I'm Maria. My passion is creating & evoking emotions in people. I do this through video, photography, design & storytelling.

Bali became another home for me for more than a year. During this time, I've eaten kilos of fried rice, drunk liters of Kintamani coffee, and created thousands of beautiful memories in hidden places. And I'd love to share my favorite places with you.

bali is
a special place

A couple of years ago, we were landing at Denpasar airport and I thought to myself with surprise, "It's like I'm coming home." It was so silly. We had never been to Bali before. I couldn't know whether I would like it there or not, but for some reason I felt good.

That's Bali. It's a living organism that constantly tries to speak to you. Here you feel like you're on another planet. This place with its strong contrasts will unlock emotions inside you that you may have never experienced before. After a year of living here, I can confidently say that I consider this place my second home. I will always want to return there.

Tasty, diverse menu. Coffee for all tastes. Great service. Stylish interior. You can stock up on quality coffee, matcha, and tea at their shop. Prices are slightly above average

Seniman Coffee

Excellent European and Asian menu. The food always felt like home to me. Incredibly friendly waiters. Very (!) fast internet

Nusandari Cafe

Homey. Very delicious Asian food. Good coffee

Mula Ubud

View of rice fields, good food and interesting interior

Kucara Coffee and Space

The pastries and desserts are worth trying. Very cute and quiet place in the center

Powder Room by R4D

The best Nasi Goreng on Grab delivery. Almost everything on the menu is excellent. Best ordered for home delivery

Sun Sun Warung

Very friendly atmosphere. Delicious food and coffee. I would come there specifically for the Apple Crumble

Cretya Lite The Extension

Perfect for work. Delicious and diverse menu available only after 11:00 AM. The carrot cake is amazing. Views of the forest. Nice cocktails

Kalos Bali

Choose the placE

My favorite part of this article is about trips outside village. These are exactly the places that made me fall in love with Bali. I've included little tips on how to make visits to these locations as memorable as possible. Sometimes mistakes can be expensive.

Amed →

Nusa Lembongan →

Botanical Garden →

Even though I'm trying to give you more than just dots on a map and share my own experiences, perhaps the greatest advice for an unforgettable experience almost anywhere is...

Just an hour from Ubud and you're drinking coffee among volcanoes. I went there at least twice a week. I love arriving here in the morning before my workday begins. It's also a fantastic spot to watch the sunrise: you don't need to wait in line at the summit of Batur or book a jeep tour. Just hop on a bike and explore the caldera on your own

I know people often have bad experiences visiting Kintamani because there are toll collectors at many caldera entrances (even if you're just going to a cafe). I've marked a spot where entry is still free (for now). From there you can navigate to any cafe or location.

Lake Batur

Kintamani

I hope the friends who showed me this place will forgive me, but since finding food in this area is difficult, I have to share this spot. You can also visit for sunrise (officially opens at 6:00, but they may let you in at 5:30)

RITATKALA CAFE

free entrance

This place is especially beautiful in sunny or foggy weather. There's a road lined with beautiful trees and a paid walking path where you can have tea,
relax on tree platforms, and take lots
of stunning photos. Entry for a small fee

Hutan Wisata
Pinus Glagalinggah

If you want to descend to the base of Mount Batur and walk
on the lava fields, I recommend coming as early as possible because the lava heats up fast and it becomes incredibly hot during the day. This isn't a specific spot—just look at the map: there's one road circling Batur, so you can park your bike anywhere and explore the lava fields on foot.

BLACK LAVA

The best way is to combine the lava visit with a full loop around Batur (the road is decent) and check out Lake Batur. Don't fixate on one specific spot—just follow the main road and stop wherever catches your eye. I've pinned the location where I took my photo.

Lake Batur

one day trip

Road 01 — is most commonly displayed on the map. It's a straight highway to the north with a good road, but heavy traffic. On some days early in the morning you can catch it empty, but most often there are many trucks and it's very exhausting.

Road 02 — goes around the main highway. You'll be riding through villages and nature, which for me is a big plus. But at the end of the route you need to drive through a steep serpentine. If you've just recently gotten on a bike, my advice is to take road 01 via the straight highway.

Beautiful, but quite unpleasant serpentine

The hardest part is getting out of Ubud. This is where the worst traffic jam is. Leave as early as possible

Ubud Center

Botanical Garden

Road 01

Road 02

A place where it's cool and you can wander through the forest for hours. My only regret is not visiting more often. The drive from Ubud is challenging because there's no way to avoid the traffic jams. Leave as early as possible. Pick days with clear weather. Bring a thermos of tea, water, and some hot food.

one day trip

This is the most beautiful part of the park in my opinion. There's a large green slope here where everyone takes photos. In good weather you can see the lake and mountains.

LAKE VIEW

Free entrance to the greenhouse with cacti. A very beautiful place. You don't have to go there specifically, but if you're passing by, definitely stop in.

Cactus Garden

I'm leaving the pin where I took this photo. In sunny weather, the rays break through there and the winding road in the forest becomes just insanely beautiful.

VIEW POINT

The pesto pizza was amazing. It's a very unremarkable cafe, we took shelter there from a hurricane and were amazed by the taste of the pizza. I know it doesn't look great. But sometimes that's the whole vibe.

