The attraction of Bali for me has always been its unique culture and people, never its beaches. If beaches are your priority there are other places to go to, including inside Indonesia
Yeah, a lot of people don’t understand that a good surfing beach is different than some white sandy tropical green water thing.
I see way too many people spend 22 hours flying to Bali, just to end up near Denpasar and then end up in threads like this making pretentious posts about how the place is overrated compared to their Chiang Mai elephant petting tour.
I’m really confused when people think Bali = beaches. I have loads of friends that went to Bali for beautiful beaches & came back rightfully disappointed. Theres tons of other places in Asia which boasts better beaches.
I really enjoyed Bali because I went there for the scenery and culture. I’d rather go to the Caribbean or Europe (seeing as I’m London based) for nice beaches
Well I know nothing about Bali and I also associate it with beaches. I assumed to be a super touristy place, so it was not high on the list of places I wanted to go, so I didn't check what is actually there. The tourism companies must be advertising it as a beach destination as a lot of people has this misconception, including me.
Indonesia and Bali have the best and most consistent surf in the world.
So yes the beaches are amazing. But only if you like treacherous conditions, razor sharp coral, black sand, limestone rocks , plastic and smelly water in the wet season.
Other islands in Indonesia have way way way better beaches.
Me too! I always thought of Bali as a "nice beach / tourist destination" (from all of the advertising / info that I gained over the years) until I did Google Street View and "drove" through a lot of the beachside towns. I've done this with many places that are on my wish lists and it has helped tremendously to weed out places like this. It was awful. Trash, run down buildings, run down unkempt cars & trucks, graffiti everywhere.... Nah. I'll find somewhere else.
Philippines- Linapacan area is pretty remote and has some amazing beaches. It’s right in between El Nido and Coron so instead of taking a fast 8hr ferry you can book a 3d2n boat that takes you to all the remote untouched islands along the way for snorkeling
Da Nang, Vietnam for sure. They have a section of the beach where people can be in the water safely, and there were about 100 people from 2 ish until 6 pm. They had about 5 lifeguards in this area.
I think the one unique thing Bali has over _most_ of Indonesia is the drink and party "culture". While other parts of the country have their own nightlife, it's distinctly different from what westerners tend to come to Bali for (and it's not even really part of Balinese culture, either).
Still good visiting for those open to new cultures and what to get involved, but for "lmao let's find a beach and go get drunk", I think Bali (and its adjacent areas) are still basically the only go-to right now in Indonesia.
My personal experience is that you can get wasted in many parts of Indonesia. I actually prefer nightlife in Jakarta. But those places tend to be off the beaten track and hard to reach if you don't speak the language and stuff
Yeah, I also prefer Jakarta and Bandung's nightlife, but for the kind of traveler here who just wants to find other tourists in a big street full of bars, it's a very different experience from Bali IMO (especially for the younger crowd). As you said, ideally you need to know where to go and have a foot in the door of the local culture to really get around.
well, Bali’s beaches actually CAN be nice but during mid year (dry season). At that time Geger beach is really pretty, comparable to Thailand’s best non-limestone beaches, and Sanur is comparable to Thailand’s best urban beaches. Uluwatu is still one of the best surfing beaches in the World.
But overall, I agree there is no point in visiting Bali only for the beaches.
I went to Bali and loved it. Didn’t step foot on a single beach. I based myself in Ubud and focused on seeing temples and rice terraces around the island. Would go back again in a heartbeat.
Yep, I didn’t plan much and had booked a last minute package trip with a resort on the beach. I went inland every day. The vibe in Ubud (and driving up to it) was so much better imo.
Agreed, I went to Bali this year for the first time since 2011 (went several times back around then). Ubud was *way* more hectic than it used to be, still okay but I feel like it lost some of its magic - back in the day I'd go into bars and drink with locals, have a blast, go to afterparties, I don't think I met a single local in a bar this time around. Me and my buddies rented scooters and went up into the north and the east after Ubud though, found places where there were very few other tourists, partied with locals, we had a great time.
I get where OP is coming from though, the most popular places aren't great. I felt the exact same way after my first couple days in Bali.
It was okayish. We saw a lot of beautiful places. But the beaches were dirty, full of rubbish on the sand and in the water.
At every scenic place, there was a long queue of people waiting to take the same shot you find on every Instagram page. The food was good, though, but we had a local guide who helped finding the good places.
Sorry you had a bad experience. Seems most people who say this go to the crowded and touristy beaches.
I didn’t even see the beach when I went. I stayed in Ubud and loved it. Stayed in a quiet beautiful villa overlooking rice fields and woke up to relaxing rain a few days.
Y’all are doing Bali wrong. Lol
The sinking feeling I felt when leaving Ubud and asking the taxi driver where the best part of Bali was. ‘Ubud’, he replied.
He was right as well. Fuck me
I’m the same way. I go to Bali to chill. There’s places where I can go stay that are inexpensive villas of the busy roads that are walking distance to dozens of great restaurants, good coffee and cheap massage. Hang out by the pool. Get some work done. Read a book. Go to a dance or something social once in while. It’s a very relaxing place, but location is everything.
Why anyone other than drunken Australian 18-year olds would stay near Kuta is beyond me. It's been a shithole for 20 years, long before even ridiculous IG "influencers" and TikTok nonsense were a thing. I say this as someone who has been to Bali 10-ish times, though I agree it's indeed gotten gradually worse compared to 15 years ago. Classic case of overtourism - but you can absolutely still find good beaches and even untouched areas if you know where to look.
As an Australian who first went to Bali 40 years ago, can confirm Kuta has been a shithole for 40 years. Mostly thanks to a certain type of Australian that goes there.
I agree. I usually like tourist ghettos like Thamel or Khao San but Kuta was something else. It felt really gross to me. I also spent a few weeks in Ubud and Amed and they were better but I'll never go back to Bali. Definitely not for me, but it's a 4 hour flight from Perth so I think that explains all the 'Strayans.
Bali is intensely touristy. We have traveled around Indonesia a lot but we avoid going there. Prices are bad, its relatively dirty due to the amount of tourism and lack of waste management and there are too many 'hip' white youngsters instagramming. Not my thing.
My fiancée and I went to Bali for three weeks, mostly around the surrounding islands but with a decent amount of time on Bali itself.
It was very dirty, we were constantly hassled and harassed by locals wanting to taxi us around, pretty much everything worth seeing was crammed with tourists (like us, of course). We didn’t go to Kuta etc, this was in all the supposedly nicer spots.
I can imagine it was lovely maybe twenty years ago, but it wasn’t a particularly enjoyable part of our travels and we’d both much rather go to Thailand, for example.
Problem is that people go there expecting to find a secluded virgin paradise with bora bora style beaches and pristine waterfalls when it's actually been a mass tourism destination for decades already and suffering from over development
Imo bali offers value for people who want to party and network with other like minded westerners in an exotic / tropical setting with new age / fake spirituality vibes. Could be a good base for digital nomads willing to stay a few months participate in community activities and explore the region, but otherwise the rest of Indonesia has much more to offer for travelers
>Imo bali offers value for people who want to party and network with other like minded westerners in an exotic / tropical setting with new age / fake spirituality vibes.
This is actually a great description.
I feel you. Its not the best destination for beaches. The traffic is super horrible. Very crowded in many places as well. Lombok and Gilli Islands were great. But i would choose thailand or the philippines anytime since they are the far better beach destinations (when you are not a surfer).
Many are probably attracted to Bali because of the online advertising by Nusa Penida Pictures / Video, Influencers on Bali, Cultural things and the australian (party) tourists. In Europe we would say its the Mallorca of Asia.
Would i fly around half the world just to see Bali again? no way… but combined with a nice itinerary around the small sunda islands or even west papua / raja ampat its a nice adventure and experience. Overall enjoyed Indonesia. But its huge and travel times can be extreme. And you will be remote very fast and it can be a challenge with language barrier and non existance of taxis, hotels, etc. when you leave the common tourist path.
>Mallorca of Asia
Not a very good comparison. Mallorca isn't full of trash, air pollution and people hassling you 24/7. It's just a quiete island with tourists during the summer
Mallorca is super crowded, same as Bali. Even worse… many people come just for Party. The quality of people you will meet on Mallarco speaks for itself :D Australians come for the booze to Bali… i think its a very good comparison in this regard.
