If you do a quick search on Bali breakup curse, you can find a lot of websites talking about it. To prove that the Bali curse is real, my 2 cents would be to survey couples who traveled to Bali and breakup there. Because if couples breakup after that and the reason is not because of things that happened in Bali, then the blame should not be put on the curse. Besides that, the research can also ask people on places they traveled together with their partner before they breakup. Perhaps the end results would show that couples who traveled to X location are likely to breakup instead of Bali.
Story of the Bali breakup curse
Bali breakup curse is also known as Bali curse or Tanah Lot curse. There are few variations of it, some say unmarried couples who go to Bali will breakup, some say only if you visit the Tanah Lot temple. Regardless, the lore states that a Brahmin prince and princess visited Bali and they got intimate while watching sunset at Tanah Lot temple. However, after that the prince left the princess and she placed a curse on those unmarried couples that visited Bali will breakup. For those that is afraid of the curse, you can read this to avoid the curse.
2nd Bali trip
Me and my girlfriend do not believe on the curse as we know that anything can cause a breakup, and the curse should not be used as a reason. It was my 2nd trip there as my first visit to Bali was with my family. She planned the trip to celebrate my 28th birthday.
Day 1 – eat and sleep
Once we reached Bali airport, we ordered a Grab car to Made Bagus Cafe in Jimbaran. The driver messaged us via Grab app to ignore any people who approaches us as those might be scams. During the journey to our destination, the driver asked if we need a driver for our trip. As this is a free & easy trip, we didn’t plan much and we took up his offer and negotiated for a best price of 1mil IDR for 4 days after he checked on our itinerary. I messaged him the itinerary and price for each day in WhatsApp to protect both parties.
During the journey, he also recommended Aroma Restaurant instead of Made Bagus Cafe as it is cheaper and nicer where the patrons are usually locals. As it usually can’t go wrong for eateries with local patrons, we decided to try the recommended restaurant.
Aroma Restaurant – recommended
We ordered Special Life B as below:
Don’t let its look deceive you, the fish has a slightly chewy texture but it tastes good while it is still hot.
The servings are big for just the 2 of us but most of the food are served warm instead of hot.
Address: Jl. Pantai Kedonganan, Kedonganan, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Business hours: Daily 8am-11pm
After some research, it seems that most of the drivers will bring the tourists to this restaurant.
Bali travel tip 1: If you researched on a particular nice place or restaurant, insist with the driver to go to the location instead of their recommendation
Bali travel tip 2: A lot of the prices stated excluded high amount of additional taxes which can go up to 20+% so do take note of this if you have set a certain budget for an establishment
After the driver sent us to the hotel, I told him I will pay him 300k for the first 3 days and 100k for the last day instead of following the exact charges based on our itinerary for each day.
Bali travel tip 3: Pay your driver the exact charges for each day to avoid miscommunication
Bali travel tip 4: Visit the restroom before going from 1 place to another, traffic congestion is a serious issue here
L Hotel – recommended
The hotel room is quite big and most importantly clean. However, there are bars nearby with loud music until late night so if you are a light sleeper you might want to pick another accommodation.
Address: Jl. Petitenget, Kerobokan Kelod, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Day 2 – Tanah Lot, the cursed location
We started the day by having breakfast at Kynd, which is a stone’s throw away from L Hotel.
Kynd – recommended
We feel that the food is so-so but you can definitely come here to take those Insta-worthy shots.
Address: Jalan Petitenget No.12 Kerobokan Kelod, Seminyak, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Business hours: Daily 7am-10pm
Tanah Lot temple – recommended
Unfortunately, it was high tide when we visited Tanah Lot so we could only watch the temple from far. You can check the forecast here to avoid disappointment. Besides that, visit here during sunset to take beautiful shots of this location.
Address: Beraban, Kediri, Tabanan Regency, Bali 82121, Indonesia
Business hours: Daily 7am-7pm
We then go to The Avocado Factory for brunch and Nalu Bowls for healthy dessert.
The Avocado Factory – recommended
Not a must-visit but if you are a fan of avocados, then you can put into your itinerary if you have the time.
Address: Canggu, North Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali 80351, Indonesia
Business hours: Daily 7am-5pm, closed on Wed
Nalu Bowls – recommended
Their bowls are cooling and refreshing and perfect for the hot weather in Bali. However, not a must-eat in our opinion.
