We spent a month in Bali in March and April 2025 and had the most amazing trip. We also got a few things wrong, and the first one cost us two hours before we had even left the airport.
Bali is not just Seminyak, Kuta and Canggu. It is one island out of more than 17,000 in Indonesia, and even on Bali itself the beaches change completely depending on where you are.
We moved between Canggu, Uluwatu, Ubud and the Nusa islands. These are the things we wish someone had told us before the first one.
Five things that caught us out
1We queued two hours to leave the airport
We had not paid the tourist tax before we flew. So we landed in Denpasar and waited in line for about two hours to get our declaration done and get out the other end, and it was not even peak season.
Organise your visa online before you come, and pay the tourist tax ahead of time on the official Love Bali website. Then download Gojek or Grab before you land, so you can book a ride from the airport straight away.
2The bill is a quarter bigger than the menu
A lot of Bali cafes and restaurants add a 15% tax and then a 10% service charge at the end, so the bill comes out about 25% higher than the prices you read. It got us the first time.
You skip all of that at a local warung. Order nasi campur, rice in the middle with lots of little dishes around it, and if you find a buffet one, go, because you get to pile your plate with curries. Abbey did not even know what it was before Bali and became obsessed. Our warung meals were about three to five Australian dollars on that trip in March and April 2025, and the most we paid was about nine dollars for a huge plate.
The best one we found was Dapur Kecil Lembongan on Nusa Lembongan. Every day we walked past there was a huge line, so we had to try it. You pick your rice and your dishes, then pay, and it was the food highlight of our whole Bali trip.
3The monkey got us anyway
We had been warned, and we had done it before. Then we walked into a temple, lost concentration for a second, and the sunnies were gone, the phone was gone and the monkey was off.
The temples and the Monkey Forest have staff who bribe the monkeys to hand things back, which is why the monkeys are basically trained to steal. We flagged one of them down, he got everything back, and we gave him a small tip. Hold everything tight, carry no food, watch the sunglasses on your head and do not look them in the eye, because that is when they bite.
4The beaches are not the postcard
Around Canggu and Seminyak the sand is often black from the volcanic ash, and there is quite a bit of rubbish on the beaches. That surprised us when we first saw it. For white sand and crystal blue water, go to Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida or Gili T.
Nusa Lembongan turned into Abbey's absolute favourite island of the trip, with white sand, clear water and a really chilled, laid back vibe. We stayed three nights. Not staying longer is the thing we regret most, and our biggest tip after 30 days is to spend more time on Nusa.
Getting there means a boat, and the boats can be dangerous in rough water. Sit at the back, where the locals sit, for fewer bumps and a quick way out. If the sea is too rough, do not go. Find a slow car ferry instead.
5Canggu was too busy for us
The traffic in Canggu and Uluwatu is hectic, so neither is the place to learn to ride a scooter. There are driving schools if you need one. Bring an international licence and wear your helmet, because you can be fined for both, and the locals are getting sick of tourists riding badly.
One trick the locals know: when you ride with Google Maps, set it to walking. A lot of the walking tracks double as scooter shortcuts, and you find the secret pathways.
Canggu had amazing food, but you can find amazing food everywhere, and it was simply too busy. Next time we would stay in Pererenan, a little further out and much quieter. We also happened to time our month between Ramadan and Nyepi, when a lot of the people who work in Canggu and Uluwatu go back to their hometowns, and both got much quieter.
The bits we would keep exactly the same
The sunrise starts. Go to everything at sunrise and be the first one there. The Campuhan Ridge Walk in Ubud and the cliffs on Nusa Penida were completely empty when we went in the morning, and we had them to ourselves.
Nyepi. We were in Ubud for the Ogoh Ogoh parade and then Nyepi, the Hindu day of silence. For 24 hours from 6am the whole island shuts down, even the airport, and you stay inside. Our accommodation brought us breakfast for the day. Abbey's first tip for anyone going to Bali is to try to be there for it.
The training. Uluwatu has an amazing fitness culture. Bambu Fitness was our gym for the week there, with really cool classes and a cafe next door for a quick coffee and a feed. Training in Bali is not cheap, though. We paid about 100 dollars each for a one week gym pass on our March to April 2025 trip.
The hair fix. After about 18 months in Asia, Abbey's hair had gone really dry. In Bali she bought a shower filter that screws on in place of the shower head and takes out the heavy metals. For a colour, Rob Peetoom in Ubud is the salon she sends any woman worried about getting her hair done here: friendly staff, cookies and coffee, and experienced colourists, even for blonde hair.
The island nights. Our first night on Nusa Lembongan was at The Deck, sitting over the water at sunset with free popcorn with our drinks. Get the chicken curry lettuce cups, and bring a card, because it is cashless. Abbey's birthday was over the bridge at Arna on Nusa Ceningan, with an infinity pool, food that was 10 out of 10 and really good cocktails.
Would we go back?
Yes, but differently. Bali is very busy now and the roads cannot handle it, and parts of it feel a little overrun. We would skip Canggu, give Ubud a week and Uluwatu ten days, then get to Nusa Lembongan and stay as long as we could.
And ten days is not enough. If you can, stay longer than you planned.
Abbey & Tijs