Bali is one of those vacation places where you can make your stay whatever you want it to be! Whether its a relaxing retreat, adventure-bender, cultural trip or island-hopping, Bali can cater to everyone.
What your travel style is can help you choose where you should stay. But Bali is quite diverse and if you’re planning a trip to the Indonesian island, you may want to choose more than just one place to visit!
While Bali is a relatively small island, it still has some crazy traffic! A trip that would normally take half an hour back home, can take up to two hours in Bali! This can impact how much you move around Bali, so here’s what I would say is achievable based on how much time you have in Bali:
5 days or less: Stay in one place and add in a day trip if you like
A week: 1-2 places
over a week: 1-2 places plus island stay (or three places)
Where to Stay In Bali:
The main tourist hub of Seminyak, Canggu, Kuta and Legian are all in the vicinity of each other. So there’s no need to choose more than one of these places to stay. These areas are a good base to get a feel for the island, and also to visit other attractions from. For a quick breakdown, Canggu is a smaller, more upper-class town with boutique shops and cafes. Seminyak and Legian have lots to see and places to eat, while Kuta is a little bit more rough around the edges.
While these places are on the coast and have beach access, if it’s the amazing beaches and blue water you’re after, make sure you visit Uluwatu or a nearby island. The South-Eastern peninsula of Uluwatu is well-known for surfing, clear beaches and quieter retreats.
We stayed in Seminyak which was a good base and also had lots of restaurants and shopping around. For more info on shopping in Bali, check out this post.
The cultural hub of Ubud in the centre of the island is great for visiting rice fields, lush tropical scenery and of course culture.
For something more retreat-like, how about the north shore of Bali where quieter resort stays can be found.
For an island trip, check out the Nusa Islands which are about a half hour fast-boat ride from the east coast of Bali, or the Gili Islands which are slightly further afield. If you only have time for a day trip, catch a boat to Nusa Lembongan, where you can hire a bike or scooter to explore the island. Then you can make your way over the yellow bridge to see Nusa Ceningan. The islands are great for exploring, but are also well known for diving and snorkelling, with amazing blue water you won’t see anywhere else!
If you plan to stay on the Nusa islands, Lembongan makes a good base. If you’re looking at the Gili Islands, check out this hotel which looks amazing and is still budget friendly!
My Accom Recommendations on Where to Stay in Bali
When we went to Bali, I looked for more traditional Balinese-style accommodation. There’s plenty of major resorts and modern hotels, but we both wanted a more traditional feel. Some modern hotels can make you feel like you could be anywhere in the world, but we wanted to feel like we were in Bali with their traditional styles. That said, you can still get traditional and luxury in one place!
Seminyak: I loved our villa in Seminyak called Alam Bidadari. It was a traditional Bure-style villa with our own little gate and yard, AND our own private pool! It’s amazing what you can get in Bali on even a small budget. Generally when we’re traveling, we don’t like to spend too much on accommodation as we’re mostly going to be out and about exploring. But I’m pleased to say we loved our villa enough to want to stay in some days and relax by the pool or in the canopy bed.
The staff at Alam Bidadari were friendly and helpful, and brought our breakfast to us each morning to eat outside by the pool! They had a spa menu and can even organise the amazing flower bath (or pool!) that is so popular now for you in your room.
Ubud: Our accommodation in Ubud was around a kilometre from the town centre, which didn’t bother us as we do like to walk everywhere! Ubud was also SO much busier than I imagined, so it was nice to stay a little bit out of town. Our traditional little bungalow at Pertiwi Bisma 1 looked over the infinity pool and out to the jungle, so we really felt like we were on the edge of the earth. Let me say, the pool at Pertiwi Bisma was a big factor in booking this villa – it was amazing! While our bungalow room itself was fairly simple, it was still gorgeous and felt hidden away.
Bali is definitely a place I’d come back to! On a return visit, I would definitely like to spend more time on one of the islands. If you have any questions about where to stay in Bali or anything else, let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them. Don’t forget to check out my shopping guide to Bali post – there’s so many pretty things to be found!