Address: Jl. Drupadi 1 No.2A, Seminyak, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Business hours: Daily 7.30am-8pm
We then end the night by having dinner at Sardine.
Sardine – recommended
The main courses are good but I highly recommend trying the Mediterranean Calamari Salad and especially the Rajungan Crab Tower. The salad is light and refreshing and the crab tower is given generous portion of real crab meats.
Address: Petitenget St No.21, Kerobokan Kelod, North Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Business hours: Daily 11.30am-1am
Day 3 – Happy Birthday to myself
We wanted to go to the Terrace River Pool Swing but our driver recommended Aloha Ubud Swing instead. This is the best recommendation that our driver gave and luckily we followed.
Aloha Ubud Swing – highly recommended
I wrote a full review here.
Next, we went to Tegalalang Rice Terrace for some hiking:
Tegalalang Rice Terrace – recommended
Bali travel tip 5: If you just want to take a photo like the one below, there is no hiking needed. Just walk alongside the road with those shops and stalls at both sides of the street
You can pay additional fees to take some shots with the rice terrace as background:
You can skip here if you do not want to take photos for your social media.
Address: Jl. Raya Tegallalang, Tegallalang, Kec. Tegallalang, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80561, Indonesia
Business hours: Daily 8am-6pm
We wanted to go to Bebek Tepi Sawah for lunch but our driver recommended Bebek Joni Restaurant instead. After the good recommendation of Aloha Ubud Swing, we decided to follow his recommendation.
Bebek Joni Restaurant – not really recommended
Although my experiences is not as bad as this person, however I would not recommend this place as the food is served cold, not even warm like Aroma Restaurant. From the 3 recommendations that were given by the driver, the 2 recommendations for food are bad. Therefore, I conclude that for cafe or restaurants, follow ‘Tourist tip 1’ that I mentioned above.
After our lunch, we checked in to Aleva Villa. When I paid the driver 300k as promised, he mentioned it should be 500k for that day. I explained to him my payment terms which we agreed upon which is not following the charges for the particular days but 300k for the first 3 days, and 100k for the final day. As the previous days are less than 300k, he must have thought it was tips for him. In the end I paid 400k for that day which I’m actually ok as the total price is still reasonable. However, the next day, he didn’t come pick us up to the airport as promised so we end up using Grab for another driver. Therefore, do remember ‘Tourist tip 3’ just in case there is miscommunication.
Aleva Villa – highly recommended
As it was my birthday, my girlfriend requested for birthday decoration beforehand. The unit comes with a pool (additional charges for flamingo float)
The room is also fitted with Alexa and Netflix which I had some fun trying out Alexa. As the room is cozy, we decided to call room service for dinner instead of walking out to the nearest Wahaha Pork Ribs.
As this is the first time I ordered food via room service, I was actually quite surprised that the food is quite good as I have low expectation for it.
Friendly staffs, cozy accommodation, reasonable price – highly recommended.
Address: Jl. Dewi Saraswati No.8, Seminyak, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Day 4 – All about eating
The next morning, we had breakfast in the pool as we ordered floating breakfast.
With a heavy heart, we checked out from our beloved unit and bid farewell to the crews. Aleva Villa has free transport to some of the places nearby so we asked them to drop us at Mexicola.
Mexicola – recommended
You can take a lot of OOTD or social media photos here as the interior is designed with different styles and decorations. If you can only pick 1 place between Kynd, Mexicola, or Sea Circus, this is definitely your choice.
Address: Jl. Kayu Jati No.9X, Kerobokan Kelod, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Business hours: Daily 11am-1am
After that, we walked to the nearby Sea Circus for another round of insta-photo taking and eating session.
Sea Circus – recommended
The exterior is painted with colors which is suitable for some social media photos. However, you definitely must try the Baja fish tacos. Perfect texture and taste.
Address: Jl. Kayu Aya No.22, Seminyak, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Business hours: Daily 7.30am-10pm
After filling our tummies with those tasty, highly recommended Baja fish tacos, we ordered Grab to the airport and home sweet home.
What are some of your pleasant or unpleasant experiences in Bali? Feel free to share us your experiences in the comments section.
