Lots of people ask me: WHERE IS THE BEST AREA TO STAY IN BALI?

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Bali is one big island right? Kinda!

 Bali is in fact a province and the main island called Bali island as well. There are some smaller neighbouring islands, which mainly include the 3 bigger islands Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan. The advantage about main island of Bali is every location differs in atmosphere vastly and depending on what your preference is, you could stay in one area more than others.

 The 5 main areas where most tourists love visiting and stay at are: Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu, Ubud, and Nusa Dua. Depending on how long your trip in Bali will be, you can work your way around it to get the most enjoyable time in Bali. For example, if you are visiting Bali for a short trip (several days) just to relax, then you would prefer to stay in one location. If you plan to stay for longer, then its preferable to visit all the main areas and others if you have time.

 Here are the 5 main areas where most people stay and what the main atmosphere there is:
Kuta
Kuta is the most busiest area of Bali, as its the area with atmosphere and that it is closest to the airport. Full of night life, restaurants, and stores that sell cheap copied goods such as fake Nike shirts or shoes, Kuta by far attracts the most tourists and there are scores of Australians that you will find and Europeans as well in this area.

 Kuta attracts tourists who love to have affordable drinks and to go out to have a good night out. Accommodation tends to be cheaper than those found in Seminyak.

 The northern part of the red area in the map is technically called Legian, another area in Bali. But most the time you will see it being collectively called the Kuta-Legian district. The Legian area tends to be much more quieter than Kuta.
The Kuta-Legian area highlighted in red. Source: Google Maps.

Seminyak
Seminyak is just north of the Legian area eg. the above the red line on the map above. Seminyak can be described as the posh area of Bali, where higher end shopping, bars, restaurants, spas, villas, and hotels can be found here.

For the most affordable hotels in Seminyak, I found is at least double the price of the cheapest hotel found in Kuta.

 For the upper end hotels, there is a choice from:

  • W Hotels Seminyak, 
  • Alila, 
  • Double Six Hotel, 
  • or Courtyard by Marriott Seminyak.
Hiring a very nice villa with numerous rooms works when sharing with friends.

My personal favorite place to go in Seminyak for some food and drinks is Motel Mexicola, highly recommend this!! Otherwise Potato Head is a popular choice as well.
Canggu

Canggu is further northwest of Seminyak. The vibe in this area is quite surfy-bohemian like. The area is quite unique and relative enclosed from the the Kuta-Seminyak areas (eg. only few main entries into Canggu as opposed to Kuta and Seminyak which are easily to get to one another).

 Canggu is a nice place to stay and a personal favorite to relax or go surfing. The bars for people to go out and hang doesn't lose out to Seminyak. Old Man's Bar and Finns Beach Club are my favorites.
Ubud

 Out of the five places I've mentioned, Ubud doesn't have any beaches. Ubud is quite cultured and trendy in its own way and surrounded by a lot of green.

 Everyone who visits Bali will find it hard to miss Ubud, especially for people who are going to chase waterfalls, temples, or go hike up Mt Batur. Ubud usually serves as a base to visit places in the northern parts of Bali.
Nusa Dua

 Nusa Dua is better known for its gated compound of resort hotels. This is the excellent place for couples or families to get away from the noise or party scenes like the other areas have to offer. But the catch is, accommodation costs in this area isn't cheap. However, you like to spoil you, your partner or the family a bit, Nusa Dua is a great place.

 I've had the privilege to visit the exclusive St Regis Resort in Nusa Dua and prices could be around $1,000 USD per night.

 Other resorts I've visited were:

  • Mulia
  • Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa (very beautiful)
  • and Novotel
Other high end resorts in this area include: Carlton-Ritz, Sofitel, the Westin, Club Med, and Courtyard by Marriott.

A must visit location in Nusa Dua is the Waterblow.

Other areas to stay include: Sanur, Uluwatu, and Amed.

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