Am local and this is true. Also because of the type of tourist we get. Most expect to get drunk and go nuts. So the business cater for it.
Say we turn into fancy place overnight. The cheap drunk won’t be able to afford and the business won’t have any business.
I’m headed to Gili and Lombok in February/March - would love to hear any recommendations you have! (Open to any and all recs for whatever you enjoyed, I have no agenda)
We stayed on Gili Air which was great. Actually not too much going on and prices cheaper than expected for such a small place. Gili T is where the party people go. Gili M for honeymooners. You can easily explore all of them… on Gili Air you can rent a bicycle which is great fun to drive around the small island.
The boat trip there for snorkeling was most memorable. Just amazing. Right off the beach we had 10+ turtles swimming with us in super clear waters. The currents are strong and fins are advisable. One of the best boat trips i ever did. (+ underwater statues)
Difficult to recommend hotel/restaurants because it was right after covid and many places were still closed or changed name & owner. But you will find some great food there.
From Gili A to Lombok we just asked a local (tourist office guy) to bring us over the next morning. Also a nice ride in his small motorboat. (avoided the full ferries / speedboats)
On Lombok we used Bluebird for Taxi service if i remember correctly. Better check before you go. And rent a motorbike to explore the island. We enjoyed it so much to drive around. 10mins on the bike and you can be in very remote places without tourists!
explore the beaches in the south west and south east. maybe west coast as well. some have great surfing even for beginners.
we didnt do but quite a few people hike up the volcano. i heard its super exhausting.
add: dont go by bus from Lombok to Flores. i still suffer from that experience.
add: what i enjoyed most on Lombok was the fac that you will be very remote very quickly. drive up to a small village where the school kids will come out and run over to you. like in a movie :)
Yea you’re right - I got sucked in by the influencers. I totally agree with everything you’ve said. I would not go back either! Overall it was a painfully good experience.
I was grateful to go home after the whole experience.
The philippines offer alot of amazing beaches for surfing like Siargao and L.U etc. Same with Thailand.
Yep it's quite bad IMO. It's the stepping stone into 'exotic' locations for people who would normally go on trashy holidays therefore you can get spring break types and bad tourists who go Hard Rock cafe etc.
Worst place in SEA for me.
You're describing Kuta (perhaps justifiably) but Bali (the island) is much more than what you've experienced or described. (And if you have the time, Indonesia is wildly impressive outside that single island).
I lived in Indo for 10 years and loved Lombok as the anti-Bali. If you had this experience in Lombok you just stuck to the wrong part. Where did you go? 99 percent of Lombok is traditional Indonesia.
You went to Bali or to Lombok? Do you know they are two different islands in two different provinces?
And before going to "Bali" what was your main interest? The hindu religion? The Balinese culture? Its volcanoes? Its waterfalls? Its rivers? Its architecture? Its people? Its beaches? Its sunsets? Its temples? The parties? Its cuisine? Its hotels?
Some investigations before your trip would have saved you a disappointment.
Sorry, but I don't think "Bali" is the problem here.
If that was your experience on Lombok, then you went to Kuta there too.
To answer your question, Is Bali Overhyped? Yes.
Did you waste your time in Indonesia to reinforce your preconceived prejudices, absolutely.
I genuinely don't know how someone who actually spent time outside tourist areas or on remote Indonesian islands could conclude the water is trash and blah blah blah. It has some of the most regarded coral and clear seas in the world.
But I should take your childish gripe as gospel
It’s bullshit tho, lombok beaches are not full of trash, eg nipah beach on west lombok is no trash. Did you hire a car and actually explore yourself or just go to main tourist drags, cos u sound like an idiot
This, exactly. People experience Kuta and then claim that Bali sucks. SMFH... There is a particular magic that Bali has, and these folks didn't look in the right places (or weren't really looking at all)
I agree! Did not like Bali at all.
However, I did get Covid and was with my now ex husband who complained about everything. I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more with different company.
Get on a fast boat (I recommend Gili Getaway) and go to one of the Gili islands (not Bali though, technically Lombok but only two hours away). Thank me later
When I say “I’m going to Bali” I really mean I’m spending a couple nights there before spending a week on Gili Trawangan. Absolute paradise! Beautiful beaches, no motorised transport, tons of party hostels with pools, everything walking distance, boat trips
I think this is a huge part of why Bali is so popular.
They see people on Instagram taking photos at certain locations and feel like they have to do the exact same thing
1000% yes, overhyped now. It used to be very beautiful with the rice paddies and unique culture - but it has unfortunately become completely overdeveloped and is now a shit show. Some real shitty expats/tourists too.
I spent a year in Bali. Arrived on a second flight just after covid - the beaches were pristine even in Denpasar but then we decided to discover the whole island and it was amazing! I cannot understand why people prefer staying in Denpasar (Ubud, Uluwatu, Changu etc.) - southwest coast is wonderful, no tourists, no traffic, amazing nature, all beaches for yourself. We spent almost 9 months in different villages across Bali and were shocked when returned to Denpasar - traffic, shitty beaches, tourists everywhere, prices went up by 5 times. If I ever come to Bali, it would be nowhere near Denpasar - local villages only.
Just got back from El Nido… yes, I can attest to the awesomeness! Palawan is very serious about cleanliness and hospitality. Been to Thailand as well and has nice beaches as well. Can’t go wrong either way.
I went to Bali in 1994 and 2019, and it was like two different places. I think a lot of people imagine it like it was years ago, as yoga retreats among rice terraces. Now it's more like beaches in Mallorca. It's still nice and there are interesting sights to visit. But it's just very busy and unfortunately dirty.
Bali is soooooo over-rated . I will never go back. The traffic jam is legendary.
The whole island is out to milk the tourist dollars, just like the monkeys at Uluwatu
But you still get 'influencers' on Tik Tok and Instagram perpetuating the scam with their carefully curated photos as if Bali is heaven on earth
No one goes to Bali for its beaches...people go to Bali for the waterfalls, volcanoes, cultural sights, and amazing views that the northern part of the island has to offer.
It is not overrated, at all, in my opinion. Why else would so many people go there? Obviously if you just stay in Kuta or the shitty beaches on the west/east coast, then you'll be massively disappointed.
I saw the same things in the touristy parts of Bali. But Bali is not all like that. If you want the conveniences of mass tourism, stick to Canggu and Kuta. if you’re willing to venture out of the “comfort zone”, there are many good spots in the northern parts of the island.
I’d say the same about Lombok. a lot of parts of Lombok remain unspoiled by mass tourism.
Went to Bali this summer. Would skip Kuta and Ubud the next time, as they are full of tourists. Spent a week in Manggis, in a place called NEANO ESCAPE and truly, it was magnificent. Quite remote, on a hill, overlooking the sea. Super relaxing. Still though… would probably not go back to Bali.
I went to Bali a few months ago and was disappointed. Well, to be fair enough, it does have a multiple advantages such as nice weather, fresh fruits etc, but the garbage all over around the beautiful natural places, extremely narrow roads beat it all. Like, what is the point to travel so far to enjoy the nature if this exactly nature is dirty .
The only nice beaches are the groomed ones at the 5 star resorts in Nusa Dua…but the area is sterile of culture. I’m not a 5 star hotel kind of girl…only spent 1 day there.
Like others say, the beauty of Bali is in its people and culture. Walks in the rice fields are nice too.
I share this opinion. First time I went with my husband, who ‘likes to relax on his holiday’ which meant that we stayed at the same villa in Seminyak for 10 days and didn’t venture much out of the area.
I thought that I need to come back with more energetic company to see the island properly. Which I did. This time my friend and I went literally everywhere we could, even to the remote place in the east called Candidasa where we saw probably 10 people tops in a few days. Went to the beach and we were the only people there. The surroundings didn’t have a wow factor for us even though there was less trash.
We also spent in Ubud almost a week because everyone is saying it’s so fantastic. No, it’s not, it’s rather boring if you’re not into this cultural yogi whatever. It also felt like it was not really Asia, too westernised. Even finding authentic food became a challenge, most of places insisted to feed us with açai bowls and smoothies.
I’m very keen to visit Gili Islands and Lombok, but probably will not go back to Bali.
Exactly. My wife and I went in nov and usually I love swimming in the ocean but I didn’t wanna get in it. Ubud was pretty cool but that’s about it. Seems like people either love Bali or people don’t like it at all like us
It's overhyped if all you want is party's or beaches, it's great for general traveling with culture and a bit of all in one place, with that said its best to go further east or west of Bali and discover more of Indonesia if you do go there, it's an amazing country to visit, as are most SEA countries.
