The Zala Villa
The Zala Villas are located couple of km from Kuta on rice fields. Very quiet and picefull location. High standard. more
LemonGrass
I loved this place. I went there three times in one day! The main dishes were about $5 and they were utterly delicious. The tables right by the window were great observation spots. The curries were fantastic and authentic. Juices were excellent, too. Five thumbs up!
The picture shows what I saw sitting by the window! more
Ku De Ta
Probably the coolest restaurant and bar on Bali. It is not cheap (meals around $10, which is about twice as expensive as anywhere else), but it attracts the most attractive people around. The ambiance is unbelievable, the music lounge-trance adds to the atmosphere, the service is extremely professional and the food is lovely. It is the picture-perfect holiday spot on Bali. more
Dhyana Pura
It's difficult to place this resort - I'm not sure whether the price of $60 makes it mid range. In the area it is increasingly harder to get a cheap place and there are obviously other places priced at above $200. So, I guess if it is above $50 and below $100, it makes it mid range.
It is a lovely place directly on the beach. It's large and the quality of rooms varies. Mine was simple without any grandeur about it and nothing to do with Balinese style. But I guess it was adequate. Air conditioning worked, it was clean and personnel was friendly.
There were restaurants on site, but I did not try them. The garden of the resort was superb. At the time it was beautifully decorate for an international symposium of some kind. more
Contiki 18-35
The prices vary, depending on the room location and its proximity to the magnificent swimming pools. Last time I checked, these were from $60-$100. It also depends on the people staying. Some deals are available from agents and bargain websites.
The resort is officially designed to accommodate 18-35 year olds and theoretically, they check the age at the time of reservation and checkin, however I am not sure how strict they are. I stayed there when I was 35.5! However, one should expect that the atmosphere and staff's approach towards the patrons would be as such as everyone is in that age bracket. It is a great hotel and spa. There are not screaming kids anywhere and no party-and-noise-hating old executives. And the party is going on there all day, all night and no-one is complaining or expected to complain.
The spa is phenomenal and the resort had developed their own formulae of oils, shower gels, etc.
It's located near great clubbing scene and 200 yards from the beach. more
Mercure Kuta Bali
This hotel is one of the few directly on Kuta Beach (next to Hard Rock). The mid-range price is reasonable for the quality of the hotel. I liked the openess of the whole building , the mix of balinese and modern contemporary design, the amazing roof-top pool and the restaurant with the same spectacular view to the beach.
Really great service! It does not happen everyday, that hotel staff can be so kind and friendly (I guess it mostly depends on the balinese culture).
Try to get a room in the 3rd floor as you can enjoy direct you view to the sea from your bed. I could just stay 4 nights but will definately choose the same hotel if I'm coming back to Bali. more
Gado-Gado
Right on the beach, at the very end of the street. It was a boring place with much too overpriced dishes ($8) for no reason. I would not recommend it for anything but perhaps a breakfast, if you can afford it! The menu was relatively short and nothing really jumped out of it. more
Trattoria
Not in Kuta itself but in Seminyak - it is one of few authentic Italian places on Bali. The food was good but not as good as many people raved about. Dishes were about $6, which was not cheap and unfortunately for that price it was not the best value. Perhaps I expected too much... more
Obsesion
Obsesion Bar, yes it is its correct spelling, had a great DJ, who was putting superb tunes. I started with a questionable coconut drink, which did not taste like coconut. It had, among other ingredients, a mix of Havana Club Anejo Reserva and Malibu rums. It was strong, but I decided to switch to mojitos. The tattooed bartender, Made, must have been a star on Bali. His mojito was perfect, it was strong and minty. Sugar was taking a bit too long to dissolve to my liking, but I cannot say it was a flaw.
I sat at the bar and the DJ let me copy the excellent Smoma’s ‘Something to Remember’ album. It is a covers album but the chill out versions of the songs were superb.
I could not get enough of the mojitos and I let Made to just keep making them. A couple of customers trickled in and out, so for the most of the time, I was the only one at the bar. Nevertheless I loved it. It had a nice decor and the lighting was perfect. more
Aneka Kuta Beach
This was my first hotel experience on Bali. It was nice. Not on the beach despite the name suggesting otherwise, and not particularly Balinese in style but under $50 it was a good value. The common areas were basic, but the service was professional. Not very knowledgeable about the island, but helpful. They would call half the island for me trying to find out the phone number of the travel agent, which was supposed to meet me at the hotel but forgot...
Rooms were smallish and the bathrooms old, but hot water was available and the beds were comfy and clean. more
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