villa was big and spacious, the bed was comfortable, it was really quiet - day and night, and the breakfast was delicious (you will never be left hungry after breakfast in Bali). There was barely anyone around the pool so we had it to ourselves most of the time. We booked our stay through booking.com.

Spa

You will be in-undated with spa offers as you walk down Monkey Forest Road, but we decided to jump on a scooter and visit Ayusha Wellness Spa that looked over the Campuhan River and tropical reserve. For 800,000 IDR (approx £45.00) we both received a foot spa, 50 minute full-body relaxation massage and a hot jacuzzi with a refreshing juice and fruit platter. What with the views, the peaceful experience and the professional service, it was indeed the best massage I have ever had and worth every penny.

Transport

We paid 250,000 IDR (approx £13.50) for a taxi from Denpasar airport to Monkey Forest Road, Ubud which is what we were told to expect to pay. The journey takes up to 1hr 30 mins in traffic and a lovely non-uniformed guy took us. Be warned, there are men in blue shirts with 'Airport Transfer' written on who wait outside the airport and will try and convince you to go with them. They are very pushy and will charge you around 600,000 IDR (approx £34) but will not tell you the price until you follow them to their taxi.
From Ubud you can get a transfer to Padangbai where you pick up the fast boat to the GIli Islands (stops at Lombok-Gili Air-Gili Trawangan in that order and takes roughly 90 minutes). There are packages that arrange this in Ubud, usually costing around 600,000 IDR per person - this also includes a return fast boat to Padangbai and then a transfer to your next destination i.e Seminyak, Denpasar Airport, Jimbaran. This is very good value as I believe a return fast boat alone is 500,000 IDR (approx £28) per person. Please bare in mind that you could be waiting an hour or so for your boat to arrive at the port and the shuttle buses aren't the fastest to get moving so what could be a 3 hour trip in total, could turn out to be 5 or 6. These shuttle buses will only stop once per destination so you may have to also get a taxi.
My partner and I stayed in Padangbai for the night as we heard good things. Unfortunately it has become rather dirty on Lagoon Beach where it is meant to be good for snorkelling (unfortunately we didn't see much action) and is only busy when backpackers pass through to get their connecting boat. If you do decide to stay then White Sand Beach is very nice (10 minute walk from the main strip) and we had a lovely stay at Beji Bay Resort where the staff were very accommodating.