Where to Stay in Bali and Gili Air: Ubud, Amed and the Coast

Bali is not one place to stay. It is a small island with slow roads, and the real question is how to split your nights: an inland base for the temples, rice terraces and day-trips, then a stretch of coast that suits you. Get it wrong and you spend the holiday in a car.

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We spent thirteen nights in Bali and on Gili Air in August 2019, a family of four travelling with two friend-families. We slept in Amed twice, crossed to Gili Air for four nights and finished with five nights in a shared villa in Penestanan, just west of Ubud. This guide is built on those stays, plus verified picks for the areas we only day-tripped to.

The Short Answer

Where we stayed: Good Karma Bungalows (Amed, 1 night), Scallywags Beach Club (Gili Air, 4 nights), Kelapa Cottage (Amed, 3 nights) and a privately rented villa in Penestanan, Ubud (5 nights), August 2019.

How Bali Is Laid Out

Ngurah Rai airport sits on the narrow neck at the south of the island. Below it is the Bukit peninsula (Jimbaran, Uluwatu); just north is the built-up south-west coast: Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, then Canggu. Ubud is an hour to an hour and a half inland, in the middle. East Bali (Sidemen, Padang Bai, Amed) curves round under Mount Agung, and Munduk is a long climb into the central highlands. Gili Air is not in Bali at all: it lies off Lombok, about two hours by fast boat from Padang Bai.

The constraint most people miss is the roads. A 40-kilometre drive can take two hours, and the south around Denpasar and Canggu is badly congested. We used a car and driver for every move, at around 600,000 to 900,000 rupiah a day in 2019; with kids and luggage it was the only sensible option.

For a week, use two bases: Ubud plus one coast. For two weeks, add a third, typically Amed or Gili Air. Every foreign visitor also pays Bali's tourism levy of 150,000 rupiah, separately from accommodation.

Ubud — The Base for Everything Else

Ubud is where Bali's day-trips meet. From the western edge of town we were roughly 90 minutes from Sidemen and Tanah Lot, two hours from Munduk and Uluwatu, and 20 minutes from Tegalalang. Central Ubud (the palace, the market, Monkey Forest Road) is walkable and full of restaurants, but choked with traffic. Penestanan and Sanggingan to the west, and Pengosekan and Nyuh Kuning to the south, are quieter.

We chose Penestanan, about 1.5 kilometres west of the centre, and would again. Many villas sit on footpaths with no car access, so taxis drop you at the bottom of the steps, and the rice fields start at the back wall. The trade-off is a 15 to 20 minute walk, partly uphill, to the cafés.

Best for: first-timers, families who want a pool villa, anyone planning day-trips.

Pros

• Central for nearly every classic sight
• Huge choice of villas with pools and kitchens
• Cheap warungs; we ate nasi campur for under 30,000 rupiah

Cons

• No beach, and humid
• Congested, noisy central streets
• Footpath villas mean carrying bags up steps

Getting around: Walk or scooter in town, driver for day-trips. Penestanan to the palace is 15 to 20 minutes on foot, 5 to 10 by car.

Where to stay in Ubud

• Budget — Bucu View Resort — pool hotel on Jalan Bisma, from about €50 a night. Ten minutes' walk from Monkey Forest, with family rooms.
• Mid-range — Sri Ratih Cottages — Balinese-style cottages in Penestanan, from about €55 a night. Pool, family suites, the quiet side of the ravine.
• Mid-range, with a kitchen — Sari Bamboo Villas — two-bedroom villas in Penestanan Kaja, from about €55 a night. Guests mention the kitchen and living area; the listing describes some villas as fan-cooled, so check for air conditioning.
• Splurge — Kastara Resort — valley-view suites north of town, from about €110 a night in November and over €200 in August. Infinity pool and spa; you will need a driver for everything.

Our stay: We shared a villa in Penestanan for five nights with two other families, twelve people in all: a four-bedroom main house, a two-bedroom bale across the garden and a long pool between the buildings and the paddies. One big house suited three families: breakfast on one terrace, kids in the pool by 9 a.m., film nights after dinner. The one change we would make is a sixth night; we left tired. Before you book, check for air conditioning in every bedroom, a real kitchen and parking at the end of the path. Our villa-week write-up has the full checklist.

Amed and East Bali — Quiet Coast, Black Sand

Amed is a string of fishing hamlets below Mount Agung: Jemeluk, Bunutan, Lipah, Lean, Selang, Banyuning and Aas. It sits in the volcano's rain shadow, so the land is dry and the beaches are small coves of dark volcanic sand lined with painted jukung outriggers. There are no beach clubs; at dawn, fishermen push their boats out a few metres from the breakfast tables.

It suits families who snorkel, divers (the USAT Liberty wreck at Tulamben is just up the coast) and anyone who wants Bali with the volume turned down. It is not for wide sandy beaches, nightlife or a quick airport run.

Best for: families who snorkel, divers, slow travellers.

