Ultimate Bali Travel Guide for First-Time Visitors

Jan and Ann touch down in Bali for the first time and very quickly understand why so many people talk about the island like a second home. Their first vlog in Indonesia covers a villa stay, slow mornings in Canggu, a crowded but fun Sunday market, a nice beach afternoon, tips for first-time visitors and a full-day trip to Nusa Penida. This article walks through that day and a half in order, keeping the focus on what they do, what they enjoy, and tips that they share alongside.

Bali Villa

They begin their trip with the kind of place people imagine when they think “Bali villa”, a private pool at Umalas Creek, high ceilings, open plan living, and all that. Behind the living area, big doors slide open straight onto the pool, so the inside and outside feel connected.

Upstairs, they show 2 bedrooms, which they treat as separate spaces rather than simply “master and spare”. One room stays cooler because of its position in relation to the sun, so they actually switch between them to sleep better. They mention a discount code and link for anyone wanting to book the same place, but the takeaway is that this kind of setup (private pool, big kitchen, multiple rooms) is why people base themselves in Bali for a longer duration.

Breakfast in Canggu

Before any serious exploring, they focus on the food. It is already hot enough early in the day that they joke about how long it has been since they slept so much, which says a lot about how quickly Bali’s slower pace is working on them. They head to Blacklist Coffee Roasters, a popular Canggu spot known for its coffee and smoothie bowls, and talk about how, for this trip, they have decided not to overplan. Usually, they like a structured itinerary, but here they want to lean into the island’s reputation for slow living and just “wing it” at least for the first few days.

At the table, they order breakfast, a pink berry smoothie bowl and a plate of eggs Benedict with corned beef, plus coffee to cut through the heat.

La Brisa Sunday Market

From there, they move on to La Brisa Sunday Market. Inside, stalls sell jewellery, clothes, permanently welded bracelets, food and handmade pieces, and they both comment on how “cute” the setup is, especially the section where you can design your own T-shirt. At the same time, the place is packed, hot and more expensive than they were expecting, to the point where they call the prices “not very cute,” with simple rings going for around 500,000 Rupiah.

They end up going towards the outer part of the market, stopping at a stand with decorative fruit and then deciding that the smartest move in that heat is to get gelato. Jan goes for pistachio and coconut, Ann chooses sea salt caramel and coconut, and they both say straight up that they are “sweating” and need the ice cream to cope with the humidity. Their verdict on the market is balanced, which means worth a visit for the design, but with heavy pricing and a massive crowd.

Canggu and Echo Beach

Walking away from the market, they start talking about how Bali feels overall. What surprises them most is how developed it is for an island. Compared with other islands they have visited from the Philippines, where the infrastructure is limited, Bali feels much more built up, with everything from big supermarkets and cafes to constant car and scooter traffic. That level of busyness reminds them of Manila, which is also why they drop the idea of renting their own scooter and stick to drivers and tours.

Despite going in with low expectations for beaches, given their background with stunning Philippine coastlines, they end up liking Echo and Canggu Beach. They talk about it as “a vibe,” and you can see it in how long they stay. Standing there, they reflect on how often they have used “Bali vibes” as a reference point in older videos without having ever been there. Even though it is only the first couple of days of their 9-day stay, they are already talking about returning for a month or two in the future.

Nusa Penida Day Trip

The next big block of the vlog is their day trip to Nusa Penida, which they book as a private tour including hotel pickup, boat transfers, lunch and the major viewpoints. The driver collects them directly from their villa in Canggu around 6 a.m., and even though the weather is grey and drizzly, they are still excited to be heading toward a place they have seen so often online. At the harbour, roughly 20 minutes away, they join the crowds lining up to board boats and both comment again on how busy Bali feels.

The crossing itself takes about 30 minutes rather than the full hour they expected, and as they approach Nusa Penida, they spot a distant peak that looks like a volcano, which their guide later confirms is Mount Agung on Bali, still active and dominating the horizon. Once they land, they switch to a local guide for the island itself, which is standard on these organised tours.

Snorkelling Around Nusa Penida

They have chosen the version of the tour that includes snorkelling at 3 sites, starting with Manta Bay. On the boat out, the guides suggest life jackets because the swell is noticeable, and once they are in the water, they find it murky and choppy, with a strong enough current.

Things improve at their second stop, Gamat Bay, which is shallow, crystal clear and packed with fish. They point the camera down to show dense groups of colourful fish moving over coral, and both of them sound impressed, calling it an incredible place to swim. The third stop, often called Turtle Point, is deeper with healthy coral and more fish again, and while Jan keeps going, Ann has to skip it because the boat motion triggers her motion sickness even after taking a pill.

By the time they are back on land, they agree that the snorkelling is one of the highlights of the entire Nusa Penida day and say it is absolutely worth adding that option if you book the same package.

Lunch Stop

Lunch is included in their tour and takes place at a buffet restaurant on the island, which they reach around 12:30 p.m. The menu of the buffet was chicken, vegetables, noodles, tofu, rice and a few other basics, plus drinks like avocado shakes. They are openly relieved that the food is served buffet style because snorkelling and boat travel have left them hungry.

They also plug Klook, where they booked the tour, and mention that their discount code can shave some money off similar experiences, which fits their usual pattern of tips and small savings.

Kelingking Beach

After lunch, they head to Kelingking Beach, the steep green headland and cove that has become one of the most recognisable images from Bali and Nusa Penida. Rather than a long hike, it is a short walk from the parking area past a few souvenir stalls and local homes to the main viewpoint. When they finally step up to the railing, the view is as amazing as all the photos suggest, and they praise it.

They do not hide the downsides, though. The viewpoint is absolutely packed, queues form at the best photo spots, and the heat is punishing. They show the steep, busy staircase that leads all the way down to the beach itself and make a deliberate decision not to attempt the descent because of the combination of crowds and midday sun. Ann mentions that at one point she felt like she was getting rained on, only to realise it was just how much Jan was sweating, and they both talk about how essential sunscreen and hydration are if you visit in summer.

Broken Beach and Angel’s Billabong

Their tour continues to Broken Beach, a circular cove with a natural rock arch that lets the sea flow in and out beneath a bridge of stone. From the cliff top, they can only admire the water from above because there is no safe access down to the sand, but they really like the rocky shapes and the colour of the water, which stays a rich blue even without direct sunlight. The scene reminds them a little of Hawaii.

After a quick coconut stop, they walk over to Angel’s Billabong, which is only a couple of minutes away. The natural pool looks pretty, but compared to everything else they have seen that day, it leaves them slightly underwhelmed. It is smaller than they expected, and while they appreciate that it really does look like an infinity pool carved out of rock, they say plainly that this stop is “nice, but that is about it.”

By around 4:30 p.m., they are back at the harbour waiting for the return boat and draw a line under the first Bali vlog there.

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For viewers who discover Jan and Ann through Travel Vlogs on YouTube or follow several YouTube Travel Vloggers to plan their own trips, this video works as a realistic look at modern Bali. You see the villa life, the cafes and markets, tourist hotspots and the joy of clear water and big views, all in a fun narrative that you can easily turn into your own first timer’s plan for Bali and Nusa Penida.