Bali is overrated.
This statement has become far too common online.
After 10 years being on this island, so much has changed. For as long as, this was the tropical escape. This was the dream vacation. And for digital nomads, this was the dream life.
Picture this — the year is 2017 and you've just landed at Denpasar Airport. 30 minutes later, you have arrived in Canggu. No traffic, no fuss, no chaos. All around you are beautiful rice fields and a few trendy restaurants and coffee shops.
2019 rolls around and now we've got some real options. We've got dozens of coffee shops, restaurants, we've got state-of-the-art gyms, so many familiar faces — and then everything shuts down.
And those of us that were lucky enough to be here on this island experienced maybe one of the best places on planet Earth. And when a secret becomes mainstream, things change fast — and they did.
From ‘22 to now ‘25, the Bali we know today is almost unrecognizable from the past Bali. In a mad sprint to develop, rice fields became concrete parades. The iconic shortcut became a shopping strip. And those narrow winding roads that connect Bali became complete standstills.
And it's at this point that, for many, the magical thing that drew them to Bali began to fade. Ironically, it's the love for this island that changed it so much.
And with all this change comes a couple big questions:
Is Bali still worth it? Or is it now overrated?
And if it is, then where do we go next?
Once upon a time, all of this here was rice field guilds. And Canggu is where Bali story has mostly taken place. What started off as tranquil, peaceful, has over time become loud, busy, and sometimes completely chaotic.
Canggu has stopped being rice fields for quite some time now. And this adjustment, although very fast, has given people a few years to process — to accept that the old Canggu is no longer.
But what happened in Uluwatu — that is something that happened so fast that nobody was ready for it. And it's one of the main reasons why today Bali's brand has taken a massive hit.
Just barely three years ago, this was raw cliffs, sacred surf breaks. And today, it's a mad sprint to build concrete bunkers, 100-room hotels, and with this population boom, it's all been met by water shortages, congestion, traffic, and a lot of dust.
Even off the mainland, the islands of Bali would soon face similar development pushes. Most controversially, an elevator that was being built on the cliffside of what is undeniably the world's most beautiful beach — Kelingking.
But beyond this, there are other problems that people face when they come to Bali — plastic burning, poor waste management, and yes, the affordable prices that once brought all the expats in have really skyrocketed.
Now, you might be thinking — you must be just cherry-picking shots. We've got condos or townhouses being built there. A massive hotel right over there. Right across on the other side of the room — another four buildings or four homes. Don't even know what this is; it looks like a massive beach club but without the beach.
And you know what? It doesn't upset. Everyone's going to have different opinions, but this is what Canggu has become. It is the hub. It's becoming the nomadic city.
And with that, we've also had so many benefits. If you live in Bali or even visit, you'll never run out of things to do. You'll have no problem finding your perfect fitness routine because these businesses have been painstakingly built over the last few years.
If you wanted rice fields, you would be in the wrong place to find it.
So why do you put up with the noise, the commotion, the traffic? Because right off those little intersections of chaos is absolute bliss — little moments of escape: beach clubs, restaurants, co-work spaces, a thriving digital nomad community.
If you want to get somewhere, you can order yourself a Gojek, hop on the back of a motorcycle, and be there in a few minutes for just a couple dollars. You can order yourself food straight to your house with the click of a few buttons and 30 minutes later you've got a feast.
And while pricing has definitely gone up, you can still afford to eat most of your meals — if not all of them — out. That's something that you truly value in your Bali experience.
And this is the part of Canggu that nobody likes — Raya Canggu, the heart and the artery of the chaos. Before you can say Bali’s overrated, you have to see the other side.
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You don’t need to spend much money in Bali to have a million-dollar view.
This is absolutely underrated.
Come on. It is a visual trip — literally a dream. And this was right off the backside of a $25-a-night place.
And here you are complaining — oh, it's gotten so expensive. No, it has gotten expensive. But the biggest problem is that people expect things to stay the same.
If you stayed the same for 10 years, You would be worried. People want to have the same coffee shop, the same rice field view, the same experience. But because it was so special, others told their friends, their friends told their friends, and next thing you know, it's not that little tiny spot anymore — it is a changing island.
From $25-a-night room to 75-cent entrance fee to a private waterfall — Bali is overrated.
Now, whether you want to believe Bali is overrated or not, that's up to you.
And so while Canggu is definitely not going to be for everyone — it's not going to provide that lush green escape — it's not fair to say that Bali has lost its charm. The charm is still here. You just need to leave Canggu.
Here's the thing — Bali is changing, but Bali is also misunderstood. This island is 4.4 million people — its vast rice fields, endless volcanoes, and national parks that most just never get around to seeing.
Want peace and quiet? Escape to Sidemen. Want to get away from the heat and tropical humidity? Go to Munduk. Want the waves without the crowds? Then head up further west.
And if you want community with co-work spaces, amazing restaurants, and a pinch of chaos — Canggu’s got your back.
Bali has changed, but you can't think of a single experience that's been lost. It just might not be where you first found it.
And while it's easy to jump on the bandwagon and trash everything that is new — that is development.
All of this energy and all of this excitement around this island has made for a place where there's something to do every single day of the week.
You can either join in with the energy and the crowd, hide away and get work done, or you can even escape to the serene sides and just be in a true state of relaxation.
Bali will never be the same. These changes might mean it's no longer the Bali for you.
So, what comes next and where do we go?
Is it Thailand? look — it's tropical, it's beautiful, but it just doesn't feel like home the way this does. Then there's Cape Town — the most beautiful city have been ever seen.
And then you've got Dubai. No doubt a great place to meet other entrepreneurs and to build. But can you get on a scooter and ride 10 minutes and have 10 different coffee shops to choose from? The answer is no.
And that's something really value.
Yes, it has growing pains and yes, there could be a better job done on managing some of these problems.
You've been coming to Canggu many times now. Same for you, Rob. Why do you guys keep coming back here?
Honestly, it's for the community — the people that you meet.This is probably the best place in the world to live. It's cheap, it's easy to make friends.
If you think Bali is overrated, it's because you didn't know where to find what you were after.
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