There are a lot of places to visit in Bali, and Pura Taman Ayun is just one of them. If you are curious about this place, check out this article on this historical park/temple in Bali.
Why should I visit this Pura?
Well, like I said before, Bali got lots of beautiful beaches and temples to visit, but those places only offer one thing. For example, if you go to the beaches in Bali, you will get to see the waves, the sandy beaches, and basically nothing else. There is nothing new to it, and no matter how long you wait, the place would never have any significant meaning aside from a place to have fun (some people go on a vacation NOT just to have fun but also to learn and do other things). Going on a trip just for the sake of fun is not wrong. However, you can do better than that. You can also have fun while learning about new stuff. After all, we human should always learn, so there is nothing wrong with doing so, right?
One of the places that you visit to have fun while you are learning about new things is Pura Taman Ayun. This particular Pura is one of the many temples in Bali, meaning that you can probably get taught about Balinese history from places other than this one. If so, why should you visit this temple and not the other temples?
Simply because this temple got one of the best parks in the whole of Bali. Bali is a place that is popular thanks to its beaches, but that does not mean that Bali does not have other good aspects as well. It got the best park in the form of this temple, and believe me when I said that it can be one of the most beautiful park/temple that you have ever visited. Even the literal translation of the name of this place is ‘beautiful garden’. Where else can you find a place so self-conscious about itself, eh?
You can learn many things about this park slash temple hybrid. For example, you will learn that this park is one of the many relics of the Mengwi Kingdom, one of the kingdoms in Bali before foreigners came visiting these lands. If you want to learn more about the Mengwi Kingdom or Bali in general, this should be the first place to visit in your history trip.
Entering the temple
This temple is located in Badung, which is an 18 kilometers trip from Denpasar (or eight if you are traveling from Ubud). When you have reached the place, you need to cross the bridge before you are greeted by two nicely ornamented stone bouncers called candi bentar. Right after, you can just take a walk around the park and take some pictures for the gallery. There is a place that you cannot visit at any time of the day unless there is a religious ceremony over there, though, so watch your step.
Oh, and you can only visit the temple after nine in the morning and before 4 in the afternoon. Pay a small sum of Rp 4,000 for the entry and you can walk around this park at your leisure.
Can you recommend me a good hotel close to it?
The best hotel that I can recommend to you is Umasari Rice Terrace Villa, which is located just 2 kilometers from the temple. The hotel can be pretty pricey (sitting at Rp 1,000,000 per night), but you will be treated with a beautiful view of a rice field and facilities fit for royalties. I recommend booking a room over here if you plan on staying close to Pura Taman Ayun.
