MUST-KNOW before you book your accommodation in Bali

Do I stay in a Hotel, Resort or Villa?

In Bali you can find everything from basic guest houses (Losmen) run by friendly Balinese families, to luxurious beach resorts, and privately-serviced beachfront villas with a driver and a cook.
Accommodation is comparably cheap and Bali’s high level of service and the friendliness of the staff is well known and will amaze you.

Where do I stay in Bali?

But before choosing the exact type of accommodation, equally if not more important, is to figure out, in which area to stay in Bali.
Travelers can dive into the busy social scene in popular areas or enjoy an exclusive getaway in the boutique hotels, tranquil private villas, and vacation rental properties found also in the more remote areas of the island. Backpackers will be surprised by the clean, relaxing accommodation available on a tight budget, even in the more popular areas. Those who want luxury can live like royalty at a very reasonable price almost anywhere on the island.

LOCATION
So before you go ahead and look for your accommodation we strongly suggest you get familiar with the main DESTINATIONS of Bali first! Each destination in Bali is indeed quite different. For many travelers, it’s great to change location every 4 or 5 days and explore multiple areas during holidays. And that’s something we would also suggest Bali travelers to do. So it is important to know which of Bali’s more than a dozen available distinctive areas suit you, and suit your expectations.

Check out Bali Destination Guide. 

Some more tips when choosing your hotel

1.) Don’t get dazzled by the hotel names.
A hotel with Seminyak in the title might not exactly be in Seminyak – or just “at the edge of Seminyak” And a hotel that is called Royal Kuta, might not be royal nor in Kuta.

2.) Walking distance?
Once you selected the main tourist area such as Ubud, Kuta, Seminyak, etc, and maybe used some filters such as budget per night and accommodation type (resort, villa) to see some accommodation options, then make sure you zoom in with the map! A hotel positioned near the coastline could make you believe it’s just a short walk to the beach or restaurants. But roads are tricky here in Bali and access is not always direct. Zoom the map and look at the roads closely, that will give you a clearer idea on how far you are actually away from the beach or places of interest.

3.) Accessibility
Transportation is important all through your holiday. Will you walk, drive a rented scooter, hop on a scooter taxi or grab a cab to get to where you want to go. Walking is possible, but not always pleasant, depending on whether there are sidewalks or not, and if there is heavy traffic or or or.
If your accommodation is located in a one-way road or in or near one of the streets, where there is usually heavy traffic, then getting around can become quite annoying.

4.) Reviews and Ratings
Even though ratings are not the holy grail by far they do give an indication about the general performance and condition of the staff and the property overall. Because of the many choices available in Bali, as a general rule of thumb, you can avoid any accommodation that has a rating less than 8 out of 10.