I have been to Bali once and stayed 7 nights and couldn't wait until it was departure day. I honestly would rate it 2/10 at best and nothing appealing. The food is not special, the beaches are rubbish compared to Australia and it's a dirty place.
Now talking to people and hearing others rave nonstop about going to Bali how it's the best place …some even have been to Bali like 6-7 or even more times….what makes this place so amazing that people rave about it? Am I missing something?
Food wise I have to agree with OP, most dishes were nasi this or that, Babi guling etc. In saying that I did enjoy Bali mostly and the people were awesome, even if they were just being friendly as part of their job in the tourism industry.
Mate I can't speak for others but as someone who eats vegan it is one of my fave food destinations. Not much processed / from-a-specialty-packet stuff yet still manages to make this lover of junk and otherwise decadent food happy.
Yeahs there’s some fantastic food places. OP needs to check out some Warungs. Just don’t eat at the standard westernised places..
There’s also great breakfasts. And heaps of different options and types of foods to try.
There’s quiet beaches and nice peaceful jungles if beach isn’t your scene. There’s a big variety to offer on the island.
Probably hard to judge from 1 visit if you are just in the tourist areas.
From what I've read, you need to go outside of the main areas for a better experience.
I've stayed in Phuket and had a very different experiences staying in the main town.
cheap bogans mate.
not that theres anything wrong with that…
Aussies will flock anywhere that has cheap beaches and alcohol. Bali is the closest place for both.
More expensive than a night out in Australia?
There's always Balinese moonshine if cost is a concern. Bonus risk of methanol poisoning
Arak attack!
I went to Bali once. I wouldn't go again. Nothing particularly bad about the place. Just nothing to stand out either. Only popular due to proximity to Australia and marketing.
Only popular due to proximity to Australia and marketing.
Id say its a mix of pricing and proximity.
It’s close, its international and its still cheap (not as cheap as it once was) to stay in 5 star hotels and get called boss by everyone.
Plus the people are absolutely lovely.
Am I missing something?
Aren't all your forum posts about "hey what's the deal with so and so?"
Anyway the answer is "people like different things".
/Thread
Well, until he had a hissy fit over this thread and wiped his account.
after being locked in the penalty box permanently with no option of any future shitposts
It's a pity, I was looking forward to "why do people eat oranges? Apples don't need to be peeled and they're crunchier"
Why DO people eat oranges?
now im wondering who it was as i missed the initial post :)
ah read below.. oh well, I'll miss his excellent retorts like 'put the fries in the bag'
Hahah
"This is a great burn that I'm sure I can pass off as my own in future context without seeming contrived or weird"
Every time.
Someone find that skit of Adam Sandler promoting another country where he says "if you're depressed and you come here, you'll still be depressed, just with a great back drop"
SOunds like OP is the problem.
I didn't know about this sketch, so I had to go and find it.
https://youtu.be/TbwlC2B-BIg?t=45
Quite funny, and there is some truth in it.
That is epic, thank you for sharing. I remember way way way back when Adam Sandler was funny. =(
If you like to drink and go to the beach it's great. If you don't it becomes a lot more dubious…
Nothing special about the beaches and drink you can drink almost any country.
not for the price.
I have been to Bali once and stayed 7 nights and couldn't wait until it was departure day. I honestly would rate it 2/10 at best and nothing appealing. The food is not special, the beaches are rubbish compared to Aus and it's a dirty place.
This one's on you and your lack of planning or research. I don't like beaches at all, and still thought Bali was a pretty decent place to visit. Come to think of it, we only saw one beach, the rest of the time was inland.
What did you do- spend a week in one of the stereotype Aussie bogan towns?
when you're smashed, everything is great.
Here, a bogan is a nobody, over there they can feel like a King.
Sounds fair
they also get called boss by everyone
There are three (well 4 really) sides of Bali
Kuta - cheap alchohol, clubs, food. Its the same as Europeans flocking to Krakow or Prague or Ibiza or people who head to Phuket. Its not for everyone, but its for many. Some people love (say) George St in Sydney or Northbridge in Perth, others cant stand it. If its not for you its not for you. Kuta/partying is a part of Bali, but its not all of Bali just the same as Ibiza is not all of Spain and Mykonos is not all of Greece.
Resorts - eg around Nusa Dua. Can be luxe resorts or family resorts. Place for a holiday, alternative to Fiji/South Pacific/Thailand etc. You can head to these resorts and not leave for a week if thats your thing.
