21 Things You Will Hate About Bali- What They Don’t Tell You

So you finally made it to Bali.

You’ve been dreaming about this time for the longest.

Except you are now having a hard time understanding what the hype was all about. You often catch yourself disliking the island of the Gods.

This blog will highlight 21 reasons why you might hate Bali and what to do.

But I go one step further, I will also give you some savvy tips to help turn things around and make the best of your stay.

So let’s dive in!

Crazy traffic

Welcome to Bali!

And this is the very first thing I noticed.

Actually wait!

I might be lying a little bit. The very first thing I noticed when I exited the airport was how green everything was and the warmth of the locals.

But wait!

This is the wrong blog.

This current blog will be focusing, not on the positive, but on everything that will drive you a little bit crazy about the island of the Gods.

So yes, before I digress again…

The second the car took off from the airport, I got the proper Bali welcoming and the ride took way longer than it should have.

Oh to be stuck in traffic !

Savvy Tip: If you really need a car transfer, give yourself plenty of time to get where you need to go

Scooters run the place

Which brings us to this next point.

There is a reason why almost everyone and their grandmother is riding a scooter.

And when in Rome, I recommend you do as the Romans do.

Savvy Tip: Use Gojek taxi service to order a scooter and get around the city. I used it for a whole month and couldn’t recommend it enough.

Bali is expensive

You might be shock to find out it’s not as cheap as you thought.

Maybe it’s just me.

I spent my whole life hearing people praise about how cheap Southeast Asia was.

Well as a Canadian from Montreal, I was quite surprised to find the prices up to par. My rental was more or less the same.

Yes of course there is always a way to do things cheap.

No shade but I am just not a hostel girlie. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Indonesia was only my second country in that area.

The only comparable experience I had was Nepal where I spent 3 months travelling and living there.

So all this to say that I was beyond surprised.

I do understand that part of the problem is there is major gentrification going on.

Sadly this is a bit of complex thing going on in so many places around the world.

Savvy Tip: Know that there is more to Indonesia than Bali. And even if you are dead set focused on Bali, there is so much more than Canggu.

Spread a little bit outside and you will notice the prices will drop significantly while still giving you a pristine landscape.

No sidewalk, bad infrastructure

Yes this is major problem.

Especially for someone like me who just loves to walk, move and be active.

I did it anyway and some days I would walk 45 min to my destination or back home

Savvy tip for the girls: Not trying to be an alarmist , but as per usual as a woman Please be extra careful.

Since Bali has such big cozy vibes, it can be easy to throw your major safety rules out the window. But as usual, stay alert, avoid walking late at night by yourself. etc

Too many expats

In a way, we’re all contributing to the problem, aren’t’ we?

You will quickly notice there are so many expats.

I thought it was so weird to see so many English signage all over the place.

Also you will notice that for whatever reason, Bali is quite popular with French expats also. This is something I definitely will have to look deeper into.

Savvy tip: Try your best to mingle a bit with the locals. Now I’m not asking you to go to their house. It can be from simply taking a little time to have actual meaningful conversations.

For example, one of my favourite encounter was this deep convo I had with this 19 yr old scooter driver at 6 am en route to my aerial Yoga at Udara Bali.

It’s very fulfilling to connect with the locals and hear about their aspirations and dreams. So I invite you to slow down and take the time.

Influencer / Digital Nomad culture

Kinda piggybacking on the previous point. But to be fair, there is a difference between expats and influencer culture.

The advent of so many people working from the internet and influencer culture has definitely brought some interesting challenges in many places around the world.

And we can argue that Bali might be a victim of this in its own way.

Some times it really does feel like an amusement park for the privileged to come and work hard and play harder.

At the same time, we can’t deny that it brought a lot of opportunities for the locals also. This influx of foreigners has become part of Bali’s economy whether we like it or not.

Savvy tip: I don’t have all the answers here. All I can say is to remember how privileged your situation might be compared to some locals and to always treat everyone with kindness and respect. It always drives me insane when I see foreigners haggling locals over 1$ which most likely won’t make any difference in their lives while having a massive impact on the locals livelihood.

Wealth disparity & Gentrification

We already kind of touched on this in a way.