Pros

• Calm coves and house-reef snorkelling from the shore
• Good-value bungalows with pools
• Lempuyang and Tirta Gangga nearby

Cons

• About three hours from the airport, two from Ubud
• Black sand burns bare feet around midday, and the shore shelves steeply in places
• ATMs run dry; bring cash for two days

Getting around: A driver for arrivals and day-trips (about 700,000 rupiah for our Lempuyang and Tirta Gangga day in 2019). The coast road is narrow and winding; we would not ride it on scooters with children.

Where to stay in Amed

• Budget — Good Karma Bungalows — bamboo bungalows on the beach at Selang, from about €20 a night in low season and €45 in August. We stayed here for one night.
• Mid-range — Kelapa Cottage — small bungalow hotel with a pool, restaurant and dive centre, from about €35–40 a night. We stayed here for three nights.
• Mid-range, with a kitchenette — Anda Amed Villas & Spa — villas a few minutes' walk from Lipah beach, from about €55 a night. Pool, and family rooms with kitchenettes.

Our stay: We did Amed in two pieces. Good Karma was a one-night reset before the Gili boat: a simple bamboo bungalow, mosquito net and fan, waves about ten metres from the door, for around €50. Back from the Gilis, we spent three nights at Kelapa Cottage and paid about $610, roughly €180 a night at the time. Nothing fancy: thatched roofs, a cold-water bathroom and moody wifi. The kids lived in the small pool, with a frangipani dropping flowers into it. We would book both again, Good Karma for a night or two, Kelapa for longer; it now lists family rooms for four. More in our East Bali guide.

Gili Air — No Engines, Easy Water

Gili Air is the Gili closest to Lombok and the most balanced of the three. Trawangan is the party island and Meno is almost empty; Air has restaurants, dive schools, a village and a low volume. There are no cars or motorbikes, only bicycles and cidomo, the small horse carts. For families that alone settles it: older kids can walk ahead without you listening for engines.

The island takes a couple of hours to walk round. The south-east coast near the harbour faces Lombok and has most of the dive schools; the west gets the sunsets and a low-tide sandbar; the north and east are quieter, with longer walks to dinner.

Best for: families, first dives, snorkelling with turtles.

Pros

• No motorised traffic
• Turtles over the seagrass, close enough to see with a mask
• Discover Scuba sessions everywhere (PADI's minimum age is 10)

Cons

• Most of a day to get there: a drive to Padang Bai, then about two hours on a fast boat
• Few ATMs, and many places take cash only
• Little shade, and mosquitoes at dusk

Getting around: On foot or by bike; a cidomo from the harbour for your bags. Fast boats run from Padang Bai and a few from Amed; from Lombok, public boats cross from Bangsal.

Where to stay on Gili Air

• Budget — Sandy Beach Bungalows — beachfront bungalows with a pool, from about €30–45 a night, steps from the Hans Reef snorkel spot.
• Mid-range — Scallywags Beach Club — low-rise resort on the beach, five minutes' walk from the harbour, from about €55 a night in November and around €140 in August. We stayed here for four nights.
• Splurge — Hakuna Matata Resort Gili Air — beachfront resort with a pool and family bungalows, from about €70 a night in November and €160 in August. Guests mention the sunsets.

Our stay: We booked three nights at Scallywags, then added a fourth: about $540 in all, roughly €120 a night at the time. The air-conditioned rooms are simple and sit just behind the beach; the pool was where the kids rinsed off after snorkelling, and breakfast coped with fussy eaters. We would book it again, and next time we would reserve our eldest's Discover Scuba dive in advance: the school had one slot left on the day. The pizza the family still talks about came from Mama's Pizza, a short walk away, though we could not confirm it is still trading. Our Gili Air with kids guide covers the boats and the dive.

Sidemen and Munduk — Highland Nights

We visited both on day-trips from Ubud and wished we had slept there. Sidemen is a rice valley about 90 minutes east of Ubud, terraces stepping down to a river with Mount Agung on the horizon. Munduk is two to two and a half hours north, at around 800 metres, in clove and coffee country, with waterfalls such as Banyumala and much cooler air. One or two nights halves the driving and gives you the mornings, when both are at their best.

Neither works for a whole holiday: no beach, few places to eat, and Munduk is often misty. Bring layers; we did not, and shivered at the waterfall.

Best for: walkers, couples, families who want a pool with a view.

Pros

• Walks through the paddies from the door
• Quiet evenings

Cons

• Long, winding drives
• Few restaurants
• Munduk can be wet even in the dry season

Getting around: A driver to arrive, then on foot. Sidemen sits on the way from Ubud to Padang Bai and Amed, so it slots in easily.

Where to stay in Sidemen and Munduk

• Budget — Artomoro Bali — family-run rooms in a spice plantation near Munduk, from about €30 a night.
• Mid-range — Abian Ayu Villa — Sidemen, from about €50 a night in November. Pool over the rice terraces, Agung views, family bungalows.
• Mid-range — Lesong Hotel and Restaurant — in the rice fields near Munduk, from about €50 a night, with a pool and family rooms.
• Splurge — Patal Kikian Villa — hillside rooms in Sidemen, from about €145 a night, with a plunge-pool suite.

Our Beyond Ubud day-trips article has the walks and timings.