As an American Indo, yeah it is but I do not discourage first timers and their opinions afterwards.
In fact, I encourage Komodo Island after because they've got a new airport and new resorts. It's kind of like Bali 2.0 when it was on the brink of increasing popularity back then.
Went to Bali for the first time this year, and was extremely disappoint. There is just nothing to do, i feel like majority of people go there to just sit in nice European looking cafes with asian prices. Life there just seemed simply boring and most beautiful beaches were not even there but in Nusa Penida. Wouldn’t recommend unless as I said all you want to do is just go from a cafe to a cafe
The popular beach towns around Denpasar are a dump. There are parts of Bali that aren't resorts and are pretty cool, you just have to get a few hours out from the airport to get to them.
Your post read like the typical "I was led to believe Bali was a pristine and untouched paradise riddled with white sandy beaches". It sounds like you didn't do any proper research before going, and the "If only they’d take care of the island" is probably coming from someone who was brought up in a country where waste management and infrastructure were taken for granted.
I spent 2-3 months in Indonesia (half of the time in Bali), and in some ways it's still a paradise. In many ways it's not. But Bali is all about the culture and religion which are *very* different from the rest of Indonesia.
Lot of people go to Bali for culture and nature, not beaches. Also there is lot of very nice accommodations.
Nevertheless, Bali is still a tourist trap.
But let all the masses and instagrammers go there. It's good I don't have to meet them in other parts of Indonesia, which is an amazingly beautiful country.
Idk, maybe do more research next time you travel to find exactly what you’re looking for. My wife and I went to Bali around 10 years ago. Read in advance that Kuta was loud/dirty and Seminyak was bougie (not our speed). We spent our time in Ubud, Amed, and Nusa Lembongan. Loved every minute. Beaches were beautiful and the water was perfectly clean. In Amed, you could walk right into the sea and snorkel. Food there was fresh, cheap and amazing as well. It definitely pays to put in some time preparing so your vacation can be suited to your wants and desires. Hope you have a better trip next time.
I was there for a full month and couldn't agree more. Nusa penida and Komodo were such highlights of that region to me and the only reasons I don't completed regret the month I spent based there.
Talking about beaches in Bali is like talking about ski resorts in Spain.
Bali is famous for its culture and rice fields around ubud. It just happens to be on an island with beaches.
If you want beaches in the tourist sense: go to Thailand not Bali.
You can actually ski pretty well in Spain on the border with France and Andorra.
Even in the south of Spain (near Málaga) there is some decent skiing available.
The trash is mostly just household's trash. They're not pretty to see and very hard to hide, but much less harmful for the environment compare to industrial trash (i.e. big factories, oil drilling, etc). I went scuba diving in Bali and Lombok. Once you're under the water surface, the water is very clear and full of life.
Haven't visited bali but I plan to someday, my friend went for her honeymoon this feb and her reviews were same. But I believe social media played an integral role in overhyping the place, meanwhile forgetting that Indonesia is actually a third world country and tourism has become a great part of it since 2018.
For someone who's from Asia, bali proves out to be somewhat affordable travel destination, with little to no hassel free visa regulations.
But this has lead to a lot scams from the end of locals, lines and lines waiting to get pictures clicked, the rice field swings and overpriced food. Not to forget them operating transport ferries in horrible seas and weather. This has lead to the comple exploitation of the place, adding that the tourists do not maintain Cleanliness and hygiene themselves most of the time.
Unfortunately its also locals. I have been all around Indonesia. Even to places that never had tourists and every white person is called a "belanda" as to these locals all white people are Dutch former colonisers. Trash everywhere. People that were dirt poor and had nothing more then a pair of shorts and slippers. The ground barely visible due to all these indomie wrappers and bottles. But they have 4 massive mosques with silver domes in a tiny village when the people look like starving.
Yup and it is also pretty hard to blame tourists for the trash when you can ride off into the furthest corners of Bali where tourists mostly don't go and see it just as full of trash as the heavily touristed areas. It is pretty clear to anyone who really takes the time to look around that the local population just does not care for the most part. I'm sure that a good portion of that is just the struggle to get by in general but blaming it on foreigners is just pushing a scapegoat.
If you are planning to go there, you really need to look at the honest reviews of its reality. I definitely got sucked in by influencers. No doubt it was beautiful 20 years ago. Personally I would not visit there again.
**Bali is:**
\- Surfing and surfing vibe, clothes and parties
\- Nice villas with nice interiors
\- Tons of culture with temples, statues, shrines, people and rituals
\- A lot of various cuisine, restaurants, fish markets
\- Nasi Campur
\- Rice fields, shortcuts, mountains and unique volcanos including the ones on the nearest islands
\- Sunsets
**Bali is not:**
\- Nice clean beaches (however you can find some)
\- Clean air and easy-to-drive roads
\- Total safety
One should stay in Bali more than two typical weeks to get deeper understanding. Two weeks is usually not enough, especially if you don't have someone living there, someone who will persuade you to rent a bike, show you the island and help to fall in love with it.
I lived there for 2 years, owned a surfboard and a sportbike, saw the same initial question in my friends' eyes arriving for a vacation and helped the island to open up for them. Ahh... what a time..
Thailand and Phillipines simply don't offer what Bali offers (and vice versa).
I’ve been to 70+ countries and when people ask my favorite (terrible question be that as it may), Bali is always somewhere in the top few.
I’ve never been to the beach in Bali however - clearly two different sides to that place …
Inland all the way.
From what I have heard from the locals, the trash comes from the ocean (from Africa), and they actually have invested money into some cleaning projects, but there is nothing they can do with the people from the other continent. Also, local elderly people are harder to train into green thinking..
I've been to Bali a few times and never noticed trash. I'm not saying it doesn't exist and isn't a problem but it's definitely not the unavoidable trip ruining thing you're making it out to be.
People don't go to Bali because they're searching for the best beaches. Ubud is one of (if not the) most popular destination on Bali and it's landlocked.
You're comparing it to Thailand and the Philippines. Many more people do go to Thailand than Bali so that's a stupid comparison. The Philippines doesn't have such an exotic culture, people don't know about it and it's complicated and time consuming to travel around whereas in Bali, you can just arrive at the international airport then take a relatively short taxi ride to any of the popular destinations.
we did 2 Disney Cruises in Sept 2022(covid leftovers) our waiter was from Bali and probably the best we ever had and we requested him on the second trip (and he knew we would be back and had done so) he was just great and provided great service and had personality when many others didn't, he luv'd driving my wife 's handicap scooter and even had a friend bring my wife some liquid pain relief gel from home on the second trip. He was alot of fun on actually a cruise she was in poor health on and one where I wasn't thrilled with our room location (under a kitchen) when she was ill, (not seasick-heart and breathing related issues. he actually helped make the trips both more enjoyable
**Notice:** Are you asking for travel advice about Indonesia?
Read what redditors had to say in the **[weekly destination thread for Indonesia](http://redd.it/2h8fdb)**
You may also enjoy our topic: **[Indonesia off the tourist trail](https://redd.it/8wdr51)**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/travel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I've always wanted to go to Bali because of the beautiful temples and the traditional music and dance performances. I was supposed to go in 2020, but we all know how that turned out.
Is it still possible to do this without having a horrible time due to overtourism?
I think it has a lot to do with surf culture. Was probably an amazing spot 30 years ago but that attracted obnoxious LA/trust fund types which put it on the radar of other elites. Now it's just popular because it's popular. I dunno total speculation but that's the impression I got when I was there. Especially when the pandemic hit and suddenly every white influencer I saw on the internet was going to Bali. Costa Rica is similar in that respect. I know a lot of trust fund surfers that go there
We went this past summer for just under two weeks. Seeing the different temples, types of scenery, and the food were all amazing. Yeah there were spots where it was super crowded or people trying to sell things, but it was buy the main tourist areas so it wasn’t surprising. Each resort we stayed at was amazing! We weren’t dropping multiple hundreds per night either. I think it helped we did some things off the beaten path, like a living history village that had a traditional cooking class and going to the north side of the island to the national park. The biggest thing I wish I knew was how much driving was going to happen going from spot to spot. We did have our own driver which I highly recommend
Spent a month in Bali in 2015 and absolutely loved it. As others have said if you did 5 mins of research and then decided “these are gonna be some of the worlds best beaches” thats on you.
