Going to Bali as a Muslim Couple

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Rewind to 2018 and we were planning our honeymoon. It had to fit a budget. We were newly married, not earning a huge amount, and didn’t really have much in savings. We looked into different places: we considered a safari honeymoon, we considered Thailand, and we went back and forth trying to work out what would be affordable while still feeling like the perfect getaway.

After some negotiating, we agreed on Bali. It seemed nice enough, and besides the initial cost of flights, everything within the country was fairly cheap at the time, even really nice accommodation.

Some of this might not be in the exact order it happened, as it was so long ago, but it gives you a good idea of how things went.

Getting There

The flight itself was exhausting. We flew Emirates, with a stop in Dubai, and I believe it was around 18 hours of travel in total, followed by another 1.5 to 2 hours of driving to Ubud, our first stop. By the time we arrived it was quite late, we were shattered, and after a quick shower we knocked straight out.

We were so exhausted that we slept through our alarms completely and struggled to wake up at a normal time for the first couple of days. Our days started in the afternoon at first, but eventually we adjusted and started waking up earlier to explore, which was lovely.

Our hotel was in a rural area surrounded by paddy fields and greenery. Honestly, it felt like a more upscale version of Bangladesh.

Finding Halal Food in Ubud

On our first day out, we went looking for halal food and found a little eatery called Warung Ijo. This wasn’t a fine dining experience by any stretch, it was somewhere the locals actually ate, but the food was genuinely lovely. We had Nasi Goreng with fried chicken and a fried egg, along with prawn crackers, tofu and sambal on the side. This is actually where my love of sambal began. I’d never had chilli sauce quite like it before: spicy, with a slight fishy tang, and it worked so well with the rice. I think our meal came to under £2 each. It was the kind of food, plating and layout you’d expect at someone’s home, albeit with a very deep fried egg!

While out and about, we also found a vegan ice cream shop called Tukis. I was fully off dairy at the time and struggling a bit with it, so I was thrilled to find an alternative. It was coconut based, always busy, and they even served it in bowls made from coconut shells. My husband, of course, found a falafel shop down a side street and simply had to try it. He enjoyed it, though it was pricier than something more local, being more of an “international” dish and run by an Australian man.

We spent time just walking the main strip and taking in the busy atmosphere (the traffic really is something else). At one point my husband decided there was no point getting a taxi and insisted we walk a long stretch in the blistering heat. By the time we reached the other side, it was getting dark, so we turned straight back around, because there was absolutely no way I was getting stuck with no signal in the jungle after dark.

Another halal spot worth mentioning was Warung Mina, a step up in price from Warung Ijo, with a nicer setting, more refined food and some international options too. The prices were still excellent for what we got.

One thing we noticed back then was that, being a majority Hindu island, halal options were quite limited at the time. It’s brilliant that there are so many more now.

A Kind Gesture

One evening we’d been out late and couldn’t get a taxi. We ended up outside a shop and asked a man if he could help arrange one. He turned out to be Muslim, and while I’m sure he’d have helped anyone, there was a real warmth and genuine desire to help in what he did. He borrowed his uncle’s car to drop us back and wouldn’t accept a penny for it. A really lovely gesture.

A Strange Dream

After our first full day out, we came home and my husband had a nightmare. I was so confused when he woke up and told me he’d dreamt I was one of the idols he’d seen on the street! I’m not sure if it’s down to different sects within Hinduism, but we noticed the idols in Bali almost always had quite unsettling faces. I’ll admit I was thrown off the first time I saw one too.

Halal Burgers and an Unexpected Sight

Another day, we had a halal burger at one of the few halal spots around. It had seating upstairs, small and nothing fancy, with a musalla area next door to pray, which was ideal since we were out all day and hadn’t found any local mosques in our research. After praying, we stepped out and noticed the next entrance led to what looked like a garden set up for worship, complete with an idol.

It struck me as quite surreal: just a few steps from worshipping Allah, who has no partner, with shirk being the greatest sin in Islam, I then walked past a completely different form of worship. Of course, that’s simply how things are there, and it’s their country. It was just new to me, having never really been exposed to that level of Hindu worship in person, even living in a multicultural country like the UK.

Rice Paddies, Waterfalls and an Eerie Cave

Another day, our taxi driver from the airport, who’d given us his number for future excursions, took us out for a full day of sightseeing. We stopped at the rice paddies, where my face burned within minutes despite wearing sunscreen. Then we visited a waterfall area, which was lovely, and that’s where we took our swing photo (we skipped the tourist trap swing itself, it wasn’t worth the time).

