Bali is a mixed bag overall. It has been overhyped for years now. Hipsters from all over the world have been coming here for cheap luxury and Instagram sotries. Filtered Instagram pics that show what the author wants to show are one thing, reality is quite another.

I have been to Bali as a digital nomad three times by now - first time was pre-covid and twice in a row post-covid. And yes, I keep coming back, it is not a bad place - there are things that are worth coming for here and there are other things that you might expect to find but won’t find here.

Here’s my short no-bullshit digital nomad guide to Bali.

The good

It is cheap

This is it really!

For all the youth (myself included) with around or above-average western incomes, who can not affort true luxury, Bali is great. Both accommodation and food cost several times less than what those would cost in Europe.

Hipster smoothie bowls with ripe avocados, dragonfruit, all kind of hipster-loved seeds (chia?) and the like for Instagram? 10+ EUR in Europe. Easily ~3 EUR in Bali.

Regular local main in the restaurant? 1-3 EUR - some 10x cheaper than one would pay in Europe. Of course, there are also some higher-end restaurants, but those are relatively cheap as well. For example, I had lunches and dinners for two with some drinks in Hilton and Conrad holels in Bali and paid 20-50 EUR total - that’s still some 2x less than what it would cost in Europe in a similar setting.

Affordable luxury

Want a private villa overlooking the ocean with a private infinity pool, a garden, staff like gardener, maid and a private chef included? I’ve had success for as little as 60 EUR per night during Covid recovery, nowadays that’s ~100 EUR upwards per night. Still, that’s the price of some tiny studio apartment in Spain or Portugal nowadays.

Villas with pools, cheap food, fresh fruit are my thing. Combine that with warm (hot), often sunny weather. Very convenient for digital nomading. Exercise, eat, chill, swim, work, sleep (in any order). That’s why I come to Bali.

Massages

If you are staying in Seririt or Lovina area (and those are the best places to rent a spacious private villa in my experience), do check out Ami Home Spa.

For 12-20 EUR, you can have therapists arrive to your home and give you an excellent massage.

The bad

Beaches

It is more than fair to say that there are no good beaches in Bali. There are no beaches at all in the north (despite Google Maps labeling some places as “beaches”). Those are shores, not beaches. There are a few somewhat average beaches in the south (although quite dirty).

If you want to spend time in the beach by the sea - don’t come to Bali - you will be disappointed.

Disclaimer: I am from Lithuania and we have long, sandy, clean beaches on the Baltic Sea coast. My standards for beaches are very high. They must be sandy (stony beaches are fine too though!) and they must be clean. If there is some sand, but the water is all dirty and full of plastic and what not - this does not qualify as a beach. It is gross. Welcome to Bali beaches.

Garbage and pollution

Garbage and pollution partially contirbute to absence of beaches in Bali. The sea is beautiful from the distance, but once you get closer, it is really gross. Plastic, old clothes and what not all over the place. It is very very polluted with all kinds of garbage.

Once, I went dolphin watching in Lovina area in North Bali. Dolphin watching is one of the reasons people go to North Bali. Reality, however, was that I went garbage watching, not dolphin watching. Yes, there were many beautiful dolphins swimming around and jumping from the sea of garbage. It was ptiful to watch.

I don’t know how people who claim this is a good experience are able to block their senses and ignore the garbage part. I even saw folks try to snorkel near the dolphins (in the sea of garbage) and had to constantly take off the next plastic bag that got wrapped around their mask. Insane.

Stray dogs

There are just too many of them. And yes, some of them have rabbies and are dangerous.

It is not possible to walk around the village in peace (unless it is a crowded place in Ubud/Denpasar area). When there are no people around, the strays will get out to the street and bark at any passers-by. They somewhat ignore the locals, but like to pester foreigners. Which is one more reason to not ride a scooter but rent a car instead.

The shores (there are no beaches in Bali, remember?) are also full of stray dogs, so even if the garbage does not bother you, the strays will. They are territorial and will bark and show their teeth if you walk where they don’t want you to walk. So strolls around the shore are also not a pleasant experience that one can have in Bali.

The meh

Getting around, traffic, driving

Most tourists rent scooters to get around. While it can be fun, I personally do not ride scooters anymore. I find it inconvenient in hot climate and recommend renting a car instead. A lot of folks will warn against driving in Bali on your own, but don’t listen to them. Driving in Bali is fine. Yes, it is chaotic, slow and all. But I have been finding it totally acceptable. You get used to driving at 30kph on average and to the fact that to cover 100km you will usually need more than three hours. The island is small otherwise and you don’t have to corss it every day.

You can find car rental companies that will arrange car deliveries for you via WhatsApp well before your trip. I have been paying ~25 euros per day for a brand new automatic SUV.

Do get an international driving permit so that your insurance is not voided in case you do get into an accident. And do have insurance (I personally use a credit card that also adds rental car insurance when I’m travelling).

Alcohol is relatively expensive

For a drinking/partying scene, there surely are cheaper places than Bali. Thailand perhaps? In Cambodia and Vietnam, alcohol is dirt cheap. Alcohol can still be affordable in Bali (or, somewhat comparable to Europe), but way more expensive when put in contrast with how cheap everything else is. I personally don’t mind that and it also helps to have a break and consume less alcohol for a bit while I’m here.

Where to stay

South

As a Hilton loyalist, I can recommend both the Hilton Bali Resort and the Conrad Bali on very southern end of the island. Sometimes you can find reasonable offers for points in those two properties (~50k/night, fifth night free).

There is also a Garden Inn by the airport which is convenient for a pre or after flight crash. This one also has a self-service laundry (expensive by local standards, expect to pay some 5-6 euros per use, but very convenient). I read that some folks also choose it to score some cheap Hilton nights (last time I stayed there it was some 40 euros per night cheap).

I tried an Airbnb (even one advertised as Airbnb Plus) in the south once and ended up being hugely disappointed. The price was way above the northern counterparts, and the quality was way below. This is easily observed by browsing the Airbnb listings as well. In my mind, south is a good place to stay in a hotel/resort, while the best villas are in the north.

North

Go for the Airbnb villas in Lovina area. The ones above Lovina overlooking the bay and the sea are truly amazing.

Bear in mind (or even watch out before you book), that many villas there have so called “traditional” roofs. Oftentimes those roofs have openings to the outside (bedrooms are normally fully isolated and air conditioned) and “tropical nightlife” will wander into the villa at night, leaving it quite messy in the morning. I find it a bit annoying, but some folks might not like it at all.