Canggu and Seminyak — Cafés, Surf, Traffic

The south-west coast is where most first-timers book, and it is right for a short trip built around food, surf and sunsets, or a last night before a flight. Seminyak is the more established: bigger hotels, restaurants, shopping and a wide beach. Canggu, further north, is a younger grid of cafés, surf schools and villas on roads never built for this much traffic.

We did not stay here. As a base for the rest of Bali it is weak, Ubud being an hour or more away, and the sea is for surfing rather than paddling toddlers.

Best for: food lovers, surfers, a final night near the airport.

Pros

• The island's widest choice of restaurants
• Surf schools for all levels
• Roughly 30 to 60 minutes from the airport outside rush hour

Cons

• Severe traffic
• Rougher sea than the east coast

Getting around: Ride-hailing apps and drivers; walking is limited.

Where to stay in Canggu and Seminyak

• Budget — The Palms Canggu — pool hotel in Padang Linjong, from about €40 a night.
• Mid-range, families — TUI BLUE Berawa Hotel and Villas — Berawa, from about €85 a night. Rooftop pool, larger suites and an apartment.
• Mid-range — Kanvaz Village Resort Seminyak — Petitenget, from about €90 a night.
• Splurge — The Oberoi, Bali — on Seminyak Beach, from about €290 a night. Gardens, villas with private pools, the beach out front.

Uluwatu and the Bukit — Cliffs and Sunsets

The Bukit peninsula, south of the airport, is limestone cliffs above the Indian Ocean, with surf breaks and small beaches (Balangan, Bingin, Padang Padang) at the bottom of long staircases. Uluwatu temple stands on a 70-metre cliff, and its sunset Kecak dance was loud, theatrical and genuinely moving, though from Ubud it meant two hours' drive each way.

Stay here for surf, sunsets and a final beach. It is spread out, beach access is steep, and it is a poor base for the interior.

Best for: surfers, couples, a last beach stay.

Pros

• Cliffs, sunsets and the Kecak dance
• 45 minutes to an hour from the airport

Cons

• Spread out; transport needed for everything
• Steep steps down to most beaches
• Several top-rated small hotels are adults-only

Getting around: Scooter or driver. Hold on to sunglasses and phones near the temple monkeys.

Where to stay in Uluwatu

• Budget — Majestic Balangan — adults-only, near Balangan, from about €40 a night.
• Mid-range — The Room Padang-Padang — adults-only, from about €70–90 a night.
• Splurge, families — Terra Cottages Uluwatu — on the beach at Bingin, from about €130 a night, with a pool.

What It Costs, and When to Book

The dry season, roughly April to October, is busiest, and July and August are the peak. At the places we checked, an August night cost about twice a November one: Scallywags from about €55 to €140, Kastara from about €110 to over €200, Bliss Ubud Spa Resort from about €45 to €100. November to March is wetter and cheaper.

Rough bands for two people, prices checked October 2026:

• Budget: €20–50 a night for bungalows and guesthouses, mostly in Amed, Munduk and on Gili Air.
• Mid-range: €50–130 for a pool hotel, a family room or a two-bedroom villa with a kitchen.
• Splurge: €150–400 and up for valley resorts, Seminyak beachfront and private-pool villas.

For July and August, book two to four months ahead, earlier for big villas and family rooms on Gili Air. The cheapest rates are often non-refundable. Several of our picks list family rooms for four, so check before booking two rooms. Breakfast is usually included in small hotels, less often in villas; check whether tax and service are in the price shown.

Where This Fits in the Trip

Our Bali nights followed a week in East Java at Bromo and Ijen; the 17-day Bali and Java family itinerary has the full route and budget. In Bali we did the coast first and the villa last, and it worked. For detail, read East Bali, Gili Air with kids, the Penestanan villa week and the day-trips beyond Ubud.

Flying in and out of Denpasar, the simplest loop is Ubud, Sidemen or Amed, Gili Air, then a last night on the south coast.

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FAQ

What is the best area to stay in Bali for a first visit? Ubud, ideally its quieter western edge around Penestanan. It sits in the middle of the island, so Sidemen, Tanah Lot, Munduk and Uluwatu are all day-trips.

Where should families stay in Bali? A pool villa or family room near Ubud, then a quiet coast: Amed for calm coves and snorkelling, or Gili Air, which has no motorised traffic. We used all three with two kids.

How many bases do you need in Bali? Two for a week, three or four for two weeks. Each move costs half a day, because a 40-kilometre drive can take two hours.

Is Gili Air better than Gili Trawangan for families? Yes. Trawangan is the party island; Air has restaurants, dive schools and a village without the late-night noise. We spent four nights there.

Should I stay in Canggu, Seminyak or Uluwatu? Canggu for cafés and surf, Seminyak for restaurants and a wide beach, Uluwatu for cliffs and sunsets. All are close to the airport and far from the interior.

How far ahead should I book for July and August? Two to four months, and earlier for big villas and family rooms. At the places we checked, August rates were roughly double November's.

Pierrick Jean stayed in Bali and on Gili Air in August 2019 with his family. Prices and availability checked October 2026. More about how we write our guides.