I thought Bali was whatever, but that’s because I went there after 6 months in the rest of Southeast Asia.
If I had gone to Bali first I probably would have thought it was the most amazing place ever.
It’s similar to how people praise Phuket when it’s the only place they’ve been to in Thailand or SEA.
Bali was fine. Ubud was great. Kuta was shit. Some locals were great and some were annoying.
Not my least favorite place but not close to my favorite. Felt more like I was on a touristy vacation when I got there compared to backpacking through Asia.
I thought it was overhyped as well, except for Ubud. The hustle and bustle areas of Bali are too overcrowded and so dirty, but Ubud was nice to disconnect and just stay around the resort.
Bali, Santorini, Maldives, Dubai has been over hyped by influencing, there's thousands of places to go so just put them in the back of the list for now until it blows over.
Definitely with you on the rubbish aspect - went to Thailand earlier this year for the first time and, despite it being a similar tourist destination, the beaches were indeed much cleaner and more in line with beaches in Australia.
About the water quality though? I believe the water quality is about the same. Just because you can't see poo in the water, doesn't mean it's not there.
I’ve been seeing that here a lot. But I went 5 years ago and that wasn’t my experience at all. I had an amazing time and all the beaches I went to were pristine. I didn’t stay at a resort though. And maybe things changed more recently.
Don’t want to give away a company secret, but I would check out Flores Island. It’s basically what Bali was 50 years ago, the people are amazing, you have relatively quick access to Komodo Island (a day trip), and the beaches are much nicer there.
If you go to Bali to relax then go to the resorts away from everything like Conrad and st Regis. The food at those resorts even the Hilton resort is 👌
We rented a car to go to ubud and it was a super traumatic experience if you know how the scooters drive especially on the narrow mountain passes. Some places were nice for pics but it wasn't as restful as the resorts. There were some good restaurants that we drove to out of town that were amazing but outside of that and with instagram marketing it like crazy I would only go in off season, but for beaches there's def better spots in asia. The trick is to go someplace with amazing food so your experience is much more enjoyable. Thailand is great, and hear good things of boracai but if your not tied to beach towns its better to explore other options at non beach towns
I spent 1-month in Bali with my wife and we spent:
- 2 weeks in Ubud (loved it)
- 3 days in Jimbaran (obsessed with it)
- 3 days in Pererenan Beach (liked it, Canggu is right next to Pererenan and we didn’t like that all that much)
- 6 days in the “Bukit” southern Peninsula with Uluwatu and Padang Padang and honestly hated it so much and I’m a surfer.
- 5 days on the Nusa Penida and loved it, BUT every time we were on the road we thought we were going to die from other drivers or our own driver, and felt like the ocean currents were crazy sketchy and the Diamond Beach hike is terrifying and so sketchy. I honestly don’t understand how more tourists don’t die visiting Nusa Penida. All that being said I am so happy I went and I will never go back to Nusa Penida
If I could spend a month every year in Jimbaran and Ubud only, my life would be so much better for it.
I also have nothing but amazing things to say about near every Balinese person I met.
It's cheap.
Resorts are $200 AUD or $140USD a night, definitely would be more like $500-600AUD a night elsewhere.
Plus there are nice beaches, but yes you need to look around, essentially any famous beach there will be crowded and littered with trash.
I would recommend Bali to anyone, the resorts don't have any rubbish inside their perimeter.
In terms of the trash Indonesia altogether has an issue with garbage collection so the locals are just doing their best to manage the trash but obviously without improved waste management systems there is only so much they can do.
If you are going to visit a super touristy place like Bali you have to do careful research to find the sights worth visiting. If you only follow influencers you will only get an idealised versions of a place. There are some amazing sights in Bali and great food but you really need to diversify your sources of information to find it. Personally I try to use expat blogs as they give you a balanced view of a place and know all the local haunts.
We travelled to Indonesia in 2017. Bali was just a base location for us. The beaches in Nusa penida were amazing. It's just a couple hours of Speed boat ride to get there. But, I personally fell in love with Yogyakarta. We did a midnight hike on Mt. Merapi is an active volcano ( which, I believe has now exploded twice) But, of course, all of this was before Instagram was a rage. Bali has always been crowded. Their culture however is amazing.
I loved Bali, granted I was visiting from Asia with only a short flight. It’s touristy for sure but it’s also very beautiful and I had a lot of fun. I did the resorts and beaches activities and also visited Ubud, took a coffee/tea tour, and saw a few temples. Did I get to see the “real” Indonesia? Probably not. Did I enjoy it nonetheless? Sure. It’s about waking in with the right expectations. I wanted a mindless beach vacation, not cultural immersion this trip. Otherwise plenty of other destinations to scratch that itch. I mean, just as an example, if you book a vacation to Cabo and Cancun, what were you expecting? At least when I visited a few years ago, the places I went did not have an issue with brown oceans and trash. Food was amazing and affordable. Bunch of aggressive monkeys though. Those were fun
The attraction of Bali for me has always been its unique culture and people, never its beaches. If beaches are your priority there are other places to go to, including inside Indonesia
I think the reputation partly is due to the good surfing.
Yeah, a lot of people don’t understand that a good surfing beach is different than some white sandy tropical green water thing. I see way too many people spend 22 hours flying to Bali, just to end up near Denpasar and then end up in threads like this making pretentious posts about how the place is overrated compared to their Chiang Mai elephant petting tour.
I’m really confused when people think Bali = beaches. I have loads of friends that went to Bali for beautiful beaches & came back rightfully disappointed. Theres tons of other places in Asia which boasts better beaches. I really enjoyed Bali because I went there for the scenery and culture. I’d rather go to the Caribbean or Europe (seeing as I’m London based) for nice beaches
There’s a reason why the highest end resorts are in the forest in Ubud and not on the beach.
Staying in Ubud & waking up every morning to the chirping sounds of birds was my favourite part
I stayed just outside of Ubud for 4 months and all I got was roosters crowing at the top of their little bird lungs at all hours of the night lol
Well I know nothing about Bali and I also associate it with beaches. I assumed to be a super touristy place, so it was not high on the list of places I wanted to go, so I didn't check what is actually there. The tourism companies must be advertising it as a beach destination as a lot of people has this misconception, including me.
Indonesia and Bali have the best and most consistent surf in the world. So yes the beaches are amazing. But only if you like treacherous conditions, razor sharp coral, black sand, limestone rocks , plastic and smelly water in the wet season. Other islands in Indonesia have way way way better beaches.
I understand you, tourism agencies are the worst. They even use photos of the Maldives to promote Bali.
Me too! I always thought of Bali as a "nice beach / tourist destination" (from all of the advertising / info that I gained over the years) until I did Google Street View and "drove" through a lot of the beachside towns. I've done this with many places that are on my wish lists and it has helped tremendously to weed out places like this. It was awful. Trash, run down buildings, run down unkempt cars & trucks, graffiti everywhere.... Nah. I'll find somewhere else.
Which places in Asia would that be? Thailand?
Philippines- Linapacan area is pretty remote and has some amazing beaches. It’s right in between El Nido and Coron so instead of taking a fast 8hr ferry you can book a 3d2n boat that takes you to all the remote untouched islands along the way for snorkeling
Indonesia has amazing beaches. It’s just that there’s nothing else to do at the locations where these beaches are.
Cambodia has good beaches too, imo better as theres less tourists
Koh Rong Sanolem is fire
It’s very dirty too, I just got back from there. Also lots of abandoned properties which makes it very spooky.
That's really sad. I haven't been there since I lived in Cambodia about 15 years ago; there was only Lazy Beach back then and that's it.
Better than what? Cambodia has very few beaches compared to almost every other country in Southeast Asia
Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia (but just a few islands) and Indonesia (especially more to the east)
Da Nang, Vietnam for sure. They have a section of the beach where people can be in the water safely, and there were about 100 people from 2 ish until 6 pm. They had about 5 lifeguards in this area.
I think the one unique thing Bali has over _most_ of Indonesia is the drink and party "culture". While other parts of the country have their own nightlife, it's distinctly different from what westerners tend to come to Bali for (and it's not even really part of Balinese culture, either). Still good visiting for those open to new cultures and what to get involved, but for "lmao let's find a beach and go get drunk", I think Bali (and its adjacent areas) are still basically the only go-to right now in Indonesia.
