Alternatively, you can either order food from thousands of different options through GoJek (less than 1$ delivery fee) or go for a BBQ in Echo Beach (also in Canggu). There are a few BBQ and Buffet restaurants at the beachfront that cook super fresh food for medium prices. It’s awesome to meet a group of friends and enjoy the meal while feeling the sea breeze in your face.

What to do/visit

In Bali, there is a lot to do, see, or visit. It’s easy to get overwhelmed! We found ourselves with a map full of pins. Honestly just accept you won’t be able to do/visit everything you wanted to, or you will end up losing the best part of Bali, which is a relaxed and peaceful lifestyle.  Here is a list of the things we recommend not losing:

• Visit the Rice Terraces – We recommend Jatiluwih over the famous Tegallalang rice fields in Ubud (If you have time for both, even better!). Jatiluwih Rice Fields are less popular but, in our opinion, more beautiful! It’s overwhelming! Well, it’s 53000 hectares of green and beautiful rice fields, so you get the idea! Also, you have a better view of all of them with the plus of having a massive volcano on the back. Impressive!

• Private massage with GoLife – Probably the cheapest massage you can get is right at your bed – 1 hour of a full body oil massage for around 3$. We regret so much not doing this more often!
• Visit Nusa Penida – Nusa Penida is super touristic due to iconic places such as Kelingking Beach, Angel Billabong, and Broken Beach but we believe it is a must. There are a lot of day tours but if you have time we recommend staying at least a couple of days. Snorkeling in Nusa is INCREDIBLE, and you don’t even need a tour, just get your gear and swim 20-30 meters off the coast. Thank us later.

• Visit the South Beaches – The south of Bali is where the good beaches and great waves are! Small villages with a very peaceful and laid-back atmosphere. Uluwatu, Padang Padang, and Nyang-Nyang places you won’t want to skip!
• Visit the Temples – Bali is full of beautiful and ancient temples and some of them become iconic landmarks. It’s almost impossible to visit all, so here are our favorites:  Tanah Lot on the coast (Tip: Visit with high tide, to see the water around it), Uluwatu Temple with an incredible view over the cliff, Ulun Danu Temple which is a beautiful temple in the middle of a lake and Taman Ayun where you can enjoy a peaceful environment and take some cool photos!

• Thursday nights in Pretty Poison – Every Thursday there is a skate event in Pretty Poison bar and everyone joins around the pool enjoying radical tricks while drinking a beer and socializing. It can get very crowded, but it’s still so much fun.
• Explore the Waterfalls – Bali has several breathtaking waterfalls. You can visit 1 per day haha. Our favorites are Tegenungan/Blangsinga,  Aling-Aling, and Tukad Cepung waterfalls. However, we regret not visiting Nungnung Waterfall which impressed us only on the photos. Tip: Tukad Cepung Waterfall is a very nice waterfall especially if you are there before 10 am, so you can see an amazing effect with the sunlight!

• Night Out at Lawn (Canggu)– Lawn is a super cool and modern place with an amazing beach view you must visit at least once. It’s perfect for a relaxing sunset in the poolside drinking a coconut or for a Friday night with modern and dancing music.
• Handara Gate – This iconic and super popular gate has probably become the image of Bali, no wonder why… It’s beautiful! It is the gate of a Golf club so you need to pay a fee. (Tip: go on the sunrise. The photos are better and there is no one to charge you at the entrance)

• Free Yoga Session on Tuesday mornings (8 am) at Bali Bowls. The teacher is super nice and it will be a full soul+body class!
• Visit La Laguna – You must visit La Laguna, at least once, for a meal (avocado toast with poached egg are unbelievable!) or simply for a coffee. La Laguna is the Instagram paradise (we have more than 10 photos here), the food is amazing and it is probably the coolest place you will ever be in.

Read also: Social Media Influencer – Learn How to Monetize Instagram

• Join Coworking Places – If you are a Digital Nomad or you have anything to do online, consider joining a coworking space in Bali. It is amazing to network with like-minded people and to learn new things in their events. There are several in Bali, however the most popular is Dojo, in Canggu, and they have several interesting daily events for members (You can check out their events here).

Read also: Colivings- Best Place to live as a Digital Nomad

How to move around?

There is no public transportation in Bali. However, every type of transportation is cheap.

Renting a bike is the best option, it’s cheap and the freedom it gives is priceless. However, we recommend only doing it if you are comfortable riding one, it can be very stressful and dangerous.

Read also: Is Travel Insurance worth it? Everything you need to know [2020]

Alternatively, you can use life-saving Apps like GoJek or Grab or government taxis (Bluebird – drivers must have a certification card). The rates are also very affordable.

Please keep in mind that transportation Apps such as Grab and GoJek are still not accepted by taxi drivers, being forbidden in some specific areas (Airports and beaches). You’ll have 2 options, either you set a nearby location with your driver for pick up and walk some meters or accept the triple-charged local taxis. 

Money

Bali is the kind of place where you can live well without spending too much, but if you don’t control it, it is also very easy to spend a lot of money.

If you are exchanging currency, avoid not-certified exchanges otherwise you’ll probably be ripped off.

Keep in mind that most of the places (at least in Canggu) don’t accept cards.

1$ is roughly 14000 Indonesian Rupees (IDR), and the biggest bill is 100,000 IDR.

A cheap local meal starts as cheap as 10,000 IDR but can easily get up to 100,000 IDR in a more modern restaurant.

A motorbike’s monthly rent is between 500,000 and 700,000 IDR and a full deposit of gas is around 25,000 IDR.

A room in a well-equipped villa with a pool and kitchen can start at around 4,500,000 IDR.

A prepaid SIM Card for a month starts at around 150,000 IDR with 4Gb. There are hundreds of shops in the streets. Avoid buying at the airport as the prices will be much higher. (Tip: there are plans with unlimited social media and if you’re two or more, remember you can only buy one SIM Card and share data!)

Tip: Buy fruit on the streets, and sugar bombs for super low prices. Avocados are the best deal in Bali. Use and abuse. Just don’t make us jealous. Thank you 🙂

Related: Travel Asia on a Budget – How we only spent 10€/day!

Visa

Most people get a free 30-day tourist Visa on arrival. However, you should (of course) check how is it for the country you are from. If you get the 30-day on-arrival, pay attention because you arrive on day 1, and it doesn’t say the exit day on the Visa, plus, this way the Visa is NOT extendable. If you decide to stay longer you have to leave the country and come back again (what is commonly called a visa run).  If you know beforehand you’ll want to stay longer than 30 days, you can apply for the regular 30-day Visa, which costs 25$ and then go to immigration 2-3 times to extend it more 30 days for another 25$.

Safety

There are horror stories everywhere, and Bali is no exception. It is a very touristic destination and it attracts some crime, but if you follow some basic rules you’ll be most likely safe. The most common crime is people grabbing stuff while on the motorbike, and sometimes it scales with resistance. So don’t put yourself at risk, hide your phone, and save your essentials inside the bike. This occurs especially during the night and the main target is solo females, but it’s better to be safe all day and of course, avoid walking around alone.

Related: Is Travel Insurance really worth it? Everything you need to know [2020]

Anyway, anywhere you go we recommend getting the right travel insurance for you. Things don’t go always as planned and are always better not to risk. We travel with Heymondo, which has flexible and affordable plans, big medical and technological coverages, no excess, and other perks! Click this link for a 5% discount!

Once again, these are our humble recommendations after a happy month in Bali. If you feel some things should not be missing, please leave a comment. That will help us and everyone that reads this. 🙂

We loved our time there, and we hope you enjoy yours too!