I recently returned from a solo trip to Bali so I’m sharing all the details of my trip!
Why Bali?
Bali had been on my travel bucket list for a very long time. I had never been to Asia before and I felt like Bali was a good mix of fun, warmth, aesthetics, and safety that would make for a good first trip to the continent. I had considered going to Thailand in lieu of or in addition to but they were well into their rainy season so I opted to leave that out.
Why solo?
There honestly wasn’t any particular reason for this being a solo trip. I had gone on an international solo trip before so I knew I could do it. I honestly didn’t feel like having to coordinate schedules, plans, and interests with someone else to plan this trip. A good chunk of my friends are currently students so I knew they wouldn’t be able to take a week or two off to travel in September. But the truth is I never really asked anyone else if we could plan a trip to Bali together. On top of that I honestly just felt like moving at my own pace. I didn’t buy the ticket until the end of August, about 3 weeks before I left. I figured out my housing the week or two before and most of my daily activities were planned the days before I did them, while I was already in Bali. I plan out so much of every minute of my life that it was great to be able to just go with the flow, something that is very hard to do when you travel with a friend or in a group.
Logistics
Another reason Bali was appealing was how relatively easy it was to get into the country. You need to obtain a visa to enter Bali but you can obtain one on-site at the airport for about $35 USD. You do not need to take any form of a COVID test to enter the country if you have been vaccinated. You show proof of vaccination at the airport and that’s that. So in short the only things you need to enter Bali are a COVID vaccine (or test) and a $35 visa.
What I packed
In terms of what I needed as a solo traveler, it really wasn’t that much. I packed clothes for any regular day-to-day activities. I packed athletic clothes and layers for the sunrise trek to the top of Mount Batur which II knew I wanted to do. Although I packed a few pairs of heels because it is in my nature, I absolutely did not need them nor did I wear them once. I brought a solo travel-friendly tripod that I also only used once on my entire trip and that was in my villa when I had a floating breakfast. All the other times I had tour guides who were insanely good at taking photos and videos. Additionally, some other must-pack items were sunscreen, bug spray, and medications—especially over-the-counter stomach medications in case of an unlucky bout of Bali belly.
Where I stayed during my solo trip to Bali
Canggu: Canguu is a part of Bali that gives off laid-back surfer vibes. There are plenty of aesthetic cafes with the prettiest (and very tasty) açaí bowls and juice bars. I stayed in Canggu for the first part of my trip at the Astera Villa Canggu. I stayed in a 1bedroom villa with a private pool and overall had a great experience. It was clean and spacious and the staff were incredibly welcoming and kind
Ubud: I spent the second half of my trip in Ubud, which is known to be the more relaxed, zen, “eat pray love” area of Bali where you can engage more so with nature. It’s closer to many popular activities or tourist destinations such as the Monkey forest, the “gates of heaven” temple, the famous waterfalls, and much more, so if you plan on doing any of those things it could be a good idea to spend some time in Ubud for part if not all of your trip.
In Ubud, I stayed at the Kaamala Resort. I had no idea until I arrived that this resort is actually the sister hotel of the Aster Villa which I stayed at in Canguu. I also had no idea that Kamaala resort describes itself as a honeymoon resort. So I definitely stood out as a solo traveler in a resort that was almost entirely full of couples. Either way, I had a great time staying here. The room layout was very similar to what I had at Aster Villa except for this time around I did not have a private pool (wasn’t really necessary for me even the first time around outside of wanting cute pictures of a floating breakfast in the pool). I will note also that the restaurant inside this hotel is actually very good, so the room service food was great which came in clutch on nights when I was too tired to venture out for dinner.
Note: these hotels are considered luxury hotels and are thus significantly more pricey than your average hostel or standard-grade villa. However, at about 100 to 120 a night, they are still less expensive than what you would pay for rooms like this in the US, Europe, or the Caribbean.
I booked these hotels through Agoda and Booking.com
On my last night, I stayed at the Annupurri Villas in a town a little outside of Canggu. I wanted to come back south from Ubud to be closer to the airport in preparation for my departure. I had also seen a few videos of this place on TikTok and actually wanted to stay here for more than one night but they were all fully booked except for my last night. Truthfully, after experiencing Astera Villa Canggu and Kaamala Resort I can say that all things worked for my good. I do not think I would have been able to stay at Annupurri for more than one night after experiencing the first two luxury hotels. There’s nothing wrong with the place but it definitely not as nice on all fronts and I don’t think I’d recommend it, nor would I want to stay there if I went back to Bali.
What I did during my solo trip to Bali
So to save time and space, I’m just going to list out how I spent each of my days/what the major events of each day:
- Monday, September 19 (evening):
- Depart NYC on a flight to Doha + Bali via Qatar Airways
- Tuesday, September 20:
- Travel day
- Wednesday, September 21:
- arrive in Bali, relax for the evening, and order hotel room service for dinner
- Thursday, September 22:
- Attempted to walk into a spa but not possible because spa appointments should be booked days if not weeks in advance
- went shopping in Seminyak and Kuta instead,
- got lunch to go from Crate Cafe
- Traveled to Ubud for Black in Bali “Meet n Eat” dinner, then party/bar hopped with folks I met at the event.