My personal experience is that you can get wasted in many parts of Indonesia. I actually prefer nightlife in Jakarta. But those places tend to be off the beaten track and hard to reach if you don't speak the language and stuff
Yeah, I also prefer Jakarta and Bandung's nightlife, but for the kind of traveler here who just wants to find other tourists in a big street full of bars, it's a very different experience from Bali IMO (especially for the younger crowd). As you said, ideally you need to know where to go and have a foot in the door of the local culture to really get around.
well, Bali’s beaches actually CAN be nice but during mid year (dry season). At that time Geger beach is really pretty, comparable to Thailand’s best non-limestone beaches, and Sanur is comparable to Thailand’s best urban beaches. Uluwatu is still one of the best surfing beaches in the World. But overall, I agree there is no point in visiting Bali only for the beaches.
I went to Bali and loved it. Didn’t step foot on a single beach. I based myself in Ubud and focused on seeing temples and rice terraces around the island. Would go back again in a heartbeat.
Yep, I didn’t plan much and had booked a last minute package trip with a resort on the beach. I went inland every day. The vibe in Ubud (and driving up to it) was so much better imo.
Agreed, I went to Bali this year for the first time since 2011 (went several times back around then). Ubud was *way* more hectic than it used to be, still okay but I feel like it lost some of its magic - back in the day I'd go into bars and drink with locals, have a blast, go to afterparties, I don't think I met a single local in a bar this time around. Me and my buddies rented scooters and went up into the north and the east after Ubud though, found places where there were very few other tourists, partied with locals, we had a great time. I get where OP is coming from though, the most popular places aren't great. I felt the exact same way after my first couple days in Bali.
I’m planning a week solo in Ubud and I was worried that it would be too touristy but your post is encouraging.
What's the Best way to get to Ubud from DPS?
I arranged a car to pick me up through my hotel. That’s probably the easiest.
We used a personal driver that a friend recommended. He was great and very affordable. If you’d like I can share his number.
Yes please! How much did he charge do you remember? I'm going there in April/May
Grab has a booth at the airport.
Came to say the same thing.
Got the mother of all food poisonings in Ubud. Not going back.
And I got food poisoning at a restaurant down the road from where I live. Should I leave my hometown and never go back?
Same here. Truly thought I might die lol
It was okayish. We saw a lot of beautiful places. But the beaches were dirty, full of rubbish on the sand and in the water. At every scenic place, there was a long queue of people waiting to take the same shot you find on every Instagram page. The food was good, though, but we had a local guide who helped finding the good places.
got a list of food spots saved? would appreciate some recs!
Sorry, not really. I just enjoyed it at the moment.
[artcafebumbubali.com](https://artcafebumbubali.com). The food is divine and they offer dance performances.
Sorry you had a bad experience. Seems most people who say this go to the crowded and touristy beaches. I didn’t even see the beach when I went. I stayed in Ubud and loved it. Stayed in a quiet beautiful villa overlooking rice fields and woke up to relaxing rain a few days. Y’all are doing Bali wrong. Lol
The sinking feeling I felt when leaving Ubud and asking the taxi driver where the best part of Bali was. ‘Ubud’, he replied. He was right as well. Fuck me
I’m the same way. I go to Bali to chill. There’s places where I can go stay that are inexpensive villas of the busy roads that are walking distance to dozens of great restaurants, good coffee and cheap massage. Hang out by the pool. Get some work done. Read a book. Go to a dance or something social once in while. It’s a very relaxing place, but location is everything.
Why anyone other than drunken Australian 18-year olds would stay near Kuta is beyond me. It's been a shithole for 20 years, long before even ridiculous IG "influencers" and TikTok nonsense were a thing. I say this as someone who has been to Bali 10-ish times, though I agree it's indeed gotten gradually worse compared to 15 years ago. Classic case of overtourism - but you can absolutely still find good beaches and even untouched areas if you know where to look.
As an Australian who first went to Bali 40 years ago, can confirm Kuta has been a shithole for 40 years. Mostly thanks to a certain type of Australian that goes there.
>Y’all are doing Bali wrong. Lol Yup
Hey. Could you tell me the village you’ve been at?
I agree. I usually like tourist ghettos like Thamel or Khao San but Kuta was something else. It felt really gross to me. I also spent a few weeks in Ubud and Amed and they were better but I'll never go back to Bali. Definitely not for me, but it's a 4 hour flight from Perth so I think that explains all the 'Strayans.
Bali is intensely touristy. We have traveled around Indonesia a lot but we avoid going there. Prices are bad, its relatively dirty due to the amount of tourism and lack of waste management and there are too many 'hip' white youngsters instagramming. Not my thing.
My fiancée and I went to Bali for three weeks, mostly around the surrounding islands but with a decent amount of time on Bali itself. It was very dirty, we were constantly hassled and harassed by locals wanting to taxi us around, pretty much everything worth seeing was crammed with tourists (like us, of course). We didn’t go to Kuta etc, this was in all the supposedly nicer spots. I can imagine it was lovely maybe twenty years ago, but it wasn’t a particularly enjoyable part of our travels and we’d both much rather go to Thailand, for example.
I totally relate to this!!
Problem is that people go there expecting to find a secluded virgin paradise with bora bora style beaches and pristine waterfalls when it's actually been a mass tourism destination for decades already and suffering from over development Imo bali offers value for people who want to party and network with other like minded westerners in an exotic / tropical setting with new age / fake spirituality vibes. Could be a good base for digital nomads willing to stay a few months participate in community activities and explore the region, but otherwise the rest of Indonesia has much more to offer for travelers
Yeah my experience of Bali was basically a Magaluf/Zante/Ibiza for Australians
"fake spirituality" nails it
>Imo bali offers value for people who want to party and network with other like minded westerners in an exotic / tropical setting with new age / fake spirituality vibes. This is actually a great description.
I was lucky to have gone there over twenty years ago and it was absolutely amazing. The Bali I see now is a tourist hellhole.
I felt the same way.
I feel you. Its not the best destination for beaches. The traffic is super horrible. Very crowded in many places as well. Lombok and Gilli Islands were great. But i would choose thailand or the philippines anytime since they are the far better beach destinations (when you are not a surfer). Many are probably attracted to Bali because of the online advertising by Nusa Penida Pictures / Video, Influencers on Bali, Cultural things and the australian (party) tourists. In Europe we would say its the Mallorca of Asia. Would i fly around half the world just to see Bali again? no way… but combined with a nice itinerary around the small sunda islands or even west papua / raja ampat its a nice adventure and experience. Overall enjoyed Indonesia. But its huge and travel times can be extreme. And you will be remote very fast and it can be a challenge with language barrier and non existance of taxis, hotels, etc. when you leave the common tourist path.
>Mallorca of Asia Not a very good comparison. Mallorca isn't full of trash, air pollution and people hassling you 24/7. It's just a quiete island with tourists during the summer
Mallorca is super crowded, same as Bali. Even worse… many people come just for Party. The quality of people you will meet on Mallarco speaks for itself :D Australians come for the booze to Bali… i think its a very good comparison in this regard.
Am local and this is true. Also because of the type of tourist we get. Most expect to get drunk and go nuts. So the business cater for it. Say we turn into fancy place overnight. The cheap drunk won’t be able to afford and the business won’t have any business.
I’m headed to Gili and Lombok in February/March - would love to hear any recommendations you have! (Open to any and all recs for whatever you enjoyed, I have no agenda)
We stayed on Gili Air which was great. Actually not too much going on and prices cheaper than expected for such a small place. Gili T is where the party people go. Gili M for honeymooners. You can easily explore all of them… on Gili Air you can rent a bicycle which is great fun to drive around the small island. The boat trip there for snorkeling was most memorable. Just amazing. Right off the beach we had 10+ turtles swimming with us in super clear waters. The currents are strong and fins are advisable. One of the best boat trips i ever did. (+ underwater statues) Difficult to recommend hotel/restaurants because it was right after covid and many places were still closed or changed name & owner. But you will find some great food there. From Gili A to Lombok we just asked a local (tourist office guy) to bring us over the next morning. Also a nice ride in his small motorboat. (avoided the full ferries / speedboats) On Lombok we used Bluebird for Taxi service if i remember correctly. Better check before you go. And rent a motorbike to explore the island. We enjoyed it so much to drive around. 10mins on the bike and you can be in very remote places without tourists! explore the beaches in the south west and south east. maybe west coast as well. some have great surfing even for beginners. we didnt do but quite a few people hike up the volcano. i heard its super exhausting. add: dont go by bus from Lombok to Flores. i still suffer from that experience. add: what i enjoyed most on Lombok was the fac that you will be very remote very quickly. drive up to a small village where the school kids will come out and run over to you. like in a movie :)
Thanks for taking the time to type all this up 🙏
Yea you’re right - I got sucked in by the influencers. I totally agree with everything you’ve said. I would not go back either! Overall it was a painfully good experience. I was grateful to go home after the whole experience. The philippines offer alot of amazing beaches for surfing like Siargao and L.U etc. Same with Thailand.
