One of the least discussed skills in modern travel is choosing where to stay.

Everyone spends hours, days and in some personal cases, millenia researching hotels.

Far fewer people spend the same amount of time researching the area they’re actually staying in.

Which is slightly like buying a house because you like the sofa.

Bali is a particularly good example.

Here is a little visual guide to keep in your proverbial back pocket to a) pick your ideal destination and b) impress your friends. (It will do at least one of these two things.)

Stay in Uluwatu and you’ll spend your days between clifftop beach clubs and ocean views.

Stay in Ubud and you’ll be surrounded by jungle, rice terraces (and people who appear to have achieved inner peace before breakfast and are named things like Meadow or Lyric). It is utterly beautiful though, in the way you want Bali to be.

Stay in Sidemen and you’ll discover the version of Bali people usually describe when they’re trying to convince you to visit Bali but more often havent seen themselves.

Stay in Munduk and you’ll wonder why nobody talks about Munduk.

Seminyak are the intro Bali, the beginners course Bali, the freshman Bali, the free trial Bali. Still great and beautiful in places, but a toe dip into the full subscription.

Ultimately…. The hotel matters. The location matters more.

If you want to keep it simple and have something to cover all of them and are over “wordy” explanations… I’ve got you.

Trust me on this and I’ll see you by the rice terraces x