Not Instagrammable, but delicious pizza

The main reason to go to Amed is the view of Agung. It's a village in the north of Bali, where people drive 15 km/h on the roads, where you can look at Agung around the clock and swim in the sea. Most likely, the navigator will take you via the eastern highway of the island, but we often drove there with a stop at Ritatkala Cafe, and then down the serpentine.

best for 2 nights

Asian and European menu. Very tasty and friendly. The best view of the village and volcano.

Joli Best View Cafe

The pastries, coffee and desserts were good. The atmosphere and interior are memorable.

Rimba Cafe

You definitely won't forget this place. In the rainy season the grass is neon green, and in the dry season it's yellow like in the savannah. There's silence all around and cows grazing.

Savana Tianyar

You need to climb the stairs up the hill. Don't be scared of the locals who will persistently bother you: they rarely see tourists and just want to earn a little money from their jewelry and food.

Mencol Temple Seraya Timur

This is just a point on the map where a beautiful view of the mountain opens up. Some people say the landscape is Hawaiian. If you're exploring the area, you can stop by to take some shots.

Abang Bridge

It's a bold statement, but this place changed me. Listen to me. No, I'm serious. Listen. You buy a boat ticket, book a bike, accommodation and set off to explore Nusa Penida on your own! Forget about tours, forget about visiting tourist spots at noon. You deserve to experience what I once experienced — delight and creation in silence.

best for 3 nights and more

Almost all accommodation on Penida looks the same.
The only difference is in the condition of the furniture and the kindness of the staff. This is a good place.

Bagia Bungalows

Trust me on this, this will be the best secret spot on Nusa Penida. Getting to the end on a regular bike will be very difficult, so you can leave it on the hill when the bad road starts and walk (5 minutes). It's best to save it for last.

Saren Cliff Point

The only place where we paid so much for entrance (about 50 thousand per person). Come for sunrise, but don't bring food (at sunrise a pack of monkeys will make rounds on the observation deck, but then they'll leave).

Diamond Beach

Make a stop here before sunset. You can go down and walk through the hills. In clear weather there's a view of the ocean. During the rainy season the grass will be green. Honestly, this place impressed me the most on my first visit.

Gilpin’s Sea Viewpoint

This place is mesmerizing. Perfect at sunset. 15 minutes from Teletubbies Hill. It's best to combine these two locations for one evening. Stay there until sunset. You can really see manta rays there.

THE MANTA POINT

At sunrise you won't meet anyone there. No Chinese tourists... just wonderful to take a walk while it's not hot yet and see the huge waves and how the fog settles on the cliffs.

Kelingking Beach is the most overrated place on the island. Never come there in the middle of the day. I don't advise you to go there at all, and especially don't go down. If you want to check it off your travel list, then come while it's still dark and wait for sunrise.

Broken Beach

If you get tired of Secret Penida (which I doubt), come here. 9/10 times it was good there.

Joglo Penida

You can not worry and eat there your entire stay on Penida. Coffee, pastries, food, view — everything is perfect.

Secret Penida

The interior here is really cool and you can hardly hear the neighbors. In good weather there's a view of the volcanoes. We celebrated New Year here and it was good.

Nature Hill Penida

nice place to stay

Beautiful interior

good food

entrance fee

good for sunrise

Teletubbies Hill

best for sunset

best for sunset

best food

best pastries

view

Drink beer and watch the waves. There are broken roads and bikes here, both islands can be circled in half an hour. People come here to rest their souls and surf and kayak among the mangrove forests. I return there for the tranquility and huge waves on the cliffs.

best for 2 nights

It was so delicious that we regretted finding out about this place so late. You assemble your lunch yourself. Trust me, it's insanely good.

Dapur Kecil

In my opinion - it's a bit expensive there. But still, if you want to have coffee in a nice setting and eat something vegan, it's not a bad place.

Kayu Lembongan

The buns are really good. You can see that they try to make everything fresh and delicious.

JUNGLE BAKERY

There's a paid entrance here, but you can use the ticket for several days. Great for sunset, watching big waves. You can go down to the beach, but you can't swim there.

Mushroom Bay

This place heals the soul. Pure freedom, huge waves. It's beautiful both at sunrise and at sunset.

Flipcliff

I don't know why, but everyone eats here. We also ate here because there are few places with good food on the island. It can be very busy in the evening. But the food is really not bad and very cheap.

Soka Warung

A place where I constantly cry

Small selection, but you can find great shorts. With luck, you might find branded athletic wear

TSF thrift shop in ubud

Big selection! Very good prices. Awesome atmosphere and music inside

Ubud Second Shop

A tiny shop with unique finds among rows of identical clothing stalls

Toko Elami

This is the most reliable photo lab. They work from morning till late evening 7 days a week. Most often they'll get it done in less than 24 hours.

OJISAN FILM LAB

You can get your film developed here in just a couple of hours. They also sell point-and-shoot cameras in good condition.

Saujana Film Lab Bali

my videos about Bali

A video about what Bali became for me over the year, my favorite places and unexpected feelings during the goodbye.

A video essay through Bali's most beautiful places — what does home really mean?

— follow me on Instagram and YouTube. I would also be grateful if you share it with your friends

Kintamani →

Nusa Penida →

© 2025 Maria Gorelikova

© 2025 Maria Gorelikova

Bali became another home for me for more than a year. During this time, I've eaten kilos of fried rice, drunk liters of Kintamani coffee, and created thousands of beautiful memories in hidden places. And I'd love to share my favorite places with you.

>40 bali spots

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& nomads.

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