'wellness' - may not be the right word, but up around Ubud etc. Yoga and meditation places, local markets (which are just tourist markets but whatever), writers festivals and artist retreats
traditional/remote - there is a lot of Bali, especially north and west, that most people dont go to but have some great little villages, places to stay, just hang around
Plus, of course, there are those who go to surf (still one of the best spots in the world), dive etc
If you are used to Australian beaches then you will struggle to find many places in the world that have better beaches, and Bali isnt one of those places. Kuta beach and surrounds are nothing special for sure. If you want a great beach then go to NSW.
All in all people who go to Kuta and expect Ubud or an Ayana resort, or go to Bali and expect some tropical 'paradise' like Aitutaki or Yasawa Island, clearly (a) havent done their homework and (b) will be disappointed. To complain something isnt what it never claimed to be is weird.
Not everywhere is for everyone. I've recently seen people complaining that they spent 3 days in Rome and were bored. If somewhere isnt for you, learn and move on and dont go to those kind of places.
you will struggle to find many places in the world that have better beaches
If you want a great beach then go to NSW.
Similar vein to OP.
I prefer beaches with warmer, stiller water, and less infested with animals that bite or sting you. In Australia, NSW would be amongst the "least great" IMO.
Jervis Bay would suit
Sand without waves is a lake
Nice when it's nice. Still cold.
Nice review - have been to bali a few times but only to Nusa Dua, but have also toured around the island. Agree very much depends on what you're after.
I think for the price and location, it can be hard to beat. Its close (at least to WA) and relatively cheap - compared to what you can get in Aus. People are generally nice and respectful.
You probably paid peanuts and you expect more.
Not really , i stayed at Grand Hyatt Nusa Dua. You confusing with yourself staying in a hostel.
Did you spend all your time in the hotel?
I've spent time in cheap hotels and in 5 star hotels when travelling. There isn't really a correlation between enjoying an area and accomodation.
There are different levels of experience in Bali. There is the budget one and the mid to higher range type experience. If you stayed in a higher end hotel with a private pool, morning breakfast brought to your private pool side daily, a private driver to take you around to all your planned activities, do proper research on the best local food, etc. The whole experience could have been top notch. But I do agree the town centres are dirty in general.
I stayed in Nusa Dua …Grand Hyatt.
I went Ubud, Seminyak…and saw most of Nusa Dua.
You stayed at a highish end resort and discovered you were bored by staying in a resort? Thats not a criticism, I cant stand staying in resorts and sitting by the pool all day. But its not a problem with the country, its a problem with being a resort.
As to the rest - well, some people hate Venice and some people hate Vietnam and some hate New York. You try places out, discover they arent for you and move on. You dont get confused that some people like something you dont like.
Quite the chain of posts
Might be time to pump the brakes on spending. Hopefully you've seen a financial advisor.
Depends on how much inheritance was
Damn OP, I was going to give you advice on your $6000 gaming PC. y u do dis?
A week in a Hyatt in Nusa Dua would be boring AF.
On the other hand, what sort of fool would do that from Oz and then complain about it?
Someone who confuses a stay in a 5 star hotel with a good holiday. They're likely someone who places value on appearance hence bragging about it. Their post history also suggests zero research.
I'm just a bit sad the grandparents would have likely worked hard their whole life for the money
is this old mate Rac00n? looks like he's deactivated
It was - press F.
Everyone has different tastes for what they want to experience on their holidays. Bali is a popular destination because it's cheap and different. People in this country frequents Asia in general as it's also simply close by. I'm sure people in the UK visit countries in the EU more often rather than Asia simply because of the distance.
The likely issue is that people fly into Bali and stay in Kuta which is the same as flying into Sydney and staying at Brighton Le Sands. If you came to Sydney and stayed at Brighton for a week, you would probably think it a shi7hole too.
Stayed in Nusa Dua
Grand Hyatt
What am i missing? Is that considered brighton le sands?
visit the beaches south of the airport and north of the national park for just 1 day and you will realise its a shithole full of fakers, posers and instagram wanabees
It is the closest cheap beach destination. Enough said.
Bali works for the instagrammers. Makes them feel like they have finally made it in the world, or at least for a week
Or never, most instragrammers fake into obscurity and no one gives 2fuks about them all they are doing is either a: draining their bank accounts b: draining the money they borrowed or c: stealing to support a dead dream
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/instagram-stats/ - scroll down to "22. Most Instagram influencers are nano influencers"
Taxi 👏 Driver 👏 Trivia 👏 Do 👏 You 👏 Know 👏 What 👏 Goon 👏 Is???
wasn't a fan - 3rd World Skoolies Caravan Park.
