Why the mass Bali hype?

After extensive travel throughout several SEA cities (and a decade of world traveling), I decided to spend a working week in Canggu. For the life of me, I'm struggling to understand the appeal to reside, or even vacation here. This was easily the least enjoyable travel week I've experienced. Isn't the idea of an expat to get the same if not better quality of life? Well, let's see, Canggu area: • Insane traffic • Nearly 24/7 obnoxious motorbike mufflers and horns • Very mid beaches • Very mid clubs and bars • Grab bikes incessantly pulling over asking if you need a ride • Lack of any standout local cuisine • Dirty • Smelly • Food/Drink prices on par to western countries • Walking anywhere is a gamble of survival There's plenty of other places around the world I love that have some of the above features. However, there seems to be little to none redeeming factors here. Some positives: • Friendly locals and staff • Safe from crime • Nice summer month weather • Variety and density of restaurants/cafes • Great for a nature surf enthusiast A few misconceptions from other threads: • Internet: at least around canggu was GREAT, everywhere • Cash: everywhere takes card, cash was obsolete besides street vendors If you're not an extreme nature lover or surfer, skip Bali. Let the island and locals retain a sense of normalcy. --- **Post Details:** - **Subreddit:** r/digitalnomad - **Author:** u/adamkeyboardspryor - **Score:** 167 upvotes - **Upvote Ratio:** 82.0% - **Comments:** 180 - **Posted:** 7/13/2025 - **URL:** https://reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/1lyoddn/why_the_mass_bali_hype/