Bali is famous for making visitors feel at home.
But according to Indonesian celebrities Pongki Barata and Sophie Navita, some foreign tourists visiting their Bali coffee shop may be taking that idea a little too literally.
The couple recently shared several encounters with foreign visitors at their own business while speaking with Luna Maya on the Indonesian talk show TS Talks.
One of the most common, they said, involves tourists walking into the café, finding a power outlet and plugging in their phones.
The surprising part comes when staff ask whether they would like to order something.
The answer, according to Sophie, is sometimes simply: “No, I just want to charge my phone.”
No coffee. No food. Just the charger.
The couple also said some visitors have walked in specifically to use the toilet without ordering anything.
For Pongki, the issue is not necessarily that someone has failed to buy a cup of coffee. It is the way the facilities are being used, without apparently asking permission or even greeting the staff.
That distinction matters.
A café may look like an open, casual space to a tourist. But for the people running it, it is still a business with employees, electricity, water, rent and other operating costs.
Then came the story that turned the conversation into a comedy moment.
Sophie recalled a foreign couple who arrived at the café after getting caught in the rain while riding a motorcycle. They were cold and wet.
Their request was not for coffee.
“Excuse me, do you have blanket?”
The question left Sophie laughing as she recalled the encounter.
The story was funny, but it also highlighted the broader issue the couple were discussing: the small social boundaries between being a guest and simply using someone else’s space.
Luna Maya agreed that asking first should be the basic rule. If someone needs to use a toilet or charge a phone without ordering, a simple request for permission can make all the difference.
Importantly, Pongki and Sophie were speaking about their own experiences with certain visitors. Their comments do not describe all foreign tourists in Bali, and there is no indication that the behavior they described is representative of international visitors generally.
But coming from two Indonesian celebrities who actually run a business in Bali, the stories offer a glimpse into a side of tourism that visitors may not always see.
For travelers, the lesson is fairly straightforward.
Bali’s hospitality is part of what makes the island attractive. But hospitality does not mean every café, restaurant or private business automatically becomes a public facility.
Need to charge your phone? Ask.
Need to use the toilet? Ask.
Caught in the rain and freezing? Asking for a blanket is perfectly fine.
Just remember that being welcomed into a place and being entitled to its facilities are two different things.
And sometimes, the easiest way to start on the right foot is still the oldest one: say hello first.