Where to stay in Bali & Indonesia

Our guide on the best places to stay in Bali & Indonesia

As one of the world’s leading tourism destinations, you won’t be surprised to find Bali a treasure trove of memorable and extremely comfortable accommodation. The most developed areas of the island – namely the large south coast resorts such as Kuta, Nusa Dua, and Seminyak – house everything from boutique boltholes to mega family resorts.

As travellers ourselves we tend to steer our guests away from these locations, and instead pick properties where you’re encouraged to get to know the local area better. On the south coast, we’d encourage quieter beaches such as Sanur – where you’ll find old favourites such as the Sudamala or Tandjung Sari, plus several fine private villas – or the dramatically situated clifftop resorts of Uluwatu – such as the Alila or Anantara.

Up in Ubud you’ll find an even more impressive set of accommodation options. With a backdrop of waterfalls, rapids, and lush rice fields, the best hotels here sit harmoniously within their photogenic surroundings; our personal favourites being the Insta-friendly Como Shambala or luxurious Capella. Deeper into central Bali the high-class accommodation and gorgeous settings continue, with no drop off in quality: ask us about the Sanak Retreat in Munduk, Kintamani Hotel on Lake Batur, or Wapa di Ume in Sidemen. The same continues along Bali’s less-visited black sand northern, western, and eastern coasts; our favourites here being the Menjangan for West Bali National Park, the Alila Manggis, or the uber-luxe Amankila in Candidasa.

The depth and breadth of quality accommodation is not just limited to Bali: wherever you travel across Indonesia there is always a wide choice of property to choose from. Large towns or areas of tourism interest – such as Yogyakarta in Java, Komodo National Park in Flores, or Sulawesi’s magical Tana Toraja – house multiple upmarket options, while in other parts of the country a particular property of choice – such as Nihi Sumba, the Bawah Reserve, or the Kura Kura Resort – has made their small patch of paradise a destination in itself.