Sun, sea, sand, rice fields and mountain vistas, Bali, Lombok and the Gili islands each have ingredients for a perfect stay. Adding to that, while staying in a Balinese guesthouses or home stays, you can witness the daily offerings made by the family at their family shrine. Small touches we love were the fresh frangipanis and hibiscuses on our beds every day, welcome juices and coffees and the many gardens filled with blooming flowers. All in all, it was not hard to find nice places to call home.
The views and guesthouse surroundings were also what we took into consideration when booking our rooms. In Ubud, we loved our guesthouse set amongst the rice fields where we could see the families at work in their fields. Tetebatu had one of the more simpler rooms, but this was made up by their rice terraces and morning vista of Mount Rinjani, the famed volcano on Lombok. At dusk, monkeys would come out to play and we thoroughly enjoyed our night amidst the rice terrace and chirping crickets.
One of our favorite views from our hut – Tetebatu
In Gili Air, our cottage was cute and comfortable with a nice porch and even a second bed out on the porch kitted out with curtains for if we would want to spend the night outside. The cottage was set in a lush garden filled with banana trees, hence their name, and was set back from the beach by only a short walk. This place made our list as one of our favorites for value for money accommodation.
For all the places we stayed at except for Legian and Amed, we started our days with fresh fruit, Balinese pancakes and Balinese coffees served right to your room or balcony by one of the family members always with smiles. Even though these islands are relatively well known with tourist around the world, we found great value places to call home. On average we spent € 16 per room per night.
These are the places we called home in Bali, Lombok and Gili Air:
Legian – Zuk Hotel
Legian – Cinthya Guesthouse
Ubud – Three Dewis
Munduk – Aditya Homestay
Amed – Lily Amed Guesthouse
Padang Bai – Kerti Beach Inn
Lombok Kuta – Kuta Bay Homestay
Tetebatu – Hakiki Inn
Gili Air – Banana Cottages
