Bali Honeymoon: Beachside Eats and Adventures

What’s Up, Hungry People

A few weeks ago, my husband and I took a quick trip from Cleveland to Indonesia—where we ate crazy food in first class, explored the malls in Jakarta, and then finally hopped on a plane to Bali for our honeymoon. After two years of waiting due to the pandemic, it was finally time to take the honeymoon we had always dreamed of. We were ready to experience everything Indonesia had to offer, from the bustling city streets of Jakarta to the serene beaches and lush landscapes of Bali.

Our adventure began the moment we stepped onto the plane, with first-class dining that was unlike anything we’d ever experienced. But the real excitement kicked in once we touched down in Bali. We spent the first few days soaking in the beauty of Ubud, exploring hidden waterfalls, and meeting the cheeky monkeys at the Ubud Monkey Forest. It was the perfect way to ease into the laid-back island life, surrounded by nature and stunning views.

We spent the first part of our week in Bali in Ubud—if you want to check out the Ubud Monkey Forest, Tegenungan Waterfall, and more, click here! After a few days in the hills of Bali, we decided to head to Uluwatu for some much-needed beach time.

From sipping lychee bellinis by the beach to indulging in some of the best sushi we’ve ever had, every moment in Uluwatu was a treat. Whether we were lounging by the pool or savoring a wood-fired pizza, Bali delivered on all fronts, making our long-awaited honeymoon truly unforgettable.

Lychee Bellinis and Beachside Delights

After spending the morning on the road from Ubud, we celebrated with lychee bellinis by the sea before chowing down on a dynamite roll packed with ebi fry, mango, and minced tuna. We have good sushi in the States, but the sushi in Asia is next-level delicious.

For my hubby’s main course, he had the croquettes monsieur—which he thought was going to be a fancy sandwich until he realized it was basically fried ham and cheese—and he was perfectly okay with that. The baked sandwich was packed with ham and cheese and slathered with double cream and Dijon mustard.

I had the catch of the day for my lunch—a whole baked snapper plucked fresh off the reef not even a full day before. The deep-fried fish was filled with pineapples and peppers then smothered in a tangy sweet and sour sauce. This was hands down my favorite thing I ate on our entire trip—the fish was perfectly tender and practically melted in my mouth. Plus, the sauce was just the right balance of sweet and heat—and the view just happened to be a bonus.

Poolside Relaxation and a Night at the Bamboo Beach Bar

After that, we made our way to our room and then had to make the hardest decision of the trip: which pool do we lay by? With plenty of options to choose from, we posted up by the beachside pool and let the drinks flow.

That night, the fun continued as we made our way down to the Bamboo Beach Bar and Lounge where I sipped on their signature cocktail on the edge of the Indian Ocean.

Pizza Night: Tropicana and Balinese Pizzas

We decided to do a pizza night and each chose our own wood-fired pizza to split. Our first pizza was the tropicana pizza, which was topped with pineapples, ham, and sausage with jalapeños and mozzarella.

Then we had the Balinese pizza that was so insanely delicious and so insanely spicy that it put all other pizzas that claim to have spicy toppings to shame. It was topped with chicken betutu, spicy sambal sauce, peppers, and sautéed onion. I literally still dream about this pizza to this day.

For dessert, I had the creme brûlée—though it was a bit eggy for my taste. It was still a sweet way to wrap up a spicy dinner.

Swimming with Manta Rays at Nusa Penida

The next morning, we were off bright and early to Nusa Penida. My entire life I have wanted to swim with manta rays—so when I found out that we had the opportunity to do so in Bali—I instantly booked us a trip to Manta Point.

We took a quick boat ride to the island, then another smaller boat to the reef where the manta rays liked to hang out. I honestly had low expectations—until I jumped into the water and within seconds came face to face with an 8ft wide manta ray.’ When I was a kid, I used to tell people I was going to grow up and be an underwater cinematographer, so this was honestly a complete dream come true.