We also visited Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave. Bear in mind we didn’t have AI back then, so everything was based on Google searches, and we tried to avoid temples without realising at the time that this was actually one. Once there, my husband was handed a sarong to wear (he’d been in shorts), which we assumed was simply out of respect. I was already fully covered, so it wasn’t an issue for me.

We went into the cave itself, which was misty and heavy with the smell of incense. For some reason, we both looked at each other and felt an odd, eerie sensation, and without either of us saying anything, we decided to turn back rather than explore further. Without disrespecting anyone else’s faith, as Muslims we believe in the unseen world, and it genuinely felt as though there was another presence there. It simply didn’t sit right with either of us. We may have been reading into it, but we both felt exactly the same thing at exactly the same time.

Afterwards we explored the rest of the grounds, which were beautiful and full of greenery, including a “sacred” tree and a “holy” bathing pool. It was nice to see, though we realised there wasn’t a huge amount left for us to do there.

Monkey Forest

On another day we visited Monkey Forest, a place with famously mixed reviews when it comes to monkeys snatching phones and valuables. We decided to brave it anyway. While queuing, we watched a monkey sneak a bag of crisps or nuts, then scurry straight up onto the overhead cables to eat it in peace, somehow both terrifying and hilarious at once.

Once inside, we kept our distance, and generally they weren’t too bad with us. Though I did witness another monkey steal a large water bottle from a woman’s bag and proceed to drink from it. A monkey chugging a two litre bottle of water is a sight I never expected to see, and honestly, quite impressive.

The Photographer Incident

At one point we were approached by a man claiming to be a professional photographer, offering to take our photos and send them over afterwards. I’m quite an awkward, people pleasing person (something I only really recognised more recently), and being so early into our marriage, my husband hadn’t yet learned to read that my body language meant I wasn’t entirely comfortable. So we agreed. He took the photos, showed us, and took our details to send them on.

Afterwards I said to my husband, what if he’s not genuine and does something odd with the photos instead, my mind naturally went to the worst case scenario. My husband had the same thought and tried to catch up with him as we left, but the man had already walked off too quickly. We never received the photos. I doubt I even liked how I looked in them anyway, but to this day I do wonder what became of them, or whether he simply wrote down our email incorrectly. We’ll probably never know.

Top tip: be cautious about letting strangers photograph you or your family with promises of sending the photos on. You never really know what happens to them afterwards, especially with children, and especially in the age of AI.

An Organic Restaurant (That Wasn’t Worth the Walk)

On another day, my husband found an organic restaurant online with great reviews, which turned out to be vegan or at least not halal, leaving us with no real option but to go along with it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t need meat in every meal, but the walk there through what felt like endless paddy fields and lush grass was tiring. The views were stunning, the food, less so. Maybe it is my taste buds but I was not pleased. It looked nice. It wasn’t great.

I was genuinely a bit annoyed at being made to walk that far in the heat while still hungry afterwards. Thankfully, on the walk back we stumbled across a tiny massage hut with female staff, so I treated myself to a lovely massage to make up for it, while my husband lay there waiting for me… and promptly fell asleep. Lovely. After that, I felt completely rejuvenated for the walk back.

Seminyak

By the time we reached Seminyak, the whole vibe of the trip shifted. Our villa was lovely, with its own small private pool, but the beach was more of an Australian tourist party scene than the relaxing spot we’d hoped for.

A Currency Exchange Scam

While there, we went looking for a currency exchange with a good rate. Lesson learned: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. A friendly man led us down a side alley to a small stand where the exchange took place. Everything seemed above board, just two men, both friendly enough. I didn’t fully trust the situation, so I kept a close eye on things and held onto my bag while my husband dealt with the man at the counter.

The money was counted correctly in front of us, twice, at my request. Then the “friend” stood up to ask a distracting question, subtle enough that you’d barely notice, but I was still watching closely even as my husband glanced away. For one brief second, I looked away too, and that’s exactly when it happened, the sleight of hand.

My husband went to recount the money, but by that point we’d been there a while, it was hot, and I was fed up, so I rushed us away, which was partly my fault in hindsight. It wasn’t until later, sitting in a mall, that he counted his remaining money and realised it didn’t add up. We were around £30 to £50 short. He spent a while stressing over whether he’d miscounted or given the wrong amount, before we both realised we’d almost certainly been short changed.

