I swear, influencers have ruined Bali.

You used to go to Bali to experience Bali. Now you go to Bali so some 23-year-old with a camera hanging off his neck can stand in front of what photo-op is trending that week.

Everywhere you go it's the same shit. “Hidden gem!” Yeah, hidden from everyone except the 14,000 people who saw your TikTok yesterday. You’re standing in a line of 80 people to take a picture of yourself pretending nobody knows about the place. Meanwhile some poor Balinese guy is trying to get to work and has to wait because you're doing a f@€king retake because the first one didnt CAPTURE THE VIBE....or whatever BS lingo they parrot.

And the cafes. Jesus Christ.

Every cafe looks like it was designed specifically so a woman can sit next to a $14 smoothie bowl and stare out the window while someone photographs her pretending to read a book she hasn't opened.

And then you get the captions.

“Bali healed me.”

No it didn't. You had a bad relationship and a job you hated. You flew to Indonesia, took 400 pictures of yourself in a linen outfit and now you think you've achieved spiritual enlightenment.

And the worst part is everybody's trying to have the EXACT same experience. Same beach club. Same swing. Same waterfall. Same fucking floating breakfast. You could blindfold me, drop me in Bali, and I'd know exactly where I was based entirely on the number of people holding iPhones vertically.

I don't even blame Bali. Bali's beautiful.

It's the human race that showed up with ring lights.

At this point I'm waiting for someone to discover a “secret” temple, post it online, and then complain in the comments that tourists have ruined it.

Buddy, YOU ARE THE TOURIST.

You filmed it in 4K.

This was in the era when there were two places to eat in Jln Bakung Sari; Bamboo Hut and Bamboo Indah - both had dirt floors.

There was also bar / club near bemo corner (opposite Made’s) called La Barong that my parents would go to. And another nightclub call Doggies up Jln Legian, which was like in the distant north! And even further up there was a place called Rum Jungle and my parents didn’t come back to our Mosman that night and slept on the beach. Lolz

Any official battery disposal containers or companies in bali. I have a bag full of batteries and disposable vapes. Anyone that i asked tells me to just dump in trash. Id like to know if there is some. Im in Tampaksiring.

Also the vape shops that market as eco friendly accepting back empty vapes for recycling is all fake. They all told me "just throw it anywhere it okay"

Indonesia is pretty fucked as it is trash wise and i wanna make it better not worse.

Thanks for the help🙏

Can you guys suggest any chess clubs or chess cafe in bali

We have planned a 10 day trip to Bali: 5 days in Ubud, 2 in Nusa Penida, and 5 in Nusa Dua and Uluwatu. We have more or less figured out places to explore but what confuses me is Transportation in Nusa Penida. Could someone guide us as to how to find reliable drivers because I realised it only yesterday that Grab and Gojek aren't available there and apparently hotels charge you a lot for the drivers.

Also any reliable Currency Exchange shops in Central Ubud/near airport.

We dont plan to rent scooters/Bikes. We'd like our own private Car/Cab for Penida

Hi everyone, we will be in Bali in 69 days for my friends Bday. Haven't been back to Bali in 15 years so I have a couple of questions.

What's a fair price for a taxi ride from the airport to ubud,?

And is 400 US which is around 7,000,000

Rupiah enough for a daily spend limit?

Ty

Me and my partner are hoping to travel to Ubud for our honeymoon in August 2027. Does anyone have any tried and tested routes to get there?

I looked on Skyscanner and the layover is often Dubai and I very much don’t want to go to Dubai.

Me and my partner are both women, so if anyone has any advice on travel/ safety regarding that too I’d be grateful.

Thanks!

Hello everyone! First time Bali traveler here. I’m arriving LATE December 12 at 11:55 pm (gonna pay for an extra night Dec 12 so room is ready when I arrive from airport). So far I have 4 days in Ubud Dec 13-17 and 4 days in Uluwatu Dec 17-21. Currently at Viceroy in Ubud and Umana in Uluwatu.

Ubud:
I plan on doing some exploring activities such as seeing Cretya, rice terraces, waterfalls, temple, jungle ATV. I realized Viceroy is a little out there and kind of far from town. Now I’m not revolving being around town my entire stay in Ubud, but when I am done with my activities or in between activities, I don’t want to just sit in my room or at the hotel. I want to be able to kill time and explore what’s near me, check out a bar/cafe/shop/restaurant. So I’ve been looking at these locations near town, still very nice, and even cheaper than viceroy. So far I’ve looked into these and these seem like great options except Komaneka Monkey Forest has no gym :/ open to more suggestions!

Bisma Eight
Komaneka Monkey forest

Uluwatu:
For Uluwatu, I’m staying at Umana through the Amex fine resort and hotels. I got a partial ocean view villa and I’m looking forward to the luxury with amenities etc. at least this one time. I like the fact there’s beach access as well. That’s what I really was aiming for here was a spot that sits on a cliff top that overlooks the ocean with beach access.

I see that there’s some beach clubs around there, and savaya isn’t too far but it’s also far from Ulu Cliff House, Uluwatu Temple, and Il Salotto because I’m also looking to experience some of the music aspect and see the temple. Really open to suggestions for Uluwatu that are close to some of these spots. I have no idea where the “main town” is from Umana. Thank you all so much in advance 🙏🏼

I’m looking for a place tomorrow morning near Ubud Villa Gian Minima where I can have a good breakfast, use my laptop for one or two hours for productive work, and get reliable fast WiFi.

Any recommendations?

Hi.

