How we test

SmartBali only works if you can trust it. This page explains how places get onto the site, how the SmartBali Score works, what AI does and doesn't do here, and what nobody can buy.

Always self-paid

Everyone who writes for SmartBali pays for every visit with their own money and keeps the receipt. We don't accept invitations, free meals, drinks, discounts, day passes, stays, gifts or anything else in return. No place knows in advance that we're coming.

No ads, no income

SmartBali is a private project. There are no ads, no paid listings, no affiliate links, no bookings and no collaborations. No place can buy a listing, a better score or a removal. The details are in our non-commercial statement.

How a visit works

We go like any guest. No announcement, no table reserved under "SmartBali". The author orders, trains, surfs or stays like everyone else.
We take notes on the spot. Photos and short notes on a phone, written while the impression is fresh: what we had, what it cost, how busy it was, what stood out.
We pay the full bill. With our own money, and the receipt is kept.
We score and write. The author gives the scores. The review is written from their notes and published with the date of the visit.

If a visit doesn't convince us, nothing is published. We don't write negative reviews. We leave the place out.

The SmartBali Score

SmartBali lists only places we recommend. Every score you see is between 7.5 and 10, because a place we would not recommend is not published.

Each tested place gets four scores in half points, on criteria that fit what you go there for. One of them is always value for money. The SmartBali Score is the average of the four.

Food and drink

Warungs: food, value, vibe, service
Restaurants: food, value, ambience, service
Cafés and brunch: food and coffee, value, vibe, service
Bakeries and sweets: baking, value, ambience, service
Beach clubs: drinks and food, value, vibe, service
Bars: drinks, value, vibe, service
Clubs and nightlife: music, value, crowd and vibe, drinks and service
Markets and night markets: selection, value, atmosphere, vendors

Sport, body and health

Gyms and fitness: equipment, value, vibe, coaching
Padel: courts, value, vibe, booking
More sports: facilities, value, atmosphere, coaching
Yoga and pilates: classes, value, space, teachers
Surf: lessons and boards, value, spot, instructors
Diving and snorkelling: dives, value, equipment, guides
Spa and wellness: treatment, value, ambience, service
Beauty and barbers: result, value, ambience, service
Tattoo studios: artwork, value, studio, consultation
Clinics and doctors: care, value, comfort, communication
Dentists: treatment, value, comfort, communication
Pets and vets: care, value, comfort, communication

Living, working and getting around

Coworking: Wi-Fi and desks, value, comfort, community
Places to stay: room, value, location, service
Scooters and transport: vehicles, value, convenience, service
Shops and boutiques: selection, value, shop, service
Services: quality, value, speed, service
Pharmacies: stock, value, advice, service
ATMs and money changers: rates, value, convenience, service
Supermarkets and groceries: selection, value, store, service
Laundry: result, value, speed, service
Petrol stations: fuel, value, convenience, service
SIM cards and phone shops: plans, value, convenience, service

Seeing Bali

Things to do: experience, value, scenery, guides
Beaches: beach, value, atmosphere, facilities
Photo spots and viewpoints: view, value, setting, access
Waterfalls and nature: nature, value, setting, access
Rice terraces: views, value, setting, access
Volcanoes and hikes: views, value, trail, guides
Temples: experience, value, setting, guides and info
Museums, dance and culture: experience, value, setting, guides and info
Day trips and islands: experience, value, organisation, guides
Cooking and craft classes: teaching, value, setting, teacher
Kids and family: fun, value, setting, staff

A score is the honest impression of one person on one day, not a measurement and not a statement of fact about a business. The name of the person who was there, their Instagram profile and the date are printed on every receipt. Scores are never changed because a business asks.

Tested and not tested yet

Tested (blue tick): one of us went there, paid and scored it. The page shows the date of the visit and who it was.
Not tested yet: nobody from SmartBali has been there. The entry comes from research and has no score and no opinion, only facts such as what the place offers, where it is and how to book. These entries help you find what exists. Once one of us visits, the entry becomes a tested review, or it is taken down if we wouldn't recommend it.

