Bali is considered by many as their ultimate dream location, filled with the ideas of smoothie bowls, quiet surfer towns and endless empty waterfalls and beaches to explore. What people don't expect (or talk about) is there are huge differences between expectations and reality when it comes to Bali, I get asked all the time about Bali so I want to give an honest perspective on my time on the popular Indonesian island, going through the main areas, the wonderful things to see and do on the island and the things that I found were somewhat disappointing.
THE MAIN AREAS:
Kuta: Lively, young crowd, lots of parties, horrendous traffic, loads of budget friendly shops and markets, not much in the way of natural beauty.
Perfect for party animals and young backpackers.
Seminyak: Up market, pricey, trendy bars and restaurants, good nightlife, high end shops, terrible traffic and lots of places to take photos of your 10 euro smoothie bowl. HA!
Ideal for families, couples and those not on a budget.
Canggu: Surfing town, cute cafes and bars, amazing market, good nightlife, SLIGHTLY more chilled than Seminyak.
Perfect for surfers, couples and those looking for fun but more chilled nightlife.
Ubud: Mecca for yoga, more traditional style restaurants, beside beautiful jungle and rice fields, more yoga, central hub to most attractions, bad traffic.
Suitable for every type of traveller.
Munduk: Traditional Balinese life, remote, mountainous, INCREDIBLE waterfalls, viewpoints, home to iconic Handara golf gates, much colder than the rest of the island.
Perfect for those looking for adventure and to escape the crowds.
Amed: Extremely quiet and chilled, beautiful black sand beaches, close to the famous 'Gates of Heaven' and Agung Volcano, great snorkeling and diving, not much in the way of nightlife.
Ideal for couples, divers, and families.
COST:
In Bali, they use the Indonesian rupiah, which is currently 16,000 rupiah to 1 euro. Thankfully as Bali is such a developed island, ATM's and currency exchange offices are found all over the island, however Bali is notorious for card skimming and just about everyone I know has a story about their card being cloned, because of this it is vital to be as careful as possible when withdrawing money, avoid ATM's in supermarkets and try only use the one's attached to a bank, also always give the card slot a wobble before using it to see if it moves easily, which could indicate it's been tampered with. Below I'm going to give a quick guide on what I paid while in Bali, while on a mid-range budget of 45 euro a day. I would recommend a daily back packer budget of between 45-55 euro while in Bali which would include, accommodation, two meals, bike rental, excursions and a few beers.
Accommodation: The average cost of a private hotel room in Bali ranges from 8-15 euro per person. Surprisingly I found the accommodation in Bali to be some of the best value in SEA, for the equivalent of 15 euro a night, we stayed in incredible hotels complete with outdoor showers and infinity pools. Cheaper options also available but for the quality we got, spending a little more was definitely worth it!
Alcohol: The average cost of a beer in Bali was around 2-3 euro in an average restaurant but went as high as 5-6 euro in more upmarket tourist hot spots such as, Single Fin beach club in Uluwatu. Spirits are very expensive in Bali due to import taxes, with a bottle setting you back around 25-30 euro in a supermarket, best to avoid cocktails and spirits outside of happy hour and stick to a bottle of Bintang instead!
Food: The average price of a meal in Bali depends of course, on where you go. If you stick to the local restaurants 'warungs' you're entire meal could only set you back around 2-3 euro, however if you want to eat at mid-range restaurants with a mix of western and local cuisine, you're looking at around 5-10 euro, be aware that most restaurants add on about 21% tax onto your bill, which can quickly add up!
Excursions: Now, first things first, don't believe local guides who will tell you that you can't drive yourself to day excursions, that its illegal or dangerous for foreigners to drive scooters OR that you have to pay a lot of money to get into popular sites. This isn't true and you'll end up paying a lot for the services of a private driver and guide. Which is fine if you have the funds or you're inexperienced with driving a scooter, but if you're on a budget like we were, TRUST ME when I say you can absolutely see all the popular sites of Bali without breaking the bank. Bike rentals are super cheap at around 3-6 euro a day and we never experienced any issues as a tourist on a bike (however always wear a helmet and t-shirt while driving to avoid attention) entry into waterfalls were usually around 1-2 euro, temples you're asked for 'donations' and things like the Bali swing would set you back around 25 euro for the day including lunch.
