10 things I Loved and Hated About Bali

When my husband and I booked our trip to Bali I was excited but also overwhelmed. Even though I’m a seasoned traveler and have planned many vacations, I was overwhelmed by the number of things to do and places to go in Bali. As someone who hates FOMO, I was worried we would miss out on some incredible opportunities if I didn’t plan our trip correctly and pack in as much as possible.

Well, now that we’ve spent almost two weeks in Bali, exploring two very popular areas, Seminyak and Ubud, plus one more remote location, Sumberkima, I have so much information to share with you.

First, I want to give you a general overview of Bali, including the things we loved and hated. Then I will share with you a comprehensive list of the things to do in the places we visited in Bali (including the places/things that we thought were total tourist traps) because ultimately, I want you to make your own decision about the things you want to do and see in Bali.

My ultimate goal with this post is to provide you with enough context about Bali so understand what it’s like but also give you enough info that you can pick and choose the activities and sites that work for you. So with that said, let’s dive in!

A Quick Note: My husband and I traveled to Bali a year ago, at the end of 2019. Obviously, things are drastically different now because of COVID-19. Currently, they are only letting in foreigners who have a resident permit. Please check with the Indonesian Government and your country’s travel guidelines before booking a trip to Bali.

Where is Bali?

Bali is one of over 17,000 islands that make up the archipelago nation of Indonesia, in Southeast Asia. Bali is east of the Indonesian island Java and west of the Indonesian island Lombok, surrounded by the Java sea.

Interesting to note is that while Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world, Bali is a Hindu-majority province, with over 80% of the island population adhering to Balinese Hinduism.

Bali is known for its popular resort towns, iconic religious sites, rice terraces, and volcanic mountains surrounded by lush green jungles.

Getting to Bali

Getting to Bali can be relatively easy or difficult, depending on where you are traveling from. When my husband and I went, we were traveling from India. We only had to take two short flights, connecting through Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before arriving in Denpasar, the capital city and main gateway to the island.

If you are traveling from further afield, my advice is to try to transfer through the Middle East, or one of the larger airports in Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur) rather than flying into Jakarta, for smoother transit.

I’ve done layovers in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi. All of the airports in these places are fantastic and because these destinations are major travel hubs, they offer day tours where you can leave the airport to explore the city.

Related: Why You should do a layover in Doha, Qatar

Pro Travel Tip: It’s kind of a well-known secret that hotel rates for the top, 5 star hotels are significantly cheaper in Kuala Lumpur than elsewhere in Asia. If you want to do an overnight layover to or from Bali, I highly recommend taking advantage of the cheap hotel rates in Kuala Lumpur.

The Thee Places We Visited in Bali:

Seminyak – A beach resort town with chic restaurants, boutiques, hotels, and pool clubs. There is definitely a bit of a party vibe here, especially during the holidays. We loved our stay in Seminyak. Our only regret is that we didn’t have time to check out neighboring Canggu, a hood where many digital nomads live, with a similar vibe to Seminyak but more laid back. I also highly recommend Uma Sapna, the hotel we stayed in with our own private villa and plunge pool.

Sumberkima – This is a very rural, isolated part of Bali in the Northwest of the island. There is a larger Muslim population here and we heard the call to prayer from the mosques numerous times per day. I wish I could tell you more about Sumberkima but this is when my husband and I both got Bali Belly so we were sick for most of our time here and didn’t have a chance to explore. (Read more about this below.) However, we did love our stay at Sumberkima Hill Retreat, where we had a private villa and an infinity pool with incredible views!

Ubud – Once a serene, hippy destination for yogis and spiritual seekers, as Elizabeth Gilbert described it in her memoir, Eat Pray Love, the town has now succumbed to over-tourism and commercialization. (Read more about my opinion of Ubud below). Despite my mixed feelings about Ubud itself, we loved our stay at Dedary Kriyamaha, where we also had a private villa and pool.

Things I loved About Bali

1. The hospitality of the Balinese people

First and foremost, I have to talk about how wonderful, warm, and hospitable the Balinese people are. Every single person we met was kind, gracious, and friendly. They were open in talking to us, learning about where we came from, and equally as open in telling us about their lives. My heart goes out to the Balinese people right now because so many of them depend on tourism dollars for their livelihood. I know this is the case in many places in the world, so I truly hope that things get better soon for everyone who depends on tourism and travel to make a living.

