When I landed back from my first trip, back in 2013, I had a many good memories and a couple of lessons learnt. We visited a lot of gorgeous temples, had some delicious food, encountered a lot of traffic, and didn’t do enough of the beaches. We also missed a lot of Ubud as we stayed in Nusa Dua and Kuta. In 2026, it was time to cover up for what we missed – and more.

If I ever got an itinerary right, it was this one – part by planning and other parts by sheer luck. We started with 3 nights in Ubud, then took a ferry to Gili Trawangan for two nights. This was followed by a travel day that involved the return ferry and a flight to Labuan Bajo, the entry point to see Komodo Dragons. We spent two nights there before flying back to Bali and spending a night at Kuta before the eventual return home. It was a group of families with 5 kids in total. Given all the constraints that should have imposed, we managed to do a Scuba dive, snorkel at 7 different points, bathe in 2 different waterfalls, swim in a cave, drive ATVs on a crazy route, scooter around Gili Island, see Komodo Dragons, and still spare time for some evening parties, including one at a beach club and singing with the locals on Labuan Bajo streets. This was a trip of experiences and stories. We couldn’t have done more – we did miss the hike to one of the volcanoes, but there just wasn’t enough time.

What we got right on this trip was the duration of stay in each location and pre-booking some of the experiences. Since there were twelve of us, most of the tours just became ‘private’ by default. The hotels were an interesting experience; none were exotic or luxurious, but all were amazingly located and provided phenomenal access to the areas worth seeing. We stayed at the Sapodila Ubud – it’s a small hotel just behind the main Ubud market. The rooms were nice, though there wasn’t much of a common area, just a small lawn where you could get your breakfast. The staff was very nice and helpful. In Gili, we stayed at Vila Ombak, which is less than half a km from the ferry terminal – a helpful distance given they don’t have cars on the island. The hotel was vast, and the rooms were quite nice and spacious with an open-to-the-air bath. The staff was not as helpful as you’d expect from a place in a small, beautiful island resort. Bayview Gardens Hotel in Labuan Bajo was an interesting one. The view was stunning, and the rooms were beautiful, offering a large balcony with a bay view. The construction quality was average, and some of the basic amenities were missing – no slippers, no hand towels, etc. One of the families in our group spotted a small snake outside their room, but it quickly disappeared.

We used many modes of transport this time. Grab was convenient for getting taxis to move around within Bali. We took a ferry to the Gili Islands, and that was an awesome ride. We started inside the air-conditioned sitting area, but soon realised all the fun was on the deck. There was a lovely cool wind to compensate for the hot Sun. There were many sunbathers on the deck, enjoying chilled Beer (available for purchase) and booming dance music. The flight to Labuan Bajo was smooth, and we realised that Indonesian airports are quite efficient. Since we were a large group, we booked several tours, and they were always on time and generally very good experiences.

Food was a highlight of the trip, and while Nasi Goreng may simply translate to “fried rice,” the flavors the chefs manage to get into this dish are awesome. We tried some amazing seafood, meatballs, and several other Indonesian dishes. All South East Asian countries have their own local beer that defines the culture – Bintang holds that position, and it’s awesome. We were worried a bit about the vegetarians in the group, but in most places, they had enough to eat. Labuan Bajo has some seafood-focused places, but outside of those, there was enough for everyone to eat. The seafood street market in Gili was incredible, and I totally went out of my way to get some lobster and prawns from there.