In my introduction to Bali – an island that fulfills many dreams – I pointed out that you can enjoy all that Bali has to offer at any budget. You will find anything from hostels for a few dollars to private pool villas with butlers for hundreds of dollars per night. At any price point, you will find great value and will get much more than you’ll get for your money in Hawaii or the Caribbean! This post will provide you an overview of what experience you can expect for under $50/night, a price point that I consider a sweet spot of value on Bali, where to find them and what compromises you might have to make compared to hotels of over $100/night!

Southern Beaches of Kuta, Legian, Seminyak: The majority of the 12 million annual foreign and domestic visitors head to these beaches in the South of Bali. You get a miles-long stretch of beach with fantastic sunsets, countless hotels and restaurants, the best nightlife and entertainment on the island and all the water activities and tours imaginable. The volume of tourists has resulted in hundreds of hotels in the towns behind the beach competing fiercely for guests, resulting in some of the lowest prices on Bali. If you don’t mind the crowds and are not looking for a Robinson Crusoe feeling of a beachfront villa, there are plenty of modern, clean and comfortable hotels available a few minutes walk from the beach for $25-50/night. A comparable room in Hawaii or the Caribbean would easily cost you $100-200/night!
You’ll find one of the best rooms and most beautiful resort pools at the Hilton Garden Inn Bali for only 5,000 HHonors Rewards points (worth $25/night)! The location close to the airport is convenient on arrival, but not to the beach or nightlife, so you’ll need to use the free shuttle or taxis to get around!

Kuta Beach is my least favorite location in the South, but has the largest number of good hotels in this price range. A great example is the Holiday Inn Express Kuta Square, which gives you a modern room, friendly service, free breakfast and a rooftop pool within 5 minutes walk from the beach and countless restaurants for under $40/night! If you want to be close to the nightlife and don’t mind the crowds, this is a great choice.
Legian Beach further North is a little quieter, a little cleaner and a little bit more upscale – and you get a similar quality of room for under $50 within 5-10 minutes walk from the beach. I enjoyed my stays at the all seasons Legian and the ibis Legian Street and I plan to try out the Swissotel closer to the beach on a future trip!

Seminyak is my favorite part of this long beach – it is the nicest, quietest and most upscale town with mostly higher end hotels and private villas. But you can find a few hotels in the alleys behind the beach in this price range that offer similar rooms for under $50/night, even during high season. I have inspected the Harris Hotel and plan to stay on a future visit – it’s comparable to the Holiday Inn Express for just a little more money!

Resort beach of Nusa Dua without the resort prices: Nusa Dua is an integrated resort development on the South Eastern coast of Bali where you will find a number of 5-Star resorts lining the clean, sandy beaches without the crowds or vendors! A nice boardwalk connects all the resorts and gives you access to restaurants, bars and entertainment of all the hotels. There are also markets targeting the hotel guests to shop for souvenirs and anything you might have forgotten to bring. It’s all a lot more organized and cleaner than the slightly chaotic Kuta and can compete with other world class resort destinations – but also a little less authentic Bali. If this sounds good to you, but  you don’t want to pay the 5-star prices (here $125 and up), you can opt for a slightly simpler hotel away from the beach. The Mercure Nusa Dua is in this price range, has a shuttle to the beach and it’s own beach club to relax ocean front – it’s on my list for future visits! I enjoyed my stay at the ibis styles Benoa,  just North of Nusa Dua and a 2 minute walk to the beach, shared with the luxury Conrad Hotel! I paid less than $30/night for a modern room including breakfast, a pool and gym, and could enjoy a $200/night beach after 2 minutes walk – a compromise I’m willing to make!


Bali Beaches away from the crowds: If you want to enjoy the beach getaway without the crowds, there are plenty of options for you without blowing your budget: One of the best value hotels in this price category is the beautiful Hotel Melamun on Lovina Beach. You get a huge, upscale room, attentive service that would make a luxury hotel proud for under $50/night including breakfast just 5 minutes from the ocean and 10-15 minutes from a relaxing beach that had fewer than 10 people throughout my stay! The seawall at the closest waterfront and the countless vendors looking for customers are the downsides of Lovina, as well as the 3h ride from the airport needed to leave the crowds behind!

If you want more of a Robinson Crusoe feeling, with oceanfront hotels, beautiful  beaches and a good mix of restaurants and evening entertainment, the Gili Islands should be the top of your list. They are a 2h speed boat ride from Bali and light years away in terms of the relaxed experience you fill find. They are my top recommendation for anybody looking for a beach getaway and a hotel like the Vamana Resort on Gili Trawangan was over the $50/night including breakfast during my visit in high season. You can find places under $50/night that offer slightly less, but still give you easy access to the beach and restaurants within minutes of walk on these small islands!

Peace & Quiet in Ubud: No visit to Bali is complete without an overnight trip to Ubud, the quintessential place in the center of Bali to Eat, Play, Love! And while the magazines fawn over the luxury pool villas overlooking the rice paddies or forest, you can find great value hotels for under $50/night – and still enjoy rice paddy views, peace and quiet!


If you are looking for a modern hotel with rice paddy views, the evitel Resort checks all the boxes. I enjoyed the stunning pool, rice paddy views from my balcony and stylish room – but had to make some compromises on the comfort side. If you are looking for a hotel with a more authentic Bali feeling, the Padma Upud Retreat offers friendly service, a big room, tasty breakfast and cool pool – all on the path to my favorite rice paddy walks outside the town of Ubud – all for under $40/night including breakfast!

If you are looking for an exotic getaway without the price tag, you have plenty of choices on Bali with few compromises, delivering great value when compared to other international destinations! Ready to plan your own trip? You can find current hotel prices on Bali here!

What is your favorite hotel in this price range on Bali? Any place I should check out in the future? Come back to read new hotels I add to this selection of Bali on a Budget!