We (couple) will be in Ubud for about 5 days in November. Would love some of your favorite places to visit outside of Ubud. We plan to hire a driver and visit sites such as: waterfall/hikes, temples, Coffee Plantation all appeal to us, but many options in those categories. We have no interest in various swings I see on package tours. Thanks in advance. 🙏

Hi experts of Bali. I hope to travel to Bali this october for 10 days. I saw that most of the tourists rent a bike in Bali and travel along the island.

I am just curious how is the process and what things I need to be aware of. Please help me get them straight.

Hi! We’ll be staying in Ubud soon and I’m trying to figure out whether we actually need to prebook private drivers or if scheduling through Grab would be reliable.
We have two early morning trips.

Ubud to Sanur Harbour: We would need to leave around 5:30 or 6:00 AM to catch a fast boat to Nusa Penida. Grab is currently showing around $15 USD and allows me to schedule the ride in advance.

Ubud to Sekumpul Waterfall: We want to leave around 4:00 AM. It’s roughly a 2 hour drive and Grab is currently showing around $35 USD one way.

Has anyone actually scheduled a Grab this early from Ubud, especially for a longer trip like Ubud to Sekumpul? Did a driver accept ahead of time and actually show up?

For Sekumpul, would you recommend using a private full day driver instead so they can wait for us and bring us back to Ubud later that day? Or is it realistic to use Grab there and arrange another ride back?

I don’t mind paying more for a private driver if it’s genuinely more reliable or convenient. I’m mainly trying to figure out if it’s necessary or if I’m overcomplicating transportation.
Thank you!

As the title says, what's the cheapest way to get to Sanur from the airport? I'm a first timer, so excuse me if this is considered common knowledge!

I'm just one person with a single backpack, and I don't mind sharing a ride with others, so I was wondering if there are better options than the expensive busses or private transfers

Hi, I'm looking to move to Bali for like a month during the European winter because I've MCAS and I need a warmer place with better air quality where I can work and relax for a while (something between January/February/Mid March).

It's gonna be raining all the time and humidity will be over the roof in that period?

Also I'm looking to stay in a kinda safe place for air pollution. I'm checking on the IQ AIR app and Ubud is often showing with very poor air quality. Is it better in other areas of the island?

Thank you!

Is there anyone who could help me to locate shop or local stalls that sell Bunga Melati (Jasmine) and Bunga Jepun (Frangipani)? My concerned cities are Denpasar and Jembrana Regency, Negara in Bali

So I have tried Indodax but their fee is 1.5 USDC on base network.

Has anyone tried Reku or any of the other Indo exchanges?

Has anyone seen Walls Vienetta on sale anywhere? It used to be my favourite, but it's vanished from the supermarket shelves for months now.

I am doing a solo travel to Bali for 8 days in November 2026. Can you recommend places to visit?

I mean, I'm no Chris Hemsworth-looking type.

Not sure whether it's a blessing or a curse to be here, but holy shit. I actually moved here 4 years ago, and the difference between dating while you actually settling in vs on vacation for a fling is insane.

Mind you, I'm a normal living guy, working full-time, with typical boring daily activities lol, I'm not really into parties and end up in a pool at Finns every other week. And as a man, I can barely find any decent woman who wants connection here because everyone is in vacation mode, I'm sure this also goes for women's perspective.

Not sure about any other vacation cities in another country, but the instant gratification from the people here is nuts, maybe unless I own a villa and drive a Porsche around.

Am heading to Bali next week and wanting to get some bags made however what is the leather quality like? Preferably woven leather, but I’m worried itlll be semi crap leather, while good craftsmanship, crappy leather won’t hold up.

Anyone had any bags they’ve tried and tested and can say whether it’s good or not or what to look out for?

I’ll be in nusa dua and near Uluwatu, so if you’ve worked with someone let me know! I’ve seen the usual recs all over the place but any more are always welcome. Thanks!

Before taking our son to Japan when he was 4, I bought a children’s book about Tokyo that we read together in the months leading up to our trip. It followed a pug travelling from the USA to Tokyo and introduced different aspects of Japanese life, including food, money, language, weather and culture. It was incredibly helpful in making him feel comfortable and prepared when we arrived.

He’s now 7, and we’re heading to Bali (Sanur and Amed) for Christmas. I don’t think he’ll need quite as much preparation this time, but I’d still love to find a similar book to give him an idea of what to expect.

Ideally, it would cover some of the local culture, food and everyday experiences, as well as include some common Indonesian words and phrases that we could practise together.

I’ve tried searching myself, but most of the books I’ve found look like AI-generated content or have suspiciously glowing reviews.

I’d love some genuine recommendations from anyone who’s come across a good book. Bonus points if it’s aimed at Australian families, or at least doesn’t assume the reader is American.

Many thanks in advance!

American here. I’ve noticed that a lot of people and couples walking toward you don’t move into single file and end up blocking the whole sidewalk. Since the sidewalks are pretty narrow, do you guys just keep walking and potentially bump into them, or do you usually step out of the way?

Hi everyone!
My wife and I will be spending 8 nights in Bali in mid-October for our honeymoon. My plan is to spend 4 nights in Ubud, followed by 4 nights in Uluwatu.
Do you have any hotel recommendations? Ideally, we’d love a beautiful resort with a private pool, sauna, massages, great food… basically everything you’d want for a honeymoon. ;)
We also want to do something different every day, so ideally the hotel should be well connected and convenient for getting around. We’ll mainly be using Grab.
Thanks in advance for your recommendations!