Transport: Getting from one area to another in Bali was definitely the most costly, with Grab taxi's being aggressively frowned upon (more on that below) we were often left haggling down extortionate prices from private drivers and taxi's, my advice is find an honest driver who offers a fair price and see if he's willing to drive you, when needed, for your entire trip. More money and business for him and you get to where you need to be at a fair price. I suggest using the Grab app and putting in where you want to go and see what price it quotes. It gives you a ball park price and negotiate from there with the driver.
Things I didn't quite expect...
Traffic: Oh my god, the traffic. I had envisioned many things about Bali before I arrived but the gridlock traffic was not one of them! Particularly bad in Kuta, Seminyak and Ubud. We favoured a scooter to try get around a bit faster.
Taxi Troubles: As a seasoned traveller, used to relying heavily on Uber, Grab and GoJek to get around, I was not expecting such a touristic and modern island such as Bali to be so difficult and expensive to get around! we heard of rumours of a 'taxi mafia', who monopolies the taxi's and violently forbid the use of Grab or Gojek to ensure all tourists are paying extremely high prices. (we even heard of Grab drivers being assaulted and their cars vandalized) We did manage to use the Grab app but you do so at the discretion of the driver, who often picked us up away from hotels or busy public areas.
Bag Snatchers: As soon as we arrived we were warned about keeping our valuables and bags underneath the seat of our scooter while driving, turns out everyone and their mother knew someone who'd had their handbag or phone snatched from their person by a passing bike. Everyone was a suspect from that point on while driving around!
Scams For Breakfast, Lunch And Dinner: My biggest disappointment about Bali was simply how many people were trying to rip us off, whether it was as small as paying for parking or as big as trying to get a tour driver, everyone seemed to have a motive. There are of course exceptions to the rule and on the whole the people in Bali were incredibly warm and welcoming but I'd be lying if I said we weren't on alert for people to try take advantage of us.
Queuing For Photos: Before we realised the perks of getting to attractions at 'stupid-o-clock' each morning, we were subjected to waiting in line for our turn to enter the site or take a photo! Often this was at natural attractions like waterfalls, where the idea of queuing to get into the water for 5 minutes while everyone stares at you was enough to turn you off the idea all together, thankfully avoiding peak mid-day times or going to more hard to reach attractions eliminated this annoying habit.
TOP TEN THINGS TO DO AND SEE:
Although there were some negative aspects to our time in Bali we did find some incredible things to do and see that really made our time there special. If you want to experience the true beauty of Bali, that you see on Instagram, I strongly advice you to get up as early as possible and hit the road to beat the crowds, I can't tell you how much more magical places were without crowds of people pushing you out the way for photo shoots.
10. Tukad Cepung Waterfall:
So this waterfall makes the cut despite us not REALLY enjoying it. As bizarre as it sounds, the waterfall itself was one of the most unique waterfalls I've ever seen, as its a waterfall within a cave BUT here we fell victim to the whole thing of queuing for photos, which I spoke about above. It spoilt the experience when you couldn't actually enjoy the water beyond a quick opportunity to take a photo, however speaking to other backpackers who managed to get to the waterfall either early or late enough to avoid the tours, said it was an unforgettable experience.
9. Bali Swing, Ubud:
So this makes it on the list but only for the fact it offers you some incredible photos. In reality, the numerous swing's around Bali are over crowded and over priced, they offer lunch but I would describe it as 'meh'. The whole excursion is just a bit of fun to experience what its like to fly over the Balinese jungle. Its an Instagrammer's dream but a bored boyfriends nightmare.