This is not just a Bali problem but a human and greed problem. Something we’re seeing happening increasingly more with globalization.

Savvy tip: This is the same tip as the previous section. There is pressing need for us to become better consumers. Not just to be hip and green washing but because it is our responsibility to others and to our planet to be more responsible both to our resources which aren’t as unlimited as we like to believe and also for our fellow human beings.

How they ask you to leave google reviews everywhere you go

As a business owner myself, I do get it.

Trust me I do 🫣

Times are tough, running a business is nonstop headaches. Competition is fierce in the hospitality and food industry.

And things are different nowadays, the internet is just an integral part of life now.

So Bali being a cutting edge market, you will quickly notice that people will ask you for google reviews wherever you go.

It is what it is.

And hey I respect the hustle!

As I love saying: “we all gotta eat somehow” 🤷🏾‍♀️

Savvy tip: If you don’t want to participate, kindly decline respectfully.

Or some days, I would turn it into a nice little game and channel my love for writing into crafting great reviews and supporting the businesses I want to see thrive.

Retreats galore

Ok I’m so guilty here,

Bali is a retreat galore and for good reason.

But like I said, I also love to host women embodiment retreat in Bali so I get this part. 🤭

Not only in Bali but I do those retreats all around the world in places that inspire me such as the beautiful Malta and Spain.

I do understand the Bali pull though.

It is absolutely magical so of course it makes sense.

It’s the perfect set up for all wellness retreat and to let go, disconnect and reconnect within.

Most importantly, it’s the perfect opportunity to come back refreshed and renewed.

I am so grateful to be able to hold women transformative retreats in Bali where I guide you and use the power of music and dance to heal and transform.

My next divine feminine embodiment retreat is right around the corner. Get in touch through my IG @stefbarti for up to date info 🙂

In our fast paced world, we need to stop every so often and reconnect with ourselves and press the reset button.

Savvy tip: If you can’t beat’em join’em? You never know! Keep an open mind, you might also find something that really appeal to you. There are so many types of retreats, its insane. So many possibilities 💗

Spotty and slow Internet speed in some area

Now I can deal with all sorts of misfortunes. I have a very high tolerance and capacity to go with the flow. But this is one thing that absolutely drives me insane.

Depending on where you are, you might find that you struggle with WIFI a little bit. I noticed that it really depends on the time and place. For example, the internet always seemed a bit slower in the evenings at my rental.

Than again, no one else seemed to be having this problem.

For sake of transparency, I need to say that my internet problem is mostly in the rentals I would go to.

The landlord would insist on having the best internet only for me to experience something totally different.

On the other hand, most coffee shops had decent connection. So as long as you are not planning to work from home and spend time at various coffee shops or co-working space, you should be ok.

Savvy tip: On a bright side, it’s not an island wide problem. If you are staying in Canggu, I noticed that the main area tends to be hit or miss. Perhaps you might want to spend more time in the surrounding areas such as Pererenan. I noticed the internet was a little better and more stable there.

Canggu

Now Canggu is one of the action pack neighbourhood of Bali.

It was not love at first sight for me. It is chaotic, loud, packed and fast paced.

But it slowly grew on me.

I did not like it at first but now I see why Canggu is attractive. It’s a bit of a work life balance mecca.

Canggu has everything. Think the best gyms with the best professionals in their fields and also the cutest coffee shops. Then throw in all sorts of services like spa and laundry etc.

There is a reason I keep calling it the work-life balance playground for adults.

Savvy tip: Some people say you either hate it or love it. I don’t know. In some cases, it can totally grow on you also. But if you don’t like it, there are so many other areas you can try such as Ubud, the zen city, or sideman, the adventure spot. There is so much more to Bali than Canggu.

Seminyak and Kuta sleazy party culture

I guess that’s what happens when you have so many expats with disposable income and limited time but eager to have a “good time”.

Let’s face it, not everyone is in Bali for a spiritual endeavour.

So there are many places that feel like Ibiza or spring break. I spoke to a few friends who came from those areas and just couldn’t wait to keep it moving.

Savvy tip: Again, if it doesn’t appeal to you, just avoid it and keep it moving.

Bali can be overwhelming

Bali and especially the Canggu area can be super overwhelming with the nonstop noise and happenings.

