Where to Stay in Bali…

Throughout my time on the beautiful island of Bali in Indonesia, I slept in five different beds… However, here I am going to only recommend four of them (the third was a bit of a nightmare… but that’s a story for another day!) So here goes…

1) The Yoga Barn, Ubud

The Yoga Barn was the first place I stayed when I arrived in Bali and it was one of the warmest welcomes I have ever had to a new country! Obviously a haven for yoga-freaks such as myself, I found that The Yoga Barn got it right in all areas… The studio rooms were brilliant, the teachers were experienced, the restaurant was laid-back, the food nutritious and delicious, the location is ideal and the rooms? Super-comfy. I opted for a dorm, which was great as I was working with a budget… I soon realised that even their dorm price was kind of high, but for my first few nights of a solo-trip I felt happy to go with it.

2) Lemon House, Padangbai

Virtually the ONLY reason to go to Padangbai is that it is the gateway to Lombok and hence the beautiful Gili Islands. There is also a relatively nice beach named ‘White Sand Beach’… However, you have to climb a major hill to get to it and it actually wasn’t that great and the sand wasn’t white enough to justify the name… it was more grey. But I did make friends at the beach which meant I didn’t have to go to the islands alone which was fab. Anyway, Lemon House is a nice guesthouse with wifi and dorm rooms as well as lovely private rooms. The views are great (it is up a hill and quite a mission to get to as bikes can only go so far… there are about 100 steps up to the guesthouse, which isn’t that bad when you don’t have your backpack!). The breakfast was average but the staff were friendly enough. My only problem here (and hence reason for only sleeping there two nights) was that there was a man ‘peeking’ on me in the shower from outside… Again, perhaps a story for another day.

3) The Village Above The Clouds, Munduk Adong Kelod

Probably the most beautiful place I have EVER stayed! Seriously, I really dropped on with this… I had been in touch with the owner in order sort out some volunteering at the hotels paired school, The Freedom School. Thankfully, when I visited the volunteer dorms were being rennovated and the hotel was empty so I got to stay in the incredible Sunset Suite. The ultimate in eco-luxury… I literally felt like I was in heaven. Soft beds, warm showers, OUTRAGEOUS views… Josep the owner was so friendly and the food was out of this world. Ooooh I would give my grandmother to be back there! For more information about The Village Above The Clouds check out this post.

4) Arik’s Homestay, Ubud

I chose Arik’s Homestay on my return to Ubud simply for convenience… I wanted to practice at the Radiantly Alive yoga studio and needed somewhere close by to stay. As soon as I rocked up to the studio with my backpack, the receptionist mentioned Arik’s just a couple of metres up the street. Arik’s is a simple, no-frills homestay which I managed to haggle down to the UK equivalent of £10 for a private room (which at the time I thought was dirt-cheap, but soon realised was expensive by most Southeast Asian standards!) I didn’t eat at the homestay, but sat out on the terrace a few hours each day and it was a pretty place to rest my head.

Where have you stayed in Bali? Do you have any horror stories about Balinese accommodation? Which of these four accommodations would you be most likely to chose?