Bali has gotten a lot of hype from people from all over the world. First impressions of a new place can really change your mood during a trip. It is a sought after destination for its culture, food, landscapes, and tranquility. Not to mention the film, Eat Pray Love, has given Bali attention as well.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase using a link, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Just like you, I wanted to wanted to come to this island to see what it was all about. What would happen to me on this magical island?
Airport
With my high expectations, I boarded a flight from Bangkok to Denpasar and was in Bali in about 4 hours. I watched enough YouTube videos to know what not to do once getting to the airport.
1. Don’t get a cab from the crowd of people after directly exiting the international terminal. They will over charge you by a lot. Instead walk to the domestic terminal and find a BlueBird cab or Go-Jek motorbike for much less.
2. Don’t buy a SIM card at the airport. The airport will charge over 200,000 IDR. I waited once I got to my hotel, asked the staff for a recommendation and found a shop that sold me a SIM card for 65,000 IDR.
Accommodation
I stayed in Sanur which is on the east side of the island. This is also the area where you can get boats to the Gili Islands, and Nusa Penida.
The hotel I stayed at was called Pulasari Homestay and Villa for about $11 per night. It is a very basic Asian style room. Check-in was confusing because there isn’t a front desk. So I walked around the villa until I found the staff to help me. The woman wasn’t expecting me since she was surprised to hear I was wanting to check-in. She quickly made up a room for me, and I never saw her again until I was ready to check out. It was a very strange experience.
I wouldn’t say the room was dirty, but I wouldn’t say it was clean either. It was just somewhere in-between. The A/C started leaking so I just put a towel underneath it. The walls had marks, and the shelves on the weren’t hung straight. There was no water heater in the shower, and the toilet looked like it hadn’t been used in a while. But for $11 a night, I dealt with it. So far my first impressions of Bali were not very good to say the least.
The area that the hotel is in is very residential. This makes it very quiet and away from anything touristy. My first impression was that I didn’t like it because there wasn’t anything around. Then after going to Kuta and trying to walk on the street with everyone trying to sell you something, I appreciated the quiet.
Transportation
To get around I just used Go-Jek which is the ride hailing app in Indonesia. It can be used for motorbikes or cars and it’s very cheap. Unless you have an International license and are an experienced driver, I don’t recommend driving a motorbike in Bali. And definitely not in Denpasar. In my first 24 hours, I saw 2 accidents on the road!
First Impressions of Bali
My first impressions of Bali were that it just feels like Thailand, and I wasn’t that impressed with anything. It doesn’t have tall buildings, and it’s not very modernized. It just felt very Asian, and I guess after living in Thailand for a year, I didn’t find it interesting.
I did find a mall called Level 21 where I got some snacks and water to take back to my hotel. I had dinner at Wah Republic and also got some free ice cream from following them on social media.
My first day wasn’t that exciting and I didn’t really have a plan for Bali. So the next couple days were a little difficult.
You can read about the next part of my Bali trip in Planning a Day in Bali.
Have you been to Bali? What were your first impressions of the island?
