7 places we would send our friends to
Three weeks on Bali and Lombok in September and October 2026. Seminyak for beach, restaurants, shopping and atmosphere; Ubud for the best food of our trip; Uluwatu and Nusa Dua for beautiful resorts and beaches; Lombok for quiet days and wonderful landscapes. Bali is very busy these days – choosing the right area, hotel, transfers and trips makes a big difference.
5 places found
Truly exceptional and one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in: beautiful grounds, outstanding service, even our own butler. The catch is the location – there is almost nothing around it, and the resort's activities are priced accordingly. Perfect for a few days of doing nothing; to explore Lombok, Senggigi or Gili Air may suit you better.
Truly beautiful – a huge resort of many buildings, with the service you expect from a Ritz-Carlton. A lovely end to our trip and one of our favourite hotels.
The best hotel of our three weeks and one of the best we have ever stayed in. We were upgraded to a private villa, and the service was more attentive and warm than almost anywhere we know. Although it sits in lively Seminyak, the resort feels calm, and the beach in front is lovely for a shisha at sunset. We would come back again and again.
A good hotel where we lacked nothing, though compared with the others on our trip not a highlight. It sits a little out of town on a hillside and is hard to reach on foot – but taxis in Bali don't cost much. In our view, Bali's best restaurants are in Ubud.
A really lovely hotel that offers a lot – but huge, and busy with events while we were there: from the lobby to our room was sometimes a five- to ten-minute walk. Uluwatu itself is worth it, with beautiful beaches like Padang Padang.
Three weeks on Bali and Lombok: five very different hotels, the best food of the trip in Ubud, clownfish at the Blue Lagoon – and a few things we would do differently next time.