I used to go there to train 15 years ago. due to their liberal view on performance-enhancing pharmaceuticals
Here is my opinion from someone who had ZERO desire to Bali until a friend had a wedding there and I stayed 2 weeks after.
1 - It's a holiday/tourist spot
2 - It's the closest destination to Aussies that has nearly everything in one spot from site seeing, partying, different food, culture etc…..
3 - It's cheap
4 - Hospitality is beyond good, Indonesians are very kind and willing to help.
5 - Food is good
6 - Weather is good
I mean personally, from a guy who thought Bali was a cesspool of Aussies, which is 100% true, it's a good little getaway if you can bear the traffic and influencers
But there are many downsides too. But I would go again if friends wanted to.
I rate Bali 7/10
Why is there an account issue with your 4k PC build request yet this thread remains? I'm confused.
Might be linked to this brand new account being in the penalty box with no expiry date
Congratulations to rac00n on the speedrun
All that engagement, lost like tears in rain
Godspeed
i have travelled a lot - but I have never been but i would go to visit and probably will soon
the main reason people go it is 'cheap and close' to Australia (roughly a 6-hr flight)
If you're a drinker or smoker you from from paying $13 a pint and $50 a pack of smokes in Australia to $3 for a drink and $6 for a pack of cigarettes - im not much for either but if that is your goto then see why people would prefer it to the rip off that Australia has become for Drinkers/Smokers
You also add in the weather is hot during winter here ie so if you're from Victoria/Tasmainia heading to Bali in June make some sense i totally get it you can go for a School break and it would probably cost you the same as it costs to go to Gold Coast but you experince a completely different culture and can get a massage for sub $30
As for 'food' that is really personal preference regarding Asian i love Japanese/Vietnamese/Thai food but im not a fan of Korean (other then their BBQ) at all - i 'dont' love Indonesian food either but it isnt terrible
Once again due to it being cheaper you go out for dinner in Sydney or Melbourne you can drop +$200 on a family i dare say it would be half that in Bali (but i might be wrong)
I will say this to OP i do understand were you are 'coming from' i felt this away about parts of Thailand (not that i didnt like it but there were moments when i got a bit of a this is a 'old guy creepy sex tourist' place opposed to a legit place to see and relax) im not sure if Bali Indonesia is the same but i have heard they have similarities
Also bar Dalmatian Coast and the places around it you wont find better beaches then we have Australia id actually argue we have better beaches but zero culture around them to make them 'holiday locations' opposed to somewhere like Mykonos or Dubrovnik which have both nice beaches in the summer and fantastic night life/Food/culture/history. If you want nice beaches in Asia Philippines is by far the best best bet it however isnt 'super' cheap like Bali.
Like everything, there are cheap eats in Bali and Cheap eats in Oz - Hey join up to various Doordash/Uber Eats deals. Likewise dine at Fancy inner city restaurant and pay similar to 6 star hotel at Bali.
Travelling for cheap drinks sounds great but, from Nusa Dua to cheap night spots at Kuta involves much bumper to bumper traffic fumes.
However if you are with friends and like daredevil riding on scooters and loud nightclubs, Kuta would be cheaper than nightclubs in our major cities.
Personally don't like the thought of 10 hours of travel (Customs Flight times etc etc) plus airfares airport access fees. But others love the thrill of flying, late night raves and cheap digs which are only used in the day (why waste nights in your own hotel room).
My Bro lives in Bali, and its only family get togethers that makes the place of interest to me. Plus he knows the smaller spots to enjoy.
I like ravers being in love with Bali, that's their scene. That leaves other destinations for those of us who have different likes.
[Deactivated] user. Well, that was quick! Bye bye Rac00n.
I wonder what someone needs to do to achieve that…
Fell on their sword most likely… (hit the deactivate button in their profile)
Have to agree - as for it being cheap and close, you could go to many pacific islands that are closer
Not many have mentioned you can't drink the water and chances of Bali belly are high - something you don't have to worry about with the pacific islands
Was a lot cheaper 20-30 years ago which made the experience more palatable.
Australians believe they have the best beaches in the world and get offended when told otherwise. The same goes for coffee. If this is the case, why would you go overseas for a beach? Just to be disappointed or to brag about how much better you think yours are? Similarly, they claim that coffee in other countries tastes like "dishwater."
Yes, beaches all over Indonesia are often littered with trash because essential services like waste management don't exist in most of the country.
Many countries throughout the world also have cheap alcohol.
I think Australians travel to these places for the third-world conveniences, the lack of laws and regulations, and the freedom to smoke outside or even inside at a café or shopping center. The ability to use services like Grab or Gojek to get anything delivered, and possibly the weather, are also appealing factors.
