After our few days in Kuta we were ready to go and grab some sun and beach time. We decided to head down south to the Bukit Peninsula which is made up of many beaches along the west coast. We heard Jimberan was suppose to be quite nice but decided to head further south to Balangan for a bit more peace and quiet. We grabbed a Blue Bird taxi and for the 1hr 15min drive to Balangan it only cost 150,000. There was only one Hostel (more like a hotel with only private rooms) called Balangan Paradise Hostel located just up the cliff from a small beach. We managed to check in for 300,000 per night, AC, ensuite and breakfast.

Our time here was spent on the beach - sunbathing and reading our books. There were a few cafes and restaurants set up on the beach and it was very popular during the day for surfers. However, in the evening it was much quieter with everywhere closing around 10pm. But this was perfect for us. While grabbing dinner in the evening we met a couple from the UK called Jack and Faye who were also staying at Paradise. We spent the remaining of our time on the Bukit Peninsula with them.

After two days and two nights of relaxing, sunbathing, swimming and completely chilling out, the four of us ventured further south to Bingin.

Probably our favourite place here. It was set up against the cliff, with homestays, restaurants, cafes all stacked up on top of each other all with stunning views of the ocean. The steps down to the beach were very steep and did our leg muscles good for the duration we stayed here.

We checked into a Home Stay called Top Sunset grabbing a room for 200,000 this time only with a fan and no breakfast. Nevertheless the view was gorgeous, you stepped out your room and was greeted by panorama views of the ocean - stunning!!

Again all we did here was chill and relax, this beach however had no sun beds so it was a little hard to sunbathe but still a really nice beach. With lovely restaurants along the front. Our favourite cafe was Kelly's that did amazing breakfasts and fruit juices (Cooler juice with lemon, Apple and passion fruit). And our favourite place for dinner was Bingin Bagus Seafood BBQ - this was AMAZING!! Tables were stretched across the sand with a BBQ behind to cook your seafood. It was very reasonably priced, choosing your fish (Tuna, Snapper, Prawns, Mahi Mahi, Squid) from the freshly caught batch before they weigh it and then BBQ it - served with steam rice and veg. It was sensational, the flavours were incredible and it was probably some of the best seafood we have ever had. Our first night we had Prawns and Mahi Mahi, and the second night we had a whole Snapper and more Mahi Mahi. The snapper weighed 650g - for only 15,000 per 100g it only cost us 97,500 approx £4.80!! Bargain.

One morning we decided that we should go for a run - as we have not been on one for a few weeks. As we were unsure on where we were going we initially planned to head the Padang Padang Beach but at the time the plan changed and ran 15mins before turning around and heading back. The heat made it quite unbearable even though we left at 7am to try and beat the heat but other than that it was actually nice to have a little run!

We also ventured out a little bit, Jack and Faye decided to grab a scooter of which we decided against as they were charging 100,000 when it should only be around 50,000. We walked over to Dreamland Beach along the beach, a lovely short walk and grabbed some drinks and ice creams. Unfortunately it didn't quite live up to its name as it wasn't very dreamy, full of tourists and generally not as nice as the beaches we have previously seen. Although it was a nice afternoon out. Luckily for us we were glad we didn't get the scooters even if they were cheap as Jack and Faye got pulled over by the police even though they were driving perfectly fine and had helmets on etc. Jack got taken into the police station and was told he had to pay 500,000 for a Indonesian licence of which he refused as it was extortionate. After haggling he managed to get away with paying 250,000 (still a lot of money) and reluctantly got given the Indonesian Licence. A rather expensive day out for them!!

Again after a few nights here we ventured further south to Ulu Watu Beach, Jack and Faye came here on their scooters and booked a Homestay for themselves so we decided to tag along too, mainly to save on taxis as it will be split four ways.

When we arrived the Homestay Jack and Faye were in were fully booked, but we managed to find a fairly decent one just down the road called Viky Homestay - even with an ocean view, AC and ensuite for 300,000.

We had a fairly chilled day getting our bearings and wandering around. Again the restaurants were set up against the cliff however the Homestays were located on the main road heading to the beach - only a 5 min walk to the beach from our Homestay.

To get to the beach you had to walk down some very steep steps set in the cliff (with no railings) and through a small passage through the cliffs that had been formed by erosion. It was lovely, the cliffs surrounding you and little caves to weave in and out - it was only a small beach but a really nice setting. Again, it was very popular for surfers.

This time we did decide to hire some scooters (only paying 60,000) - taking the risk but as Faye pointed out to us while she was waiting for Jack in the police station the majority of people they tried to pull over just zoomed past and they didn't go after them, so that was our plan!

We ventured to the Padang Padang Beach (finding out that when we went for our run we weren't too far from it when we decided to turn back) and Ulu Watu temple on the Southern Part of Bali, located along the cliffs. This was quite a nice temple, although you couldn't quite see the temple itself there was a nice walk along the cliff to get there and other little buildings you could explore. Another nice afternoon exploring and luckily we didn't get pulled over by the police - result!

Jack and Faye had already purchased there onward travel so we decided to move ourselves again. Ulu Watu Beach wasn't our favourite spot so we weren't fussed about staying too long.

We decided to grab a private driver (costing a lot more than the taxis but with no taxis in the area we didn't have much of a choice) to Sanur (over on the East coast of Bali), ready to catch a ferry the following day to Nusa Lembongan. A small island off the East Coast.

C & E x