Bali

8.41° S, 115.19° E

Bali offers luxury villas and resorts at a wide range of prices, from cliff-top Uluwatu and calm Nusa Dua to jungle retreats around Ubud. Temples, rice terraces and food give it more variety than most island trips, though traffic between areas takes planning.

Best season: Apr–Oct
Getting there: Ngurah Rai (DPS)
Currency: Indonesian Rupiah (IDR)
Typical stay: 5–7 nights

Bali guides

4 guides

ComparisonBali

Nusa Dua vs Uluwatu for a Luxury Beach Stay

Compare beach access, clifftop views, convenience and resort character.

ItineraryBali

Ubud and the Beach: How to Split a Luxury Bali Trip

Build a two-base trip without spending too much time in Bali traffic.

CollectionMaldives

Best Island Resorts With Private Pools

Five island resorts where private pools genuinely improve the stay, compared for size, privacy, orientation, setting and practical villa design.

ComparisonBali

Bali vs Maldives: Which Luxury Island Trip Should You Choose?

Bali or the Maldives? Compare beaches, resorts, culture, costs, transfers and ideal trip length to choose the luxury island holiday that fits…

Planning a Bali trip

Bali rewards travellers who want more than a beach. Within a couple of hours' drive you have temple ceremonies and rice terraces around Ubud, reef-sheltered swimming at Nusa Dua and private-pool villas on the limestone cliffs of Uluwatu. It suits couples, honeymooners who like a bit of sightseeing and families who want calm water with plenty to do. It is less suited to anyone who dislikes time in a car: traffic in the south is heavy, and short distances on the map regularly take an hour.

When to go

April to October is the dry season, with lower humidity and the most reliable beach days; July and August are the busiest and priciest weeks. November to March brings the rains, usually as heavy afternoon downpours, plus lusher landscapes and lower rates. Plan around Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence in March, when the airport closes and guests must stay inside their hotels for 24 hours.

Getting there

International flights land at Ngurah Rai (DPS), on the narrow neck between the south and the Bukit Peninsula. There are no nonstop flights from the UK or US, so most routes connect in the Gulf or South-East Asia. Pay the one-off IDR 150,000 tourist levy online before you fly to save time on arrival. Nusa Dua and Sanur are roughly 25 to 35 minutes from the airport, Uluwatu 40 to 60 minutes, and Ubud anything from an hour to two and a half.

Where to base yourself

Ubud: jungle valleys, culture and spa retreats, best for the first half of a trip.
Nusa Dua: a planned resort enclave with the island's easiest swimming.
Uluwatu: cliff-top villas, surf breaks and sunset views, with beaches reached by steps.
Sanur: a calm, low-key east-coast base close to the airport and the boats to Nusa Penida.

How long to stay

Five nights works for one beach base. For a split stay, seven nights is the sensible minimum, three inland and four on the coast, and ten gives room for a day trip to the Nusa islands.

Where to start

Ubud and the beach: how many nights in each, which order, and a transfer-day plan.
Nusa Dua vs Uluwatu: sea conditions, airport times and the best resorts on each coast.
Bali vs Maldives: for anyone deciding between variety and pure overwater seclusion.
Best island resorts with private pools: villa options in Bali and beyond.

To compare Bali with Thailand's Gulf islands, see the Asia overview.