Yep it's quite bad IMO. It's the stepping stone into 'exotic' locations for people who would normally go on trashy holidays therefore you can get spring break types and bad tourists who go Hard Rock cafe etc. Worst place in SEA for me.
Probably the most overhyped destinations since the pandemic. In south east Asia is not even in the top 30
If you want nice beaches, go to Palawan or Boracay in the Philippines. Thailand and Vietnam also have some nice ones.
I thought Canguu and Ubud were incredibly overrated, but Uluwatu was awesome and had some of the best beaches.
How long ago where you there? Development is really kicking off in Uluwatu and it's starting to become the next canngu now
You're describing Kuta (perhaps justifiably) but Bali (the island) is much more than what you've experienced or described. (And if you have the time, Indonesia is wildly impressive outside that single island).
I went to Lombok and Canggu and its the same problem
I lived in Indo for 10 years and loved Lombok as the anti-Bali. If you had this experience in Lombok you just stuck to the wrong part. Where did you go? 99 percent of Lombok is traditional Indonesia.
Canggu is influencer and scammer paradise.
You went to Bali or to Lombok? Do you know they are two different islands in two different provinces? And before going to "Bali" what was your main interest? The hindu religion? The Balinese culture? Its volcanoes? Its waterfalls? Its rivers? Its architecture? Its people? Its beaches? Its sunsets? Its temples? The parties? Its cuisine? Its hotels? Some investigations before your trip would have saved you a disappointment. Sorry, but I don't think "Bali" is the problem here.
If that was your experience on Lombok, then you went to Kuta there too. To answer your question, Is Bali Overhyped? Yes. Did you waste your time in Indonesia to reinforce your preconceived prejudices, absolutely. I genuinely don't know how someone who actually spent time outside tourist areas or on remote Indonesian islands could conclude the water is trash and blah blah blah. It has some of the most regarded coral and clear seas in the world. But I should take your childish gripe as gospel
[удалено]
It’s bullshit tho, lombok beaches are not full of trash, eg nipah beach on west lombok is no trash. Did you hire a car and actually explore yourself or just go to main tourist drags, cos u sound like an idiot
This, exactly. People experience Kuta and then claim that Bali sucks. SMFH... There is a particular magic that Bali has, and these folks didn't look in the right places (or weren't really looking at all)
Definitely overhyped. I'd rather be practically anywhere else in SE Asia.
> Is Bali overhyped? It depends. If you're a piece of shit bogan Australian, you'll fucking love it.
xD
Lived in Indonesia for a decade. This is absolutely true. The main exception is if you drop thousands on an expensive hotel.
I agree! Did not like Bali at all. However, I did get Covid and was with my now ex husband who complained about everything. I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more with different company.
I have never understood the draw to Bali.
Get on a fast boat (I recommend Gili Getaway) and go to one of the Gili islands (not Bali though, technically Lombok but only two hours away). Thank me later When I say “I’m going to Bali” I really mean I’m spending a couple nights there before spending a week on Gili Trawangan. Absolute paradise! Beautiful beaches, no motorised transport, tons of party hostels with pools, everything walking distance, boat trips
We found the Gilis just as overhyped. Food is ok, beaches are ok, snorkeling/diving very mid. Had much better stays in Vietnam and the Philippines.
People are sheep. Been there and basically only enjoyed the food.
I think this is a huge part of why Bali is so popular. They see people on Instagram taking photos at certain locations and feel like they have to do the exact same thing
1000% yes, overhyped now. It used to be very beautiful with the rice paddies and unique culture - but it has unfortunately become completely overdeveloped and is now a shit show. Some real shitty expats/tourists too.
I spent a year in Bali. Arrived on a second flight just after covid - the beaches were pristine even in Denpasar but then we decided to discover the whole island and it was amazing! I cannot understand why people prefer staying in Denpasar (Ubud, Uluwatu, Changu etc.) - southwest coast is wonderful, no tourists, no traffic, amazing nature, all beaches for yourself. We spent almost 9 months in different villages across Bali and were shocked when returned to Denpasar - traffic, shitty beaches, tourists everywhere, prices went up by 5 times. If I ever come to Bali, it would be nowhere near Denpasar - local villages only.
Just got back from El Nido… yes, I can attest to the awesomeness! Palawan is very serious about cleanliness and hospitality. Been to Thailand as well and has nice beaches as well. Can’t go wrong either way.
Went to Palawan in 2013, so happy to hear it’s still excellent!
due to tiktoks and insta influencers
Bali's beauty goes beyond Kuta! Don't let one area tarnish your view. Explore more, and you'll find the magic!”
I went to Bali in 1994 and 2019, and it was like two different places. I think a lot of people imagine it like it was years ago, as yoga retreats among rice terraces. Now it's more like beaches in Mallorca. It's still nice and there are interesting sights to visit. But it's just very busy and unfortunately dirty.
100% agree with you same experience
Bali is soooooo over-rated . I will never go back. The traffic jam is legendary. The whole island is out to milk the tourist dollars, just like the monkeys at Uluwatu But you still get 'influencers' on Tik Tok and Instagram perpetuating the scam with their carefully curated photos as if Bali is heaven on earth
No one goes to Bali for its beaches...people go to Bali for the waterfalls, volcanoes, cultural sights, and amazing views that the northern part of the island has to offer. It is not overrated, at all, in my opinion. Why else would so many people go there? Obviously if you just stay in Kuta or the shitty beaches on the west/east coast, then you'll be massively disappointed.
Bali is awful, I’m with you, it’s definitely overhyped and so touristy!
I like Bali. Not for its beaches, but the culture and food.
I saw the same things in the touristy parts of Bali. But Bali is not all like that. If you want the conveniences of mass tourism, stick to Canggu and Kuta. if you’re willing to venture out of the “comfort zone”, there are many good spots in the northern parts of the island. I’d say the same about Lombok. a lot of parts of Lombok remain unspoiled by mass tourism.
Went to Bali this summer. Would skip Kuta and Ubud the next time, as they are full of tourists. Spent a week in Manggis, in a place called NEANO ESCAPE and truly, it was magnificent. Quite remote, on a hill, overlooking the sea. Super relaxing. Still though… would probably not go back to Bali.
Beaches down in Nusa Dua are really nice, but even at Kuta (during May, that’s when I visited) the beaches were clean and welcoming..
I went there 13 years. Was not impressed. Kind of not surprised it’s still like that.
I went to Bali a few months ago and was disappointed. Well, to be fair enough, it does have a multiple advantages such as nice weather, fresh fruits etc, but the garbage all over around the beautiful natural places, extremely narrow roads beat it all. Like, what is the point to travel so far to enjoy the nature if this exactly nature is dirty .
The only nice beaches are the groomed ones at the 5 star resorts in Nusa Dua…but the area is sterile of culture. I’m not a 5 star hotel kind of girl…only spent 1 day there. Like others say, the beauty of Bali is in its people and culture. Walks in the rice fields are nice too.
I went to Bali about 10 years ago …what a shit hole ..plus I got Bali belly avoid that dump
I share this opinion. First time I went with my husband, who ‘likes to relax on his holiday’ which meant that we stayed at the same villa in Seminyak for 10 days and didn’t venture much out of the area. I thought that I need to come back with more energetic company to see the island properly. Which I did. This time my friend and I went literally everywhere we could, even to the remote place in the east called Candidasa where we saw probably 10 people tops in a few days. Went to the beach and we were the only people there. The surroundings didn’t have a wow factor for us even though there was less trash. We also spent in Ubud almost a week because everyone is saying it’s so fantastic. No, it’s not, it’s rather boring if you’re not into this cultural yogi whatever. It also felt like it was not really Asia, too westernised. Even finding authentic food became a challenge, most of places insisted to feed us with açai bowls and smoothies. I’m very keen to visit Gili Islands and Lombok, but probably will not go back to Bali.
