Bali is famous for its cafe culture. With hundreds of Instagram-worthy cafes offering free WiFi, it is tempting to work from a different beautiful spot every day. But is a cafe really the best place to work in Bali?
The Case for Cafes
- Beautiful environments that inspire creativity
- Great coffee and food
- Change of scenery keeps things fresh
- No membership required
- Social atmosphere
The Problem with Cafes in Bali
- WiFi is often slow, overcrowded and unreliable
- Uncomfortable chairs and tables (designed for 30-minute meals, not 8-hour workdays)
- Background noise makes calls difficult
- Power sockets are scarce and guarded
- Pressure to keep buying food and drink
- No private space for sensitive calls
- No dedicated printing or scanning
The Case for Coworking Spaces
- Guaranteed 100 Mbps+ fiber internet
- Ergonomic chairs and proper desk height
- Quiet zones for focus work
- Dedicated phone booths for calls
- Free coffee and tea (no purchase pressure)
- Power at every desk
- Community and networking
- Meeting rooms for client calls
- Legitimate business address option
The Verdict
For a 1-2 hour working session while exploring a new area, cafes are fine. For a full day of productive work, a coworking space is significantly better.
Our hot desk day pass at Rp 100,000 (about $6 USD) includes unlimited coffee, tea, all-day WiFi and a proper ergonomic workspace. Most cafes charge Rp 50,000-100,000 just for a couple of drinks, without the workspace quality.
The math clearly favors coworking.