Thomas
Vancouver
Hello!
I am am planning on going to Bali and Lombok this spring and am looking for suggestions on where to stay. The most important factors for me are that it is close to a variety of surf breaks and is a place where I can meet lots of other young travellers
We loved the Conrad Bali and the Alila Ubud. Both had great amenities and an amazing staff who went above and beyond to make our trip amazing. The Conrad Bali has great restaurants and amazing pool. If you stay there rent a bale for a full or half day. It's a great way to relax and adjust to the time difference. If you stay Spa Alila Ubud get areflexology massage and a mud warp!
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I would stay at The Island Hotel Bali. It's near Double 6 Beach and you can surf the beach breaks at Padma, Double 6, Berawa, etc or you can get up to Canggu really quickly via scooter or taxi or south to the Bukit. There are private rooms or if you're on a budget you can stay in a dorm room. Super clean, wifi, cafe with good food and friendly staff. I met tons of travelers as well as surf buddies when I was there by myself.
I would also recommend staying down in the Bukit Peninsula. It's the best surfing in the world. Padang Padang, Balangan (my favorite) and of course Ulu Watu. There's tons of places down there but you do need to be able to drive a scooter if you stay down there otherwise it's not possible to get around and there's not enough taxis down there.
Here's some helpful Bali posts I wrote on my blog:
Key words and phrases in Bahasa: http://bit.ly/bahasabali
Food in Bali: http://bit.ly/BaliFood
And while you may be very experienced, a surf guide is still helpful: http://www.rtwgirl.com/surf-guides-bali/
Debbie