The Bali Blog: A Guide for Solo Travellers

If you’re thinking of visiting Bali as a solo traveller, I’d HIGHLY recommend it! I felt safe throughout my entire time there as a solo female, and I discovered so many amazing places. This guide will give you a rundown of my favourite areas to stay, my favourite places to eat, and my favourite workout & yoga studios to visit, plus some top tips I picked up in my time there.

I was incredibly lucky and spent my entire summer break in Bali this year, so I was there for 6 weeks in total throughout July and August 2024. I explored many different areas, stayed in a mix of hotels and hostels, and did a mixture of group and solo activities, so I had a really well-rounded trip and I’d love to share my experiences.

This Bali trip was my first time solo travelling and my first time visiting Asia, so it was something hugely out of my comfort zone. For this reason, I chose to spend my first 10 days as part of an organised group tour. I thought that it would help me to meet some people and find my feet, and it certainly did. I did lots of research before I went and ended up choosing Bali Bucket List Tours because it was one of the few companies that offered visits to both the Nusa islands and the Gili islands. The tour was well organised, the activities were fun and ticked lots of the main tourist attractions off my list, and our guide was great. Personal highlights for me were the sunrise hike up Mt. Batur (a tough climb, but the view was well worth it!), snorkelling with turtles in the Gili islands (beautiful clear waters, bright coral, and amazing sealife), and all the incredible sunsets. When my tour came to an end, I then travelled solo for the next few weeks.

Sanur

First on my solo trip was Sanur. I only had a couple of nights here but I had a great stay in Abian Klumpu villas. These private lodges were a wonderful little hideaway, with attentive staff, good food and great massages. It was also only a 20min walk to the beach, where I walked along the boardwalk, which featured market stalls, massages, and many cute places to eat and drink.

Food highlights:

• Costa by Monstera – gorgeous beachfront dining
• Jhoii – vegan, organic, and yummy!
• Barbarossa – great Mediterranean food

Activity highlights:

• Sunset Pilates, Sanur – a very knowledgeable instructor who really focused on correct form with each exercise

Canggu

My next stop was Canggu, which was my FAVE place. I spent a couple of days here initially on my group tour, then a further 10 days here solo, and even considered going back towards the end of my trip. Canggu has definitely got a bit of a bad rep online for being too touristy and busy, so it might not be the vibe you’re after, but for me it was great. I loved that it was busy because it felt like it had a real buzz. I also wasn’t too keen on the roads (they’re so busy!), so Canggu was great for me because there was so much to do within walking distance. There’s SO many great food places, there’s a beach where you can try out surfing or sit and watch the world go by, and it’s also a hotspot for digital nomads so there’s loads of cool new places appearing all the time, so I was never bored! I stayed in Dip & Doze Hostel in Berawa for a few nights, which was pretty quiet and I didn’t find it to be a very social hostel. After that, I moved to Full Moon Hotel which was my favourite place that I stayed – it really felt like home, plus it was beautiful and it was in such a great central location.

Food highlights:

(this is quite a long list because I ate out in sooo many amazing places, but I’ve done my best to narrow it down to my top few!)

• Penny Lane – the most beautiful, instagrammable spot with delicious food
• Crate Café – generous portions of the most amazing food
• Mexicola – famous Mexican eatery by day, bustling nightclub come 9pm
• Milk & Madu – yummy brunch spot
• Kynd – vegan spot with amazing brunches (personalised acai bowls are a highlight!)
• Lola’s – another great Mexican spot
• Luigi’s – famous pizza spot (delish), with great nightlife on a Monday
• Santorini – amazing Greek food, this is a must-try in my opinion

Activity highlights:

• Sunsets! The sunsets from Canggu beach are truly stunning.
• Finns Beach Club – a lively party spot which was one of the most fun ways to spend a Saturday afternoon!
• La Brisa Beach Club – totally different vibes, a lot more Boho and chilled, but equally great, and an amazing sunset spot. They also have a Sunday market but this is always super busy.
• Puppy Yoga – does what it says on the tin! The cutest way to spend an afternoon, help the puppies to socialise, and donate to a good cause.
• Maja Spa & Pilates – the most instagrammable mat Pilates studio. I didn’t use the spa facilities, but I tried their Booty Flow which was tough but fun, and their strawberry matcha from the café afterwards was delicious.
• Pulse Pilates – another beautiful studio, this time with reformers. Knowledgeable instructors and a really fun class.
• CrossFit Canggu – I did a one-off session here which was a really fun start to the day, and there was a great community feel here.
• Udara Yoga Resort – this is slightly outside of Canggu, but is wonderful nonetheless. Their daily yoga classes and spa facilities were great, but my favourite thing was aerial yoga overlooking the ocean. A truly magical place.