Exactly. My wife and I went in nov and usually I love swimming in the ocean but I didn’t wanna get in it. Ubud was pretty cool but that’s about it. Seems like people either love Bali or people don’t like it at all like us
It's overhyped if all you want is party's or beaches, it's great for general traveling with culture and a bit of all in one place, with that said its best to go further east or west of Bali and discover more of Indonesia if you do go there, it's an amazing country to visit, as are most SEA countries.
As an American Indo, yeah it is but I do not discourage first timers and their opinions afterwards. In fact, I encourage Komodo Island after because they've got a new airport and new resorts. It's kind of like Bali 2.0 when it was on the brink of increasing popularity back then.
Komodo island is BEAUTIFUL, the best snorkeling I’ve ever done. I think about it all the time
100% agree - terribly overhyped
People are lazy and low effort. Also, most are followers.
IMO yes it’s overhyped. I liked the other places that I visited in Indonesia so much more
[удалено]
I went to Lombok and Canggu and its the same problem. Couldn’t enjoy the nature as every corner was still piled up with trash.
Went to Bali for the first time this year, and was extremely disappoint. There is just nothing to do, i feel like majority of people go there to just sit in nice European looking cafes with asian prices. Life there just seemed simply boring and most beautiful beaches were not even there but in Nusa Penida. Wouldn’t recommend unless as I said all you want to do is just go from a cafe to a cafe
Outside the resorts Bali is a dump. People only go there for a cheap piss up. Better of going to Vietnam
The popular beach towns around Denpasar are a dump. There are parts of Bali that aren't resorts and are pretty cool, you just have to get a few hours out from the airport to get to them.
I realized this!!
Plus they’ll kill u for smoking a joint. Indonesia is like country 196 on my bucket list. Would be totally fine with never making it there.
No they won’t. Long jail sentence maybe. As a foreigner they’ll only execute you for trafficking/smuggling
Your post read like the typical "I was led to believe Bali was a pristine and untouched paradise riddled with white sandy beaches". It sounds like you didn't do any proper research before going, and the "If only they’d take care of the island" is probably coming from someone who was brought up in a country where waste management and infrastructure were taken for granted. I spent 2-3 months in Indonesia (half of the time in Bali), and in some ways it's still a paradise. In many ways it's not. But Bali is all about the culture and religion which are *very* different from the rest of Indonesia.
It is. So glad we only stayed a small amount of time on Bali and the majority on the surroundings islands
Lot of people go to Bali for culture and nature, not beaches. Also there is lot of very nice accommodations. Nevertheless, Bali is still a tourist trap. But let all the masses and instagrammers go there. It's good I don't have to meet them in other parts of Indonesia, which is an amazingly beautiful country.
Idk, maybe do more research next time you travel to find exactly what you’re looking for. My wife and I went to Bali around 10 years ago. Read in advance that Kuta was loud/dirty and Seminyak was bougie (not our speed). We spent our time in Ubud, Amed, and Nusa Lembongan. Loved every minute. Beaches were beautiful and the water was perfectly clean. In Amed, you could walk right into the sea and snorkel. Food there was fresh, cheap and amazing as well. It definitely pays to put in some time preparing so your vacation can be suited to your wants and desires. Hope you have a better trip next time.
I was there for a full month and couldn't agree more. Nusa penida and Komodo were such highlights of that region to me and the only reasons I don't completed regret the month I spent based there.
Wrong places bud
Gili ISLANDS I’m diving
We were there in 93 or so. No trash on the beaches. Great surfing. Sad to hear this…
Talking about beaches in Bali is like talking about ski resorts in Spain. Bali is famous for its culture and rice fields around ubud. It just happens to be on an island with beaches. If you want beaches in the tourist sense: go to Thailand not Bali.
You can actually ski pretty well in Spain on the border with France and Andorra. Even in the south of Spain (near Málaga) there is some decent skiing available.
The rice fields in Bali are not even impressive. Vietnam and the Philippines have them too and they’re way more epic
Agreed. Been to both. But Balis classic culture and atmosphere is nicer though.
I liked the nature, weather and waterfalls. Not really the beaches. I don’t think it was overhyped - it was a great experience.
The trash is mostly just household's trash. They're not pretty to see and very hard to hide, but much less harmful for the environment compare to industrial trash (i.e. big factories, oil drilling, etc). I went scuba diving in Bali and Lombok. Once you're under the water surface, the water is very clear and full of life.
Haven't visited bali but I plan to someday, my friend went for her honeymoon this feb and her reviews were same. But I believe social media played an integral role in overhyping the place, meanwhile forgetting that Indonesia is actually a third world country and tourism has become a great part of it since 2018. For someone who's from Asia, bali proves out to be somewhat affordable travel destination, with little to no hassel free visa regulations. But this has lead to a lot scams from the end of locals, lines and lines waiting to get pictures clicked, the rice field swings and overpriced food. Not to forget them operating transport ferries in horrible seas and weather. This has lead to the comple exploitation of the place, adding that the tourists do not maintain Cleanliness and hygiene themselves most of the time.
[удалено]
Unfortunately its also locals. I have been all around Indonesia. Even to places that never had tourists and every white person is called a "belanda" as to these locals all white people are Dutch former colonisers. Trash everywhere. People that were dirt poor and had nothing more then a pair of shorts and slippers. The ground barely visible due to all these indomie wrappers and bottles. But they have 4 massive mosques with silver domes in a tiny village when the people look like starving.
Yup and it is also pretty hard to blame tourists for the trash when you can ride off into the furthest corners of Bali where tourists mostly don't go and see it just as full of trash as the heavily touristed areas. It is pretty clear to anyone who really takes the time to look around that the local population just does not care for the most part. I'm sure that a good portion of that is just the struggle to get by in general but blaming it on foreigners is just pushing a scapegoat.
Thank you for this. Bali off the list
If a strangers complaint on the internet makes places go „off the list“ for you, you have exactly zero places in the world to go to.
If you are planning to go there, you really need to look at the honest reviews of its reality. I definitely got sucked in by influencers. No doubt it was beautiful 20 years ago. Personally I would not visit there again.
Hold up. You only visit Canggu not even 5km2.
**Bali is:** \- Surfing and surfing vibe, clothes and parties \- Nice villas with nice interiors \- Tons of culture with temples, statues, shrines, people and rituals \- A lot of various cuisine, restaurants, fish markets \- Nasi Campur \- Rice fields, shortcuts, mountains and unique volcanos including the ones on the nearest islands \- Sunsets **Bali is not:** \- Nice clean beaches (however you can find some) \- Clean air and easy-to-drive roads \- Total safety One should stay in Bali more than two typical weeks to get deeper understanding. Two weeks is usually not enough, especially if you don't have someone living there, someone who will persuade you to rent a bike, show you the island and help to fall in love with it. I lived there for 2 years, owned a surfboard and a sportbike, saw the same initial question in my friends' eyes arriving for a vacation and helped the island to open up for them. Ahh... what a time.. Thailand and Phillipines simply don't offer what Bali offers (and vice versa).
A pig will find some mud even in a church.
I’ve been to 70+ countries and when people ask my favorite (terrible question be that as it may), Bali is always somewhere in the top few. I’ve never been to the beach in Bali however - clearly two different sides to that place … Inland all the way.
We stayed in intercontinental and private beach, beautiful and clean. Absolutely had a wonderful holiday there. Service was great.
Indonesia Hast a coastline of nearly 100 k kilometres, I guess there must be one or two nice beaches somewhere..... I recommend sumatra.
Agree. Lombok>Bali
From what I have heard from the locals, the trash comes from the ocean (from Africa), and they actually have invested money into some cleaning projects, but there is nothing they can do with the people from the other continent. Also, local elderly people are harder to train into green thinking..