8. Tegallalang Rice Terraces, Ubud:
Just about everyone has seen instagram photos of the rice terraces in Ubud, eager to see them for ourselves we went in late evening to avoid the crowds and the view of the tiered rice fields was amazing! its definitely a big tourist attraction and you can also pay to either swing or zipline across the valley. Try visit either really early morning or as the sun sets to see the fields at their most beautiful.
7. Tirta Empul Temple, Ubud:
A really unique experience for us was going to Tirta Empul Temple to partake in a spiritual ceremony with locals, where you enter into the holy spring water bath and place your head under the spouts of water as a way of blessing you. The whole temple is incredible to walk around and worth exploring when you're in Ubud.
6. Single Fin Beachclub, Uluwatu:
Single Fin is a amazing beach club set on the edge of Uluwatu's famous surfing beach, definitely not for the budget traveller as a beer is going to set you back about 4-5 euro, but I do think it's something you have to experience while in Bali, the club itself is gorgeous and the sunset is even better! Sit back and savour the sunset, the chilled atmosphere....and that expensive beer.
*Stay for one beer then go next door for a cheaper one with the same view!
5. Munduk Twin Lakes:
Another spot worth visiting while in Munduk was the twin lakes, we stopped to have a coffee and banana crepe while looking over the amazing view of the lakes below. Be aware that the temperature was significantly cooler in this area so make sure to bring a jumper. There are plenty of photo opportunities here where they've set up different photo points along the edge of the mountain.
4. Sunset in Amed:
Its no secret that sunsets in Indonesia are among the best but there was something extra special about the sunset in Amed, after leaving the bustling areas of Seminyak, Canggu and Ubud, Amed offered us our first taste of quiet Balinese life. Every night we'd head to a clifftop bar to catch the beautiful sunsets over the black sand volcanic beaches.
3. Nyang Nyang Beach, Uluwatu:
Wow. What a beach, if you're staying in Uluwatu you have to visit this amazing beach. It's not far from the main area of Uluwatu (about 20 minutes) but the climb down from the top to the beach takes roughly half an hour, its not a particularly difficult climb but it takes a bit of navigating and boy is it hot! Once you reach the bottom you are rewarded with deserted white sand, pale blue water and even two large shipwrecks used as a canvas for local graffiti artists. The perfect place to get away from the crowds and soak up the sun.
2. Pura Lempuyang (Gates of Heaven), Amed:
Definitely worth the early morning start to catch the sun rise over Agung volcano witnessed through the famous gates of Lempuyang temple, You start by offering a small donation before taking the quick steep hike to the temple along side local Indonesian (who must partake in a pilgrimage here once a year). The view of the temple is breathtaking and if you're really lucky the clouds will hold off for you to get a clear photo with mount Agung in the background. Always remember to dress respectfully with you shoulders and legs covered, they offer sarongs to visitors at the entrance.
* As luck would have it, it clouded over JUST as we went to take a photo...
1. Twin falls, Munduk:
After much debate over which waterfall to visit in Northern Bali, we settled for visiting the Twin falls and we were not disappointed! We spent a few hours there hiking between the numerous waterfalls and only saw maybe 3 other people, the largest waterfall was by far the most spectacular and made for an incredible photo. Definitely seemed like the right choice in favour of the more popular and busy falls in the area.
Final thoughts..
Overall our time in Bali offered up a mix of emotion, while there we also experienced a massive earthquake which didn't help with our feelings of uncertainty about the island when we had first arrived into the manic area of Seminyak, however as our days went on we pushed ourselves to explore the more remote areas and experience more authentic Balinese life, which allowed us to finally understand the love, so many feel towards this Island. I guess for me Bali, at times lacked that authentic Asian... lets call it... grit, that made me fall in love with SEA. It still definitely deserves a spot on your bucket list but you might just find the best thing about Bali are the islands just off it! My parting advice is do your research, get up early and head off the tourist trail and that Bali dream can be yours.
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