2. The Balinese décor and design

I completely fell in love with the chic and bohemian design and décor we found all over Bali. In Seminyak, one of the popular resort towns, everything took on more of a high-end beachy vibe. (Canggu and Uluwatu have a similar vibe to Seminyak.) Just as visually compelling but different, the décor in Ubud took inspiration from the surrounding jungle and greenery.

Everywhere we went was eye candy and inspiration for us. It’s one of the things we loved most about Bali. All I can say is I can’t wait until I live by the beach and use Balinese design elements to decorate our home!

3. The private villas and plunge pools at most accommodations

While there are larger hotels in Bali like the W Hotel in Seminyak, the majority of hotels in Bali offer private villas with plunge pools for accommodations. There is something so luxurious about having your own private villa with a pool! We loved the three different villas we stayed in during our trip. But if we had to choose just one as our favorite, hands down it’s the villa we stayed in at Sumberkima Hill Retreat with our own private infinity pool!

4. The abundance of vegan & vegetarian food options

When my husband and I lived in India, we stuck to a vegetarian diet. So we were ecstatic when we discovered how many vegan and vegetarian restaurants there are in Bali. From Kynd Cafe (one of the originals) in Seminyak and Peloton Supershop in Canggu to Lovacore in Ubud, you could easily spend your entire trip in Bali eating solely vegan and vegetarian food.

Pro Travel Tip: One of the best apps to use to find vegan food – all over the world – is HappyCow. You can also do a search on Pinterest for the best vegan restaurants in Bali and you’ll get hundreds of posts with recommendations of where to find the best vegan food all over the island.

5. The famous (or infamous) floating breakfasts

Love it or hate it, the floating breakfasts of Bali have blown up all of our social media feeds the past couple of years. I admit, this is definitely a touristy gimmick but we did it anyway and loved it!

Think about it. How could you not love breakfast served to you on a beautiful floating tray in your own plunge pool? Every resort you stay at will offer this so my advice is to do it once and take all of the photos to your heart’s content and then move on!

Things I Didn’t Love About Bali

1. The over tourism of Ubud

I really, really, really wanted to love Ubud. After everything I’ve heard and read about this spiritual town full of yoga and meditation retreats and the iconic rice terraces, I was so excited to finally visit. But the reality for me was mostly a disappointment. I was shocked at how touristy it was and how all of the things that the many travel bloggers I follow recommended doing are bonafide tourist traps, like the Tegallalang rice terraces, the famous Bali swing, Tirta Empul – the water temple, and the monkey forest.

Please understand that this is not a rant against tourism or making money from tourism. There are many places I visit where I know I’m a tourist and I embrace it. But I had such different expectations of what Ubud would be like compared to what it was. I liken it to Tulum, Mexico, another place that once had a bohemian, laid-back, and spiritual vibe and now has become too popular for its own good.

That said, there were things about Ubud I loved, including Dedary Kriyamaha, the resort we stayed in, about 20 minutes outside of town. We also had some incredible meals, including a high-end, 6 course, vegetarian experience at Lovacore, and NY style pizza at Dumbo Bali.

2. The traffic

Be forewarned that especially during the high season, the traffic in Bali is horrendous. We experienced it firsthand in Seminyak when we walked back to our hotel each evening. The streets were clogged with cars and mopeds moving at a snail’s pace. Thankfully, we were able to walk most places that we wanted to go to and did not need to rely on a car, but we heard people complaining that a ride from Canggu to Seminyak (6 mi / 10.5 km) could take over an hour! The traffic getting into and around Ubud was also horrendous. Definitely factor in traffic when you plan your trip to Bali.

3. Bali belly

I pride myself on having a pretty strong stomach. Case in point – I lived in India for half a year with no issues! But unfortunately, on this trip, Bali Belly got me good! What is it you might ask? Essentially it’s an upset stomach that could lead to diarrhea and/or vomiting.

When I got sick in the middle of our trip, I was down for the count for about 3 days. It wasn’t a nightmare like food poisoning – but I had a bad stomachache, a low-grade fever, and lethargy. To get better, I drank a ton of bottled water and an electrolyte drink (basically the local version of Gatorade) and ate plain vegetable broth and bananas. (Thankfully, the resort where we were staying was able to accommodate my basic food needs.)

