Bali works best when you stop trying to see all of it. This trip moves you only twice: from the sea air of Nusa Dua to Seminyak, then up into the jungle in Ubud. Each hotel is chosen so the place you come home to at night is part of the point.
What's the best Bali girls trip itinerary? Nine days and three hotels: The Ritz-Carlton in Nusa Dua for Uluwatu and a cooking class, W Bali in Seminyak for the Eat Pray Love day and your flying dress shoot, and the Viceroy in Ubud for the jungle and a farewell dinner.
Here's exactly what nine days with Caviar in the Air in Bali looks like.
Day 1: Arrival at The Ritz-Carlton, Nusa Dua
Arrive at Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) before 3 PM, get through the Visa on Arrival line, and look for the person holding your name. Your transfer takes you to The Ritz-Carlton Bali, on the cliffs above the beach at Nusa Dua, where clean modern lines meet Balinese stone and wood.
At 7:30 PM the group meets on the sand for a welcome dinner and your first real taste of Balinese cooking. Order what you like: there's a $100 credit per person on your room, or $200 if you're sharing (as of October 2026). Casual clothes. This is where strangers start turning into your people.
Photo: Caviar in the Air
Day 2: Uluwatu Temple and the Kecak Fire Dance
Take the morning slow at the beachfront pool. You've earned a morning with nowhere to be.
In the afternoon we head to Uluwatu, where the temple sits right on the edge of the cliffs above the Indian Ocean. Keep a hand on your sunglasses, because the monkeys here are bold. As the sun drops you'll watch the Kecak fire dance, a circle of men chanting cak-cak-cak while the sky goes orange behind them. People are still talking about it on the flight home. The evening is yours. Here's your Uluwatu temple outfit.
Day 3: Market Morning and a Balinese Cooking Class
After breakfast we go to a local market to pick out ingredients, then cook with Balinese chefs who show you how the spice pastes are really built. You eat what you make for lunch, and it tastes better for having made it yourself.
The afternoon is yours. The spa, a yoga class or a nap by the water are all correct answers.
Day 4: W Bali, Seminyak
Check out of The Ritz-Carlton after breakfast and move to W Bali in Seminyak, where the energy turns up a notch. Lunch is on your own, check-in is by 3 PM, and the evening belongs to you. The Petitenget dining strip is minutes away, with beachfront sunset cocktails and some of the island's best modern Indonesian tables.
Day 5: Your Eat, Pray, Love Day
A full day in Ubud, the spiritual heart of the island. You'll take part in a holy water cleansing ritual at a sacred temple: wear the sarong, follow your guide, and let the water do its work. Then the Monkey Forest, and a private session with a traditional Balinese healer.
You don't have to believe in anything in particular for this day to reach you. For a lot of women, this is the day they finally exhale.
Day 6: The Instagram Tour and Your Flying Dress Shoot
An early start, because the light is better and the lines are shorter. We visit the island's most photographed places: the Gates of Heaven at Lempuyang Temple, the Tirta Gangga water palace, Tukad Cepung Waterfall, the Tegalalang rice terraces and the jungle swing.
The highlight is your flying dress shoot with a professional photographer, that long fabric catching the wind behind you.
I know the flying dress has its critics. I've heard it all. But there's something about seeing yourself soft and free and fully in the frame, and I'll keep it on this trip for as long as we run it. Lunch is local, then back to the hotel.
Here are Bali swing outfits for Black women.
Day 7: Ubud and the Viceroy
Breakfast, then check out of W Bali at 11 AM and head inland to the Viceroy Bali, on a quiet ridge above the Valley of the Kings in Ubud. Check-in is at 3 PM, and every villa has its own pool looking over the Petanu River gorge.
Two optional experiences can be booked ahead. One is a one-hour Balinese massage plus a 45-minute flower bath at a five-star spa ($190 as of October 2026, about four hours, times to be confirmed). Yes, that's the flower bath from the title, and yes, you deserve it. The other is a full day at an elephant sanctuary with a gourmet breakfast, the Ubud Market and the Campuhan Ridge walk ($225 per person as of October 2026, two-person minimum).
Day 8: Ubud at Your Own Pace, Then the Farewell Dinner
No schedule. Wander the markets and galleries, or don't leave your villa at all. A book, your own pool, room service. Nobody is checking.
At 7:30 PM the group comes back together for a multi-course farewell dinner at the Viceroy, with careful plating, wine pairings and a long, unhurried last night in Ubud.
Day 9: See You Soon
One last breakfast at the Viceroy, check-out by noon, and a transfer to DPS for your flight home. Departures work any time after 8 AM.
What's Included
- 3 nights at The Ritz-Carlton Bali, Nusa Dua
- 3 nights at W Bali, Seminyak
- 2 nights at Viceroy Bali, Ubud
- Daily breakfast at all three hotels
- Welcome dinner on the beach at The Ritz-Carlton, with a $100 per person dining credit ($200 for a shared room, as of October 2026)
- Uluwatu Temple and the Kecak fire dance at sunset
- Balinese cooking class with a market visit
- Full-day Eat, Pray, Love experience with holy water cleansing and a healer visit
- Bali Instagram tour with your flying dress photoshoot
- Farewell multi-course dinner at the Viceroy
- All airport transfers and ground transportation
- An on-site local trip host, plus concierge support 1-5 PM local time throughout
Optional, booked ahead: the massage and flower bath, and the elephant sanctuary day.
Ready for Bali?
If you've spent the year taking care of everybody else, this is the trip where somebody takes care of you.
Packing? Here's the Bali packing list for women.
Claire B. Soares is a 6X Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist and the founder of Caviar in the Air.
Itinerary
Itinerary
Itinerary