Savvy tip: I find that there is still plenty of places that are not so packed where you can get a respite. Once again, get away from the super popular spots and try to discover new things.

Never ending construction

Related to the previous point in a way.

There are so much construction happening in Bali and especially in the Canggu and Ubud area.

I was not expecting that at all. They even start super early and finish late into the night.

Savvy tip: That is something that you just have to deal with. The popularity of Bali means that more people will try to get a piece of the cake. I find that getting away from my rental and escape to a coffee shop helps during the day.

And at night, I just hope that the nearby construction crew has already packed for the day. On the bright side, my host told me that constructions finish at breakneck speed.

Natural Landscape Destruction

With construction comes another problem. And that is the rapid disappearance of those beautiful rice fields. Like they say in life, nothing stays the same , everything changes.

It’s just heartbreaking to watch so many beautiful rice fields getting ravaged to create those hip coffees. The tragedy is that so many end up quite empty, or abandoned, later as competition in Bali is fierce.

Savvy tip: Not much to say here besides taking this as a gentle reminder for us to be more mindful consumers.

Beware of “bait and switch”: Not getting what you signed up for

Also please note that new constructions also mean that you might have booked a place online for their perfect rice fields view only to get there 6 months later and be shocked to find that prized view is now entirely obstructed by a new construction.

Savvy tip: If this is super important for you, book places with flexible cancellation policies. Then keep in touch with the property to reconfirm. Do ask for the latest development closer to your arrival date.

Difficult surfing conditions

Ok so this is a your mileage may vary situation.

I recently fell in love with surfing. My very first experience was in Faro Portugal.

It was truly love at first sight. So naturally I couldn’t wait to practice my craft even more in Bali.

Well surprise surprise, but I did Not like surfing in Bali.

I Just wanted to mention it so that you prepare yourself if that was something on your list also.

I didn’t like it because of the rugged seabed. It’s so rocky that it didn’t make me feel safe and I feel I was subconsciously terribly scared to fall and hurt myself. As a result, I got way into my head.

Savvy tips: I would recommend surfing in Bali for more advanced surfers. I don’t know maybe. the perfect instructor would be able to work through those fears.

The woo woo spiritual crowd

I mean Bali is pretty much tightly linked with spirituality but ever met someone who felt like they were just doing too much?

🤭

Well yes!

You’re bound to meet quite a few of those. The crowd can just be a little bit intense in Bali. That’s just how it is. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Savvy tip: The good thing is that you can always choose the experience that you want to have. Nothing forces you to interact or go where you never want to. Just stay connected with your inner self and move accordingly.

Eat pray love packaged wellness

Ok I am guilty here.

 🙋🏾‍♀️

I did a self solo eat pray love and it was awesome. Naturally, I will urge you to keep an open mind here. Because at first when I arrived to Bali, I did not quite like it.

Savvy tip: Bali offers a very unique opportunity to slow down amidst the chaos. Take advantage of the myriad of wellness options and turn your trip into a perfect opportunity for a reset.

Short-Term Bali Tourist Visa

This point is mostly for those who love Bali after the adaptation period and really want to stay longer.

Visa rules vary based on your passport but from what I see around it’s mostly 30 to 60 days visa.

Savvy tip: If you really wanted to stay longer, it is doable as there are various longer term visas that you could take advantage of.

The Bali aesthetics

Again, you either love it or hate it.

When we’re talking Bali aesthetics I’m referring to that very distinctive style.

You will often see various structures, architecture, decorative elements, all heavily inspired by nature. Wood is a major component and there are usually lots of neutral tones also.

So yes some people like and others love to hate it. But it is popular and there is no fighting that.

There is a reason why it is so popular and attractive. This type of design is very soothing to our nervous system.

It invites you to slow down . It’s a welcomed invitation to be more grounded in the surrounding especially with our super fast paced life

Wrap up

Well this blog concludes my top reasons you might hate Bali at first.

I also gave as many tips as possible based on my personal experience to help you navigate this.

Most importantly, don’t let this stop you and do get outside.

There is a whole world waiting for you to discover.

Cheers to your next adventure

On that note, I am leaving you with this popular episode from my women podcast “She thrives” with Stef Barti

Keep being awesome 🙂