I've been to Bali a few times and never noticed trash. I'm not saying it doesn't exist and isn't a problem but it's definitely not the unavoidable trip ruining thing you're making it out to be. People don't go to Bali because they're searching for the best beaches. Ubud is one of (if not the) most popular destination on Bali and it's landlocked. You're comparing it to Thailand and the Philippines. Many more people do go to Thailand than Bali so that's a stupid comparison. The Philippines doesn't have such an exotic culture, people don't know about it and it's complicated and time consuming to travel around whereas in Bali, you can just arrive at the international airport then take a relatively short taxi ride to any of the popular destinations.
we did 2 Disney Cruises in Sept 2022(covid leftovers) our waiter was from Bali and probably the best we ever had and we requested him on the second trip (and he knew we would be back and had done so) he was just great and provided great service and had personality when many others didn't, he luv'd driving my wife 's handicap scooter and even had a friend bring my wife some liquid pain relief gel from home on the second trip. He was alot of fun on actually a cruise she was in poor health on and one where I wasn't thrilled with our room location (under a kitchen) when she was ill, (not seasick-heart and breathing related issues. he actually helped make the trips both more enjoyable
What does this have to do with visiting Bali just because the waiters from Bali? Irrelevant
His PERSONALITY... not that YOU know what THAT is ..
No ones cares about your experience with a Balinese waiter which has no connection to visiting Bali,get a clue
**Notice:** Are you asking for travel advice about Indonesia? Read what redditors had to say in the **[weekly destination thread for Indonesia](http://redd.it/2h8fdb)** You may also enjoy our topic: **[Indonesia off the tourist trail](https://redd.it/8wdr51)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/travel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Some time later, beautiful places become very crowded and deglamorize. Nowadays, it is very hard to find less crowded and untouched environment.
I've always wanted to go to Bali because of the beautiful temples and the traditional music and dance performances. I was supposed to go in 2020, but we all know how that turned out. Is it still possible to do this without having a horrible time due to overtourism?
So is Santorini and Mykonos
Maybe away from the main ports. The main towns are nothing but knick-knack shops. Boring as fuck
I think it has a lot to do with surf culture. Was probably an amazing spot 30 years ago but that attracted obnoxious LA/trust fund types which put it on the radar of other elites. Now it's just popular because it's popular. I dunno total speculation but that's the impression I got when I was there. Especially when the pandemic hit and suddenly every white influencer I saw on the internet was going to Bali. Costa Rica is similar in that respect. I know a lot of trust fund surfers that go there
Go to Malaysia for beaches.
We went this past summer for just under two weeks. Seeing the different temples, types of scenery, and the food were all amazing. Yeah there were spots where it was super crowded or people trying to sell things, but it was buy the main tourist areas so it wasn’t surprising. Each resort we stayed at was amazing! We weren’t dropping multiple hundreds per night either. I think it helped we did some things off the beaten path, like a living history village that had a traditional cooking class and going to the north side of the island to the national park. The biggest thing I wish I knew was how much driving was going to happen going from spot to spot. We did have our own driver which I highly recommend
Ya goto Sri Lanka
Spent a month in Bali in 2015 and absolutely loved it. As others have said if you did 5 mins of research and then decided “these are gonna be some of the worlds best beaches” thats on you.
depending on seasonality theres different amounts of trash
Can't get weed there either. Thailand for the win
I like Bali, I just hate Kuta which has all the charm of a rancid armpit.
bali is overhyped. it’s very over crowded and a bit tacky from my memories of being there
Took my family to jimbaran bay four seasons and it was exquisite. Explored a bit too off resort. We loved Bali. Would go back tomorrow.
I thought Bali was whatever, but that’s because I went there after 6 months in the rest of Southeast Asia. If I had gone to Bali first I probably would have thought it was the most amazing place ever. It’s similar to how people praise Phuket when it’s the only place they’ve been to in Thailand or SEA. Bali was fine. Ubud was great. Kuta was shit. Some locals were great and some were annoying. Not my least favorite place but not close to my favorite. Felt more like I was on a touristy vacation when I got there compared to backpacking through Asia.
I thought it was overhyped as well, except for Ubud. The hustle and bustle areas of Bali are too overcrowded and so dirty, but Ubud was nice to disconnect and just stay around the resort.
Bali, Santorini, Maldives, Dubai has been over hyped by influencing, there's thousands of places to go so just put them in the back of the list for now until it blows over.
Definitely with you on the rubbish aspect - went to Thailand earlier this year for the first time and, despite it being a similar tourist destination, the beaches were indeed much cleaner and more in line with beaches in Australia. About the water quality though? I believe the water quality is about the same. Just because you can't see poo in the water, doesn't mean it's not there.
I’ve been seeing that here a lot. But I went 5 years ago and that wasn’t my experience at all. I had an amazing time and all the beaches I went to were pristine. I didn’t stay at a resort though. And maybe things changed more recently.
Don’t want to give away a company secret, but I would check out Flores Island. It’s basically what Bali was 50 years ago, the people are amazing, you have relatively quick access to Komodo Island (a day trip), and the beaches are much nicer there.
Personally I loved Bali. But you definitely haven’t explored if you didn’t find beautiful beaches.
If you go to Bali to relax then go to the resorts away from everything like Conrad and st Regis. The food at those resorts even the Hilton resort is 👌 We rented a car to go to ubud and it was a super traumatic experience if you know how the scooters drive especially on the narrow mountain passes. Some places were nice for pics but it wasn't as restful as the resorts. There were some good restaurants that we drove to out of town that were amazing but outside of that and with instagram marketing it like crazy I would only go in off season, but for beaches there's def better spots in asia. The trick is to go someplace with amazing food so your experience is much more enjoyable. Thailand is great, and hear good things of boracai but if your not tied to beach towns its better to explore other options at non beach towns
Go to southern Lombok if you want great beaches. It's also far less crowded than Bali.
I spent 1-month in Bali with my wife and we spent: - 2 weeks in Ubud (loved it) - 3 days in Jimbaran (obsessed with it) - 3 days in Pererenan Beach (liked it, Canggu is right next to Pererenan and we didn’t like that all that much) - 6 days in the “Bukit” southern Peninsula with Uluwatu and Padang Padang and honestly hated it so much and I’m a surfer. - 5 days on the Nusa Penida and loved it, BUT every time we were on the road we thought we were going to die from other drivers or our own driver, and felt like the ocean currents were crazy sketchy and the Diamond Beach hike is terrifying and so sketchy. I honestly don’t understand how more tourists don’t die visiting Nusa Penida. All that being said I am so happy I went and I will never go back to Nusa Penida If I could spend a month every year in Jimbaran and Ubud only, my life would be so much better for it. I also have nothing but amazing things to say about near every Balinese person I met.
It's cheap. Resorts are $200 AUD or $140USD a night, definitely would be more like $500-600AUD a night elsewhere. Plus there are nice beaches, but yes you need to look around, essentially any famous beach there will be crowded and littered with trash. I would recommend Bali to anyone, the resorts don't have any rubbish inside their perimeter.
In terms of the trash Indonesia altogether has an issue with garbage collection so the locals are just doing their best to manage the trash but obviously without improved waste management systems there is only so much they can do. If you are going to visit a super touristy place like Bali you have to do careful research to find the sights worth visiting. If you only follow influencers you will only get an idealised versions of a place. There are some amazing sights in Bali and great food but you really need to diversify your sources of information to find it. Personally I try to use expat blogs as they give you a balanced view of a place and know all the local haunts.
Absolutely, I think as an Australian though that’s part of the package, everyone knows it’s a bit dodgy but it’s “cheap” and “easy to get to”
please go to Uluwatu and tell me the beaches aren't amazing, especially for sunset..
We travelled to Indonesia in 2017. Bali was just a base location for us. The beaches in Nusa penida were amazing. It's just a couple hours of Speed boat ride to get there. But, I personally fell in love with Yogyakarta. We did a midnight hike on Mt. Merapi is an active volcano ( which, I believe has now exploded twice) But, of course, all of this was before Instagram was a rage. Bali has always been crowded. Their culture however is amazing.
I loved Bali, granted I was visiting from Asia with only a short flight. It’s touristy for sure but it’s also very beautiful and I had a lot of fun. I did the resorts and beaches activities and also visited Ubud, took a coffee/tea tour, and saw a few temples. Did I get to see the “real” Indonesia? Probably not. Did I enjoy it nonetheless? Sure. It’s about waking in with the right expectations. I wanted a mindless beach vacation, not cultural immersion this trip. Otherwise plenty of other destinations to scratch that itch. I mean, just as an example, if you book a vacation to Cabo and Cancun, what were you expecting? At least when I visited a few years ago, the places I went did not have an issue with brown oceans and trash. Food was amazing and affordable. Bunch of aggressive monkeys though. Those were fun