TheBali Shortlist
Drive less. Explore more.
My region-based Bali guide is for visitors who want to spend less time in traffic and more time enjoying this beautiful island.
Bali works best when you choose the right base first.
The biggest trip mistake is treating Bali like one small island you can cross casually every day. Ubud, Canggu, Uluwatu, Sanur, the islands and East Bali all create different trips. Bali Shortlist helps you pick the region first, then build days that actually make sense from there.
Compare the regions → Unlock the full guide for $39 USD →
Signal over noise.
Bali is not one place. It is a collection of regions. Each has its own rhythm, access, and trade-offs. I compare the practical differences that matter so you can plan with confidence and spend your time where it counts.
Explore Bali by region
Uluwatu
Cliffscapes, surf and sunsets. Stay close to the action.
Explore →
Canggu
Creative energy, coastal living and easy access.
Explore →Ubud
Culture, jungles and slow mornings. Choose carefully.
Explore →East Bali
Diving, fishing villages and a slower pace.
Explore →
Sanur
Easy mornings, long beach walks and good coffee.
Explore →
The Waterfall Shortlist
The best waterfalls in Bali, ranked. Access, timing, fees and what to expect when you get there.
View waterfall rankings →The Beach Club Shortlist
The 10 Bali beach clubs worth your money, ranked by setting, traffic reality, minimum spend, camera rules and whether the day actually works from your region.
View beach club rankings →
I am the person standing behind the shortlist.
I am Sean Strecker, the creator of Bali Shortlist. I have been travelling to Bali since 2001 and living full-time in Ubud with my wife Olivia and our young family since 2023.
This is intentionally personal. If I recommend a region, route or timing window, I want you to know whose judgement you are trusting.
I also built Bali Shortlist as a website on purpose. I have bought location guides before that came as PDFs, and I barely used them. On a phone, a PDF means flipping the screen sideways, pinching, zooming, hunting for the right page, then forgetting the file exists.
This guide is designed for the way you actually travel: open it on your phone, tap around quickly, and get the information without fighting the format. It also means I can keep improving the guide without asking you to download a new edition every time something changes.
Read about mePlan Bali around places that actually make sense together.
Start with the region, then build tight days around nearby experiences — less taxi time, more island.
Choose your base
Start with the right region so your days are not lost in traffic.
Unlock the shortlist
Open the practical guides, maps, routes and local intel worth paying for.
Build your days
Group beaches, waterfalls, cafés and travel times into clean circuits.
Arrive prepared
Know when to go, what to skip, and how to spend more time on the good stuff.
What’s changing
on the island
A weekly briefing for trip planners. The change is the news. The impact is what matters.
Read the latest →
Indonesia's Travel Numbers Are Rising. What That Means for a Bali Trip
International arrivals and domestic trips are rising across Indonesia. The figures do not prove Bali is getting cheaper, but they do reward earlier, region-first planning.
4 min read · 16 July 2026
Kuta Beach's Next Upgrade Is About the Walk, Not Another Attraction
Badung is widening and landscaping the pedestrian route beside Kuta Beach. The useful win is simple: a safer, more continuous way to move along the coast.
4 min read · 16 July 2026
Personal field notes, stays, photography and Bali ramblings.
The blog is where I add the lived-in pieces that do not always fit into a guide: places I return to, family life in Ubud, photography notes and the small observations that help travellers understand Bali better.
Read the Bali Blog