Snorkeling and Kayaking Adventures

After the rays, we went to another more shallow bay to snorkel on the colorful reef there before our guides took us to the wall.

The wall was quite a cool experience as when you are above the water, it looks like you are right up against the island and will be pounded into the wall by the waves, but when you dip beneath the surface, you realize the island is actually mushroom-shaped and hangs over the water—and to the other side of you is a wide, dark blue emptiness.

Finally, our guides took us to one more shallow dive spot where the currents pull you over the reef before we headed back to the meeting point for a lunch break.

After a morning of vigorous swimming, we were absolutely famished. They offered everything from fish curry and mie goreng to chicken satay and fried rice, and of course, fresh juice and sweet pisang goreng for dessert.

After we ate, we took a quick kayak ride through the mangrove trees—which was a fun albeit frustrating experience considering how tired we were from swimming, so we mostly didn’t want to do more strenuous activities. But it was still worth it.

A Relaxing Evening and a Hearty Breakfast

Once we were done exploring the mangroves, we boarded a boat to take us back to Bali where our guides dropped us off at our hotel. That night, we were too tired to do much exploring, so we ended up at the Hanoi by Me Vui Vietnam restaurant right outside of our resort. We both ordered banh mi and split an order of spring rolls.

The banh mi was stuffed in a toasted baguette and topped with mayo, sambal, pickles, and Balinese herbs. I think we both had the pork option—though honestly, I was so tired from our excursion in the morning that I honestly cannot remember. My husband made sure to generously offer me his cucumbers because he knows I love them so much.

The next morning, we had a quick breakfast at the Riviera—and somehow I wasn’t the person feeding the strays. My husband had the Riviera breakfast which included everything from eggs and sausage to roasted potatoes, bacon, beans, and tomatoes.

I went for the avocado toast myself—the eggs in Bali are so fresh, I couldn’t resist a nicely poached egg for breakfast.

A Lazy Day and a Beachside Lunch

After another difficult day of laying by the pool, we made our way to the beach for lunch. All our sunbathing had worked up an appetite. Nick had the club sandwich—which was just your run-of-the-mill club sandwich, but he still said it was pretty good.

I wanted to continue trying authentic Indonesian dishes, so I ordered the mie goreng, which are fried Indonesian noodles with fresh seafood and veggies served with two different sides of sambal and shrimp crisps. Honestly, couldn’t imagine a better view than this while chowing down on mie goreng.

We hung out in our comfy cabana for a while, sipping on more drinks and enjoying the breeze.

A Night of Sushi at Akari Restaurant

That night for dinner, we decided to make our way to the center of the town to try some Japanese food at Akari Restaurant. We split age ravioli—which was basically crab rangoon and haru maki—or spring rolls—which were both incredibly delicious.

For our main courses, we both love sushi—especially when you can see the ocean from where you are eating it. Nick had the kani nigiri sushi with an assortment of nigiri and a crab stick roll.

I had the unagi Uluwatu roll that was stuffed with salmon and cream cheese and topped with eel and sweet sauce. Definitely a top ten sushi experience in my book.

A Final Breakfast and the Journey Back Home

The next morning, we went to Paon for breakfast. I had a quick eggs Benedict that left much to be desired in the way of hollandaise, but it was still pretty good.

After that, we had to head to the airport to catch our flight back to Jakarta. We were both still pretty hungry at this point, so after we got settled in at the airport, we ate one more meal in Bali. I had chicken curry, and Nick had one more platter of satay before we had to jump on a plane and start the long journey back to America.

Goodbye to Bali

As our time in Bali came to an end, it was clear that every moment had been well worth the wait. From the first sip of lychee bellinis by the beach to the unforgettable sushi experiences, this trip was everything we had hoped for and more. The memories of swimming with manta rays, indulging in local dishes, and simply relaxing by the pool will stay with us long after the journey home. If you’ve enjoyed following along with our Indonesian adventure, be sure to stick around—there’s always something new and delicious on the horizon. Until next time, keep exploring and keep eating.