Tokek AI, our research gecko 🦎

Everything that comes from research appears under its own account: Tokek AI, named after the tokek, the gecko you hear calling at night all over Bali. Tokek AI is not a person and never pretends to be one. It lists places and writes guides from public sources, never visits, never scores and never writes "I was there". Reviews by real people always carry their own name, photo and Instagram profile.

Tokek AI works with several AI models and research agents, among them Claude, Manus, Gemini and ChatGPT. Every AI subscription is paid privately by Nami, like everything else on SmartBali. No AI company sponsors the site or gets anything in return.

Tokek AI is a start, not the goal. Step by step, its entries are replaced by humans: when one of us visits a place Tokek listed, the research entry becomes a tested review with a real name on it, or it is taken down.

The AI desks

Tokek has three colleagues, each with its own beat and each clearly marked AI on every entry: Tinta AI 🐙 lists tattoo studios, Rumah AI 🏡 covers living in Bali (rental agencies, offices, legal services, job openings and the visa and property guides), and Ramai AI 🍹 collects events from venues' own programmes and lists restaurants and nightlife. They follow the same rules as Tokek: public sources only, no visits, no scores, no first person.

Events, housing and jobs

Events come from venues' own programmes and ticket pages and link to them; times and line-ups change, so we ask everyone to check with the venue. Guestlist and table requests are written for you and sent from your own WhatsApp to the venue; SmartBali stores nothing and promises no entry.

Housing and jobs are free notice boards. Owners, agents and employers post them, an editor checks each one before it goes live, and they expire on their own (rentals after 60 days, jobs after 45), so nothing stale stays up. SmartBali is not an agent, takes no fees or commission and does not check properties or employers beyond the posting rules.

Claiming an entry

Businesses can claim their entry or send corrections with "Claim or update". An editor confirms with the business through the contact details it publishes itself before anything changes; confirmed entries show "Owner verified". Claiming is free and changes nothing about how a place is described or ranked.

How research entries are made

Research entries are prepared with AI research assistants. They collect facts only from public sources: the place's own website and Instagram, its Google Maps listing, booking pages and reputable guides. Before an entry goes online it is checked against these sources: does the place exist, is it still open, do the address, opening hours and links match? Places that can't be confirmed stay offline. Every entry keeps its sources, so we can trace where each fact comes from. Some place data comes from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence. Nami decides what goes online.

Research entries are written in a neutral, third-person voice and published under Tokek AI. They never contain experiences, ratings or claims about quality, because nobody has been there yet.

How reviews and guides are written

We capture our impressions on the spot. AI writing assistants (such as ChatGPT, Claude and Manus) help turn the notes into a readable text and add practical facts such as addresses and opening hours from public sources. Scores, experiences and opinions always come from the person who was there. AI never invents what someone ate, felt or saw. If the notes are too thin for a full review, we go back or write less.

Guides (for example on temples, Nyepi or getting a driving licence) are researched by Tokek AI from official and reputable sources and checked before they are published. They are general information, not legal or medical advice.

Members, recommendations and comments

Free accounts. Anyone aged 16 or over can join. The e-mail address has to be confirmed and is never shown. Others only see the username.
Recommendations. Members can recommend a place with a thumbs up, also by double-tapping the photo. That count is public.
Not for me. If a place was not for someone, they can tell us with a thumbs down. That goes to us privately. It is never shown or counted on the site.
Comments. Every comment is checked automatically first: a word list against swear words in many languages, then AI moderation. Then Nami reads it and decides whether it appears. We don't publish insults, personal data, advertising or accusations against a business.

Who writes for SmartBali

Authors are people who live in Bali, locals and expats, with their name, photo and Instagram profile on every post. Writing for SmartBali is voluntary and unpaid. Authors don't write about places they own, work for or are paid by. Want to join? Write for SmartBali.

Keeping things up to date

Opening hours, prices and menus change quickly in Bali. Every review shows the date of the visit, so you can see how fresh it is. When we learn that something has changed, we update the entry. When a place closes for good, we take it down.

Businesses can ask us to correct facts such as the address, opening hours or links at any time. A business that would rather not be listed can write to us, and we'll take the entry down. What nobody can do is pay for a listing, a better score or a different review.

Found a mistake?

Write to us at hello@smartbali.com or on WhatsApp at +62 851-9076-5682. We read everything.