Australians have had a long-standing love affair with Bali for decades, with more than a million of us traveling to this holiday mecca every year.

But after spending 10 days in Uluwatu this month, I had no doubt that our obsession with cheap drinks, lax rules and cliffside beach clubs came at a price.

I can’t help but feel like the old charm of Bali that I first experienced as a 12-year-old in 2010 has all but disappeared – and the tourists can only blame it. ‘to ourselves.

On that first trip, I got my hair braided, tried nasi goreng for the first time, visited the rice fields, and rode horses along the beach at sunset.

But after my last vacation, my image of Bali as a tropical island paradise has been tarnished and I’m in no rush to return.

My boyfriend and I chose to stay in a private villa in Uluwatu, a small cliffside village on the southwest coast of the Bukit Peninsula.

The region has become a hub for “digital nomads,” people who spend half their day in trendy cafes working from home and the other half at the gym or at the beach.

I was struck by their appeal. All the time spent perfecting his skills and taking an ice bath or at the spa seemed to be paying off.

But behind their seemingly perfect exterior was a rather unpleasant reality.

I’m sad to admit that my decade-long love affair with Bali has come to an end – with the constant construction, sewage smells and polluted beaches leaving me far from relaxed.

Despite the picturesque scenes, I soon realized that I couldn’t relax amid the constant whine of power tools coming from a construction site just meters from our villa’s swimming pool (pictured)

Uluwatu has gained a reputation as a laid-back coastal paradise where tourists can escape the madness of areas like Seminyak, Canggu and Kuta.

But that’s not the impression I got following the tourism boom. It was disturbing to see the effects of rapid growth and overdevelopment in Uluwatu.

Construction sites for new Santorini-inspired villas, cafes and shops have become an integral part of staying in Uluwatu.

The warnings I received about the “constant” construction noise were no joke.

From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., the high-pitched whine of power tools just meters from our “private” villa meant I ended most days with a headache.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to relax amidst the constant buzz of an electric saw cutting materials to build another Instagram-worthy villa next door.

Traffic is extremely congested on the narrow roads, especially in the evening when tourists rush to secure a front row seat to watch the sunset.

Surf spots at beaches like Padang Padang, Bingin and Balangan were busier than I remembered – and even got violent.

My boyfriend was shocked to see a furious surfer push another man off his board after he was cut on a wave.

And I can only imagine the frustration Balinese surfers feel having to compete with an endless stream of arrogant tourists for the best waves.

Padang Padang Beach in Uluwatu is a popular swimming and surfing spot with tourists (photo)

Then, the smell. No matter how much you spend on accommodation in Bali, you can’t escape the smell of raw sewage and rotting waste.

On my last dive at Bingin Beach, a bag of dog poop floated in front of my head.

It has also become increasingly difficult to ignore the stark contrast between the wealth of tourists and that of the local population.

A Balinese driver told me that hotel workers earn a flat rate of around IDR$3,000,000 (AU$290) a month, less than it costs for a sunset stand at the Single Fin restaurant in Uluwatu.

In addition to constant construction work, traffic jams and crowded surf spots, Bali faces an even bigger problem when it comes to fresh water supplies.

Several regions are running out of fresh water at an alarming rate and experts warn that the entire island will experience a “water crisis” as early as 2025.

The Gili Islands, a popular surfing and partying destination, face total collapse if water sanitation systems are not urgently installed, with the islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceninga eyeing shortages of water.

And here again, tourism seems to be to blame. Official estimates from an international forum this year revealed that the hospitality sector uses 56 percent of Bali’s total water supply.

Bali is running out of fresh water at an alarming rate and some experts warn a ‘water crisis’ will hit the entire island by 2025 (photo, popular sunset spot, Ulu Cliffhouse in Uluwatu)

But the Indonesian government shows no signs of slowing down, with its new president reaffirming this week his intention to build a new airport in Bali.

Prabowo Subianto said the airport would transform his country into the region’s “new Singapore or Hong Kong”, despite reluctance from residents, who had previously seen the project abandoned due to concerns about overdevelopment.

In the first seven months of 2024, Bali welcomed 3,358,899 foreign tourists, an increase of 22% compared to the same period last year.

Up to 1.2 million Australians visited Bali in 2023, triple the number of visitors from any other country, with others choosing to settle there permanently.

My decade-long love affair with Bali ended in heartbreak.

But I will always cherish the memories I made on the island and the warmth and hospitality of the Balinese people – something that I hope will never change.