Ubud

The next stop on my solo tour was Ubud, where I stayed in Arya Wellness Resort for a few nights before heading to the Yoga Barn for a couple of nights. Arya was an amazing women’s-only hostel, offering plenty of wellness events, excursions and social activities, and I was lucky to meet some great people here. The Yoga Barn was also great – really zen vibes and a huuuge range of classes to choose from.

Food highlights:

• Merlin’s – by far my favourite meal throughout my time in Bali. You have the option to choose three tarot cards (one for each course), and let the universe decide your meal for you. This is exactly what I did, and although none of the choices would have been my first choice, everything was absolutely amazing and I’m so glad I went with what the cards picked. A magical atmosphere with some equally spell-binding dishes and drinks
• Blend Café – this place created really elaborate, detailed smoothie bowls – the most artistic breakfast I’ve ever eaten!
• Ivy Café – this restaurant was linked to Puri Garden Hostel, the sister hostel to Arya – fresh healthy food and a great central location
• Sinamon – an indulgent spot – cinnamon rolls with toppings like Nutella, what’s not to love?!

Activity highlights:

• Silver jewellery making class – I personally used Three Monkeys Ubud who were great, but there are so many of these around that you’ve got plenty to choose from.
• Mt. Batur sunrise hike – this was part of my group tour, but it was a personal highlight. There are lots of companies online and many of the hotels/hostels can also organise this for you. Well worth the 2am start!
• Coffee plantations, rice terraces (with swing), waterfall swimming, cooking class – again, these were organised through my group tour, but there are many companies offering all of these activities in one day. They often throw in a trip to the Monkey Forest too (although the monkeys were all over Ubud anyway, and this wasn’t something I loved personally).
• Ubud Market – definitely worth going to browse, and maybe even pick up a souvenir or two. They’re used to bartering, so make sure you negotiate to get a good price
• Yoga studios – there are SO many yoga studios to choose from in this area. I tried classes at Radiantly Alive and The Yoga Barn, but I was honestly spoilt for choice.
• Pyramids of Chi – wow! I participated in a light sound vibration healing session here which was so powerful, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone, especially those already interested in sound healing but would like to elevate it to the next level.
• Cretya – a very busy spot but great pools overlooking the rice terraces.

Uluwatu

I only had a few nights in Uluwatu but the beaches here were STUNNING. However, they are a bit of a trek to get to, as they’re set down at the bottom of the cliffs so you need to descend down sandy stone stairs to reach them. They are definitely worth the trip though!

Food highlights:

• Kelly’s Warung – this was my favourite breakfast spot, watching the waves crash and the surfers catching the waves as I ate my pancakes
• Mana – gorgeous spot to watch the sunset whilst eating dinner and listening to live music
• Teja – another fab sunset spot with a luxury menu and delicious food
• Gooseberry – a really lovely indoor/outdoor spot with a pool and great cocktails

Activity highlights:

• Beaches galore! You can’t visit Uluwatu without exploring the many beaches. I made it to Thomas Beach, Bingin Beach and Dreamland Beach, but there are so many others to explore too.
• Alchemy Yoga Studio – this was a beautiful place with two lovely yoga shalas (although the class was very busy so the mats were super close together). They also had a great café where I did their “build your own brunch” and ended up with a yummy smoothie bowl with custom toppings.
• Kecak fire dance – this is a traditional show which has the added bonus of sunset views, which is nice to see if you get chance, but it was SO busy when I went so be prepared!

• Get an eSIM and activate it before you get to the airport if you can. I used the app Airalo which was really straightforward, and it really helped to have signal as soon as I arrived so that I could connect with my driver more quickly.
• Whilst we’re on the subject of being organised before arriving, you can skip the airport queues if you remember to complete your visa, customs form and tourist tax online in advance.
• DO NOT drink the tap water! The tap water is not safe to drink and could make you really poorly, along with street food that’s been sitting out for a while in the hot sun. That said, ice in most places is safe to drink, and most food venues cater to Western tourists now too so are safe to eat in. I spent 6 weeks in Bali, ate out every day and thankfully didn’t get Bali Belly, so just be aware of what you’re eating and drinking (and where you choose) and you’re likely to be fine.
• Grab and Gojek are great apps for getting around and for ordering food. Gojek usually seemed slightly cheaper in my opinion, but both are great. If you’re getting on the back of the bikes, the drivers will have a spare helmet, but you may need to ask for it as they don’t always offer. They’re also super reasonably priced for long distances – I used Grab/Gojek cars each time I moved to a different area of the island and never paid more than around £20, even for journeys that took a couple of hours.
• I recommend that you take some bug spray or mosquito repellent with you. I travelled light and bought several brands of bug spray when I was in Bali, but they didn’t seem quite as effective as the ones that my friends brought over from the UK with a higher percentage of DEET. If you’re someone who is prone to being bitten, I’d recommend bringing plenty with you.

I hope this guide was useful for anyone planning a trip to Bali! It was an amazing place and I’m so grateful that I got to spend the whole summer there. I’d love to hear about your experiences of Bali too!

Natalie x