Budget accommodation in Bali

Bali has long been regarded as a cheap holiday destination. Many of the cheap backpacker hotels and guesthouses are slowly being rebuilt into fancier hotels. Fortunately, there is still some accommodation availabe in Bali that can suit budget travelers.

The cheapest form of accommodation which can be found in Indonesia are 'losmen'. These are very basic hotels. Sometimes the bathroom facilities are shared and there is not much more in the rooms than a bed and perhaps a fan. It is getting more difficult however to find losmen in Bali. Losmen can range in price from 50,000 to 150,000 rupiah per night.

Similar to losmen are 'homestays'. A homestay is usually a family run operation with the owners living on the property and a few basic rooms. Homestays are a good place to stay in Bali to experience typical Balinese family life. In Ubud for example, there are many homestays that are part of the family compound.

The next step up from a homestay or losmen is a 'guesthouse'. A Bali guesthouse might have extra facilities like a pool, restaurant or internet. Guesthouses are still a cheap option, but offer some of the facilities of a hotel.

Another term which you might see while traveling in Bali is a "Hotel Melati". It basically means a "non-star rated" hotel. This doesn't mean however that the hotel is low quality. There are many excellent melati hotels in Bali offering excellent value for travelers.

While most hotels in Bali now have websites, even if they are fairly basic, some losmen and homestays don't have any online presence. You can find cheap hotel recommendations on travel forums and travel review sites like trip advisor.

The southern areas of Bali, particular Kuta, Legian and Seminyak are the most popular. If you head out east to areas like Candidasa or Lovina to the north, you will find some excellent places to stay and it will be much less crowded. Many hotel operators will give you a discount for longer stays.