Personally i dont like Bali, the locals yes are so nice but the place is underwhelming. Plenty of better options in Indonesia if you ask me
Theyre called Bali Bogans for a reason.
Ive been once. Passing on a ship, I stopped in for a day to see what all the fuss was about.
Yeah. Nah.
Not for me.
Bali is a shit hole. Went once when I was young and I'll probably go once more just to show my future kid(s) how shit it is too. They also made it very clear during covid that they didn't want tourists, they reckon they're better off without our tourist money, so let's show them how much better off they'll actually be without us.
They put the health of their people ahead of profit, what animals
Who was OP?
The Troll Rac00n. he was just making troll threads like this, the tesla one, the inheritance one etc.
it was a nice build up I have to admit, we were all on the edge of our seats waiting for his next post
I am completely with you on this, found it completely unpleasant from the crowds, beaches, dirty etc etc. I do not enjoy Bali at all. However my wife loves it, think it is just all the cheap stuff their can make you feel rich. Wife keeps wanting to go back again and again, I do my best to find somewhere more relaxing and clean to kill the idea. Would rather pay more and enjoy it. But each to their own.
nice to see one more Troll account killed off.
If you spend and stay at the beach resorts, I feel you get treated like royalty. The staff spoiling you and food is good too. I will never get such service in Australia. Have been only once but did really enjoy the 2 resorts I stayed at. The second even had a huge private pool in the villa, that would something I will not be able to afford at all here
Honestly, as long as it attracts all the undesirables it’s amazing. Would hate to see them flock to places like Japan instead.
I'd much prefer Vietnam/Thailand or Malaysia for a cheap SEA destination
lol, imagine deactivating your account because you didn’t like the responses?
My kids like Bali for the resorts. Food is great. Cheaper than holidaying in Australia. Wonderful local people. Didn’t really stay in the Bogan areas.
Have been and would go again in a few years.
I visited Australia and it was shit. Went to Logan, Newcastle and Frankston. Beaches were crap, poeple were all bogans, food was shit. Why do people rave about australia when my expeience was so bad?
Literally this post
Australia is a tourist spot you'd only visit once in a lifetime if you were to zoom out and think about it (unless you're seeking PR).
People do that all the time. They come, go to the Opera House, Bondi, walk around Sydney and think they've experienced Australia. Or worse, they get off in Cairns.
If the thread was about people's opinions of Sydney, Im positive a far few would say it was a hole best avoided too.
To each their own
My wife is from Jakarta and while Bali is not our first choice, we frequent it as there's rarely direct flights between Perth and Jakarta.
Bali has some great restaurants but they can get really pricey, eating local food helps and there is so much choice!, and not just Nasi/Mei Goreng.
Lots of great Warung's around and our general rule with the Kaki Lima (Street food karts) is if its hot or cooked in front of you its fine, though we do risk it now and then for stuff Gorengan.
I feel if your just going to hang around the resorts, eat western food and stay in Kuta,Seminyak,Legian…. its a break, but would just get monotonous, this applies to any destination though.
I've been there a few times and quite like it. Yes, there are plenty of Aussies there, but Bali is hugely popular with people from Europe and other parts of the World. Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, KLM, SIA, Cathay, Korean Air among others all have direct flights there.
yeah seems like the op barely "travelled" as such. Have to try to make an effort to see each country imo. Someone at work was like food and accommodation was cheap. So their mates rented a mansion with a pool for $600/week. Guess you have to research what you like and be selective.
I'm always happy to travel overseas and I have been to many places. I have been to Bali many times and always enjoy it and make the most of it. Know what to expect. The hotels and restaurants can be nice - in between them not so. Do your research. No one wants to travel with a negative nancy either. Just have fun and enjoy life.
For me its a couple of reasons. Flights are cheap, accommodation is cheap, food is cheap and drinks are cheap.
First time i went i did the touristy/adventure type things and everytime since we have just booked a really nice resort and spent a week or so enjoying the weather by the pool for 8-10 hours (massages etc.) Followed by going to a nice restaurant for dinner then rinse and repeat.
Depends what you want in a holiday if you want fine dining and everything to be immaculate go somewhere like Dubai not a third world country.
Are you suprised that a third world country is dirty? Lol
Depend what you spent, I had great experience cost me $160 per night per person. Now is $220 . All inclusive (un limited alcohol and food)bar in swimming pool, a lot activity, beach live music dinner, restaurant open all day, buffet like wedding set up. Gain 5 kg weight within 11 days.
It's different, it's lively, it's cheap.
Not my experience.
Like anywhere, depends where you go.