- Friday, September 23:
- Got breakfast at Crate Cafe with a new friend I made via Black in Bali’s Event,
- got a 90-minute full-body massage at Goldust Beauty Lounge
- Went back to the hotel and relaxed
- Went to Savaya (in Uluwatu) for Offset’s performance
- Saturday, September 24:
- Spent the morning relaxing, packed, and checked out of my hotel
- Traveled to Ubud to check into the Kaamala Resort
- Stayed in for the rest of the day (because the next few days would be packed)
- Sunday, September 25:
- Went on this Bali Private Customized Full Day Tour (Budi was my tour guide and I did the “Gate of Heaven Tour”)
- Came back home and had dinner at the restaurant before going to bed early ahead of an even earlier morning the next day
- Monday, September 26:
- Picked up at 2:30am to go on a Mount Batur Sunrise trek that was organized by my driver (so I don’t have a link but there are many on AirBnB experiences!)
- Went to the Spa at Maya Ubud for a full body massage, body scrub, and flower bath (I booked this a few days in advance)
- Tuesday, September 27:
- Went on a day trip to the East Side of Nusa Penida Island (6am pick-up time)
- Came back home and was too tired to do anything other than order room service and sleep
- Wednesday, September 28:
- Packed, checked out of the hotel, and traveled back to the Canggu area
- Checked into Annupurri Villas
- Got a Covid Antigen test in preparation for a layover tour in Doha on my way back
- Went to Shooters, Bali to meet up with some Black in Bali friends for dinner + a going away party for someone who had been there for a month
- Came back to the villa, showered, and headed to the airport for a 1 am flight
- Thursday, September 29
- Traveled from Bali to Doha, had a 10-hour layover in Doha, and went on a discover Qatar tour, then traveled from Doha to JFK and made it back home by the end of a 36-hour day traveling back in time.
What I would have done if I had more time?
If I had more time I would have looked more into going horseback riding on the beach (I love horseback riding when I travel), taking a cooking class, visiting the beach clubs of Canggu, Seminyak, and Uluwatu, as well as visiting Bodyworks Spa. A word of advice if you want to go to any of Bali’s very popular spas: you need to book well in advance, probably before you even get to the country. For spas like Bodyworks Spa that are not on What’s App, try to have your hotel accommodation or Airbnb host reach out to them to book the appointment for you.
How I got around during my solo trip to Bali
It’s fairly easy and inexpensive to get around Bali using Grab or Gojek, which are Bali’s versions of Uber. In addition to using these when I had a quick place I needed to get to soon, I had a truly amazing driver for the entirety of the trip. His name is Wayan and if you’re looking for a driver feel free to message him on What’s App directly (the number is +62-813-3879-9050) and tell him Eni sent you! He was entirely too kind and he also can arrange certain tours for you which will likely be cheaper than going through Airbnb experiences or Viator. He was the one who booked the Mount Batur experience. Honestly, the saddest part about leaving Bali was saying goodbye to my driver for the week. Drivers are a little more expensive than taking Gojek or Grab, but that’s because they are only dedicated to you. My driver would literally wait hours for me to finish appointments or engagements instead of going on to do his own thing. I felt safer on my solo trip to Bali having a consistent driver throughout the week. I’d say it was about the USD equivalent of about 30 to 40 dollars a day to have him as my driver.
Lastly, the private tours I booked included hotel pick up and drop off so I did not need to figure out transportation for those.
How I felt on my solo trip to Bali
- Safety (cell service was pretty good—I literally was texting my mom from the top of Mount Batur)
- Because this was a solo trip, the most common question I’ve gotten (besides who took your photos and videos lol) was how safe did you feel. And I can say this wholeheartedly: I felt safer in Bali than I even feel in my home of New York City. On the morning that I got breakfast from Crate Cafe, I walked 15 minutes to get there. That walk was the first time in life walking that long in a foreign country without getting a single catcall, honk, or weird stare from anyone on the road. It was silent and the silence was so loud for me as a Black woman so used to cat calls which I’ve experienced not only at home but also abroad. That is just an anecdote meant to describe the incredible amount of safety I felt in Bali. Of course, it’s important to stay alert regardless but crime is low is stealing is not common. Cell service added another layer of safety. I have T-Mobile which gives pretty decent International data to its customers. I had no problem texting anyone back home—I was even texting my mother from the top of Mount Batur, so in that way consistent cell service made me feel safe. I also deliberately stayed in hotels and not a private villa to be on the safer side as a solo traveler.
- Language You can absolutely get around only knowing English. Many people in Bali speak English well or well enough to communicate with tourists since it is a popular tourist destination.
- As a Black Woman In short, there are Black people in Bali, and taking a solo trip to Bali did not mean I had to experience the island alone. Both ex-pats and tourists, so it does not come as a major surprise when Balinese people see Black people. No one asked to take pictures with me which I’ve heard happens in some Asian countries. I highly recommend getting connected with the folks of Black in Bali who made my stay all the more enjoyable. I joined their September What’s App Group to get in touch with folks and find out about events they had planned while I was in town!
“Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.” Proverbs 3:23