It put a bit of a downer on the trip. Nearly everyone else we met was lovely, and while I understand poverty plays a part in this kind of thing, scamming tourists really doesn’t do the country or its people any favours.

While in Seminyak we also ate at Bale Udang, one of the nicer halal options we found at the time, and it really was very good. (Although when my brother went recently, they really did not rate it)

A Day Trip to Nusa Dua

We didn’t find much to do in Seminyak beyond the villa, which was really the main draw thanks to its reasonably priced private pool (albeit slightly more than Ubud). So we took a day trip to Nusa Dua, recommended by our taxi driver for its calmer beaches and wider choice of excursions, water sports and a trip to Turtle Island.

Once there, it became obvious why there were more halal options: the area was full of Gulf Arab tourists. It came at a cost too, a plain chicken sandwich cost more than I’d pay back home in the UK, but it was the only option available to us.

We booked jet skiing and paragliding. I’m genuinely terrified of drowning, so I let my husband drive the jet ski (bearing in mind he didn’t even have his driving licence yet at that point, so I really wasn’t sure whether to trust him). Paragliding, on the other hand, was oddly boring and left me feeling seasick.

The trip to Turtle Island itself was lovely, though our guide kept making unnecessary jokes about Chinese tourists “eating anything,” including jokes about eating turtles. It felt a bit uncomfortable, whether he thought it landed well with other guests or not, it simply isn’t the kind of humour we were comfortable with.

We ended the day at Tamarind, a restaurant within a five star resort with halal food. It was the most expensive meal of the whole trip, close to UK prices, but genuinely lovely, right on the beachfront with the sound of waves as we ate.

Looking Back

It’s been so many years since that trip, and Bali has clearly upped its game when it comes to halal options, which is wonderful to see. My brother actually went recently for his tenth anniversary, with more time and a bigger budget than we had back then, so they got to enjoy so many more experiences, which they’d highly recommend.

My Brother’s Bali Tips (10th Anniversary Trip)

Halal Food Options

• Chupacabras, Ubud: steakhouse with a jungle/sunset setting. Great for a special occasion dinner. They had the A5 Japanese Wagyu, roughly £150 for two, versus an expected £300.
• Akasa Kintamani, Kintamani: sunrise breakfast spot with halal options including halal chicken sausages, so a full English breakfast is available here.
• Uluwatu area: some halal/Middle Eastern style options nearby (he’ll confirm the exact name once he checks his photos).
• Jimbaran Beach: seafood tables set up right on the sand at sunset, a lovely romantic spot for a final night dinner.
• Non halal restaurants (such as those near Uluwatu): stick to seafood or vegetarian options if halal isn’t available. Just ask about cross contamination.

Overall, he said halal food wasn’t impossible to find, just needed a bit of research and planning ahead.

Activities

• Karsa Spa, Ubud: highly recommended, around £31 to £33 per person for 2.5 hours, with separate private rooms for male and female therapists.
• Akasa Kintamani sunrise: leave Ubud around 5am for stunning sunrise views over Lake Batur, plus space to pray Fajr if needed. (Do wudhu in advance and take prayer mat)
• Sekumpul Waterfall: Bali’s tallest waterfall, walkable and around knee height in parts.
• Ulun Danu Beratan Temple: a scenic lakeside stop rather than a religious visit.
• Handara Gate: a quick photo stop, famous for its mirror photography effect (though queues can be long).
• Swing Heaven: a romantic couples activity with jungle and rice field backdrops, great for photos.
• Kuber Bali ATV/Quad Biking (his top recommendation): rice fields, jungle, rivers, waterfalls, and a natural cave tunnel. He suggests booking the premium route.
• Lazy river rafting: relaxed jungle rafting through real river scenery, one person per boat recommended.
• Bali Safari Park (not Bali Zoo): includes a safari journey, animal shows, and optional close up predator and elephant experiences.
• Monkey Forest, Ubud: home to over 1,000 monkeys, easily combined with a visit to Ubud Palace.
• Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa: their relaxation base for the second half of the trip, right on the beach with excellent breakfast.
• Uluwatu sunset dinner: he recommends trying to book Malini Uluwatu in advance for cliffside sunset views.

His overall advice was to split the trip between Ubud (activities and adventure) and a beach area like Nusa Dua (relaxation), rather than spending the whole holiday in one place.