Pro Travel Tip: Ever since this incident, I now make sure to travel with probiotics, activated charcoal, Travelan, and elderberry supplements, all things that help to promote your immune system and help with travel-related illnesses.

4. The crowds

I knew  Bali would be crowded because we were traveling there over the Christmas and New Year holidays. But I didn’t expect it to be quite as crowded as it was. If I could plan this trip over again, (or when I have the opportunity to go back), I won’t go during the holiday season. I would prefer to go during the shoulder season when it is likely to be less crowded. For one thing, it will easier to enjoy popular sites, and it will also be easier to book accommodations and restaurant recommendations.

If you want to plan a trip to Bali and the only time you can go is during the holidays, my top recommendation is to book your accommodations as early as you can because the hotels and resorts sell out quickly.

5. The beaches

I was not that impressed with the beaches in Bali. Granted, I have not been to the beaches yet in Uluwatu, which are some of the best on the island, but in general, compared to other parts of Asia (Thailand and the Philippines for example), the beaches are not that beautiful. It’s also dangerous to go swimming because of the rough surf and large waves. However it is a bit of a surfer’s paradise, and I will say that we saw some pretty spectacular sunsets on the beach. It’s just not the white sand beaches with turquoise waters that you find in other places.

Some Bali Recommendations

Below is a shortlist of places we loved and I highly recommend adding them to your list if you plan to visit Bali.

In Seminyak, Bali:

Uma Sapna – The gorgeous, intimate resort we stayed at in Seminyak. They also have an incredible restaurant on the premises that I highly recommend for dinner one night (whether or not you stay at the hotel).

Mrs. Sippy Bali – One of the many pool clubs in Seminyak (because you can’t really swim at the beach). The vibe here reminded us of Ibiza and we loved it. I highly recommend making a reservation for a lounge area in advance.

Kynd Cafe – Whether you’re vegan or not, this is a great restaurant worth checking out for the design alone (the food is pretty great too!). Don’t miss their vegan ice-cream parlor next door after you finish your meal.

Motel Mexicola – A large, fun Mexican restaurant that gets a raucous crowd. It’s a great place to go with a large group of people. We felt like it was Tulum meeting Bali, in a good way!

Potato Head Beach Club – Another fabulous and chic pool club and resort that’s set right on the beach. This one was our favorite. We loved the bohemian vibe and music here.

Mama San – Incredible Asian fusion food in a setting that totally reminded us of our home town, Brooklyn. I highly recommend this restaurant for dinner.

In Sumberkima:

Sumberkima Hill Retreat – While our villa and infinity pool was outstanding, the actual area felt a little too remote for us.

On the way to Ubud and in Ubud, Bali:

Ulun Danu Temple – This is a famous Hindu temple that is on the way to Ubud. We are glad we visited but it was packed!

Dedary Kriyamaha – We loved our private villa and pool at this resort. The staff was super friendly and hospitable. The only downside is that it’s a 20-minute drive to the center of Ubud. If we had to do it again, we would stay somewhere that is walking distance to town because of the relentless traffic.

Dumbo Bali – Great, NY style pizza and Italian food and a very cool vibe.

Lovacore – This restaurant is very expensive but if you are a foodie and appreciate a 6-course tasting meal with exquisite service, this place is worth it.

Tirta Empul – The famous water temple. I’m glad we saw this but it was another site that was overly crowded.

Watercress Cafe – A great outdoor café with organic salads, burgers, smoothies, and coffees.

Campuhan Ridge Walk – We enjoyed this but do it early before it gets too hot.

Monkey Forest – It is cool to see the monkeys but it’s another site that’s quite crowded and many tourists do not follow the rules and try to feed the monkeys. (This is in part why they have become so aggressive.)

Are You Ready to Plan a Trip to Bali?

I hope that my honest critique of Bali helps you plan your own trip to this beautiful, Indonesian island. As I said, there are plenty of things to do here. It’s just a matter of figuring out what your preferences are.

After visiting three very distinct and different parts of Bali, my husband and I realize that we are more beach/pool people than jungle and mountain people. If we make it back to Bali (which I hope we do!) I plan to check out Uluwatu, and the neighboring islands of Nusa Penida and Lombok, both of which are full of beaches!

Now I’d love to hear from you! Have you been to Bali? If so, what did you love and hate about it? What recommendations do you have? Please share below so everyone in the Let’s Be Merry community can add your tips to our travel lists.

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