Seminyak, Bali Top Travel Tips

Seminyak is a vibrant, hustle & bustle area of Bali, close to Denpasar airport and in the middle of all the action. Without it being overwhelmingly crazy (ie. full of bat-shit crazy Aussies and aggressive street sellers), Seminyak has it all going on and is the gateway to exploring the rest of the incredible province of Bali. It offers some of the most incredible restaurants & bars, has tons of day spas and salons, plenty of shopping, beach bars & unforgettable nightlife.

Check out my top tips below on visiting Seminyak; from where to eat, stay, drink & what to do during your stay.

Where to stay in Seminyak

Seminyak has an abundance of hotels, guesthouses, hotels and villas. There is something for every budget and style, you can pay as little or as much as you like.

Booking.com – Booking.com is one of my favourite tools for booking accommodation for a few reasons. The app is super easy to use and you can select filters to choose exactly what you are looking for. Generally I search an area, filter to my nightly budget (in Bali its been around $30), review score over 8 and with an outdoor pool. You can also select more facilities, star rating, search by map to choose a certain area. The other reason is a lot of accommodation on there allows cancellations up to the day of check in and no credit card or payment required until you arrive. This leaves flexibility if you’d like to change anything!

Airbnb – If you are looking for a villa for a bigger group of people I definitely recommend Airbnb. Here you can find incredible value for money for amazing villas within every budget.

Tips for booking accommodation: I found in off season you don’t need to pre-book and often hotels/villas will have last minute deals. You can also walk or drive around the area finding a place to suit you. I am not sure if this applies in peak season however so it might be worth pre-planning at least a few nights.

Places I stayed or visited with great locations and excellent value for money:

Primera Hotel – $29AUD per night for a double room. Basic hotel, friendly staff, everything you need in a great location.

Tijili Hotel – $120AUD per night for 4 people for interconnecting double rooms. Beautiful boutique hotel, fantastic rooms & staff, beautiful pool area, great location.

U Paasha – $160AUD per night for a double/twin room. If you want the absolute best location with budget no issue, this hotel is located right in the heart of Seminyak, amongst all the popular bars & restaurants. Beautiful rooms & rooftop pool.

Villa Chocolat – $800AUD per night for a 5 bedroom villa sleeping 10 people. Great location, huge space with 2 swimming pools, gardens, kitchen, dining & lounge area, all rooms with ensuite.

Villa Castilla – $170-$320AUD per night for a 4 bedroom villa sleeping 8 people. We got a last minute special on this villa for 1 night. The location is incredible! 4 spacious rooms, small pool & outdoor area, great staff, competitive rates.

*Please note prices were for during my stay and cannot guarantee this is year round.

Where to eat in Seminyak

The restaurant options in Seminyak are endless and the food choices are incredible! These are my top recommendations:

Burger – Wacko Burger is one of the best burgers and fries I’ve ever had!

Indonesian – Warung Nia – Simple, traditional Indonesian dishes & BBQ and the friendliest staff. They also offer cooking lessons 🙂

Organic/Vegan – The Earth Cafe offers incredible Vegan/Organic food for a reasonable price. Try the Coconut Crepes and the Smoothies!

Bar – Meja Bar & Kitchen. One of the best meals I’ve ever had in Bali and while listening to incredible live music and drinking cheap cocktails. Try the Calamari, Mango Bruschetta, Corn Fritters & Rosemary Chicken!

Pub (Western Meal) – Lucky Day, Aussie owned bar has pub food so good, when you need an Aussie/Western fix this is the only place to go! Huge portions, awesome steaks, chicken schnitzels, burgers. They also do incredible Indonesian food.

Fine dining – La Sicilia is an Italian restaurant with the most stunning decor and atmosphere, filled with antique furniture, covered in plants and greenery, serving incredible cocktails, fine wine and gourmet food. This is one of the best meals I’ve ever had and hands down the best Italian meal I’ve ever had!

Bars to visit in Seminyak

There are tons of great places to party/drink in Seminyak and surrounds. My favourites are:

La Laguna – Closer to Canggu (10-15 minute taxi ride) – This is probably the best beach bar setting I’ve ever been to! Contact Me if you want to book a table here with an exclusive drinks & meal package!

La Favela – This is where the party is at! Incredible decor and 4 levels of fun in the heart of Seminyak.

Cocoon Beach Club – This awesome beach club played some of the best DJ tunes I’ve ever heard in Bali! Happy Hour is from 4-7pm with 2 for 1 cocktails making them around $6AUD each! There is a great pool, cabanas and lounge seating.

Potato Head Beach Club – I was skeptical about going to Potato Head as I’d heard the prices were high and it was full of pretentious people. My experience was far from pretentious! I’m not going to lie there are some people who are extremely well dressed for a pool session, but the atmosphere was super relaxed, awesome chilled tunes, beautiful pool and beach setting and even has a swim up bar!

Transport Options Seminyak

Scooter Hire – If you’re confident riding a scooter then I definitely recommend hiring one for your stay. It is busy and often there can be traffic, but its quicker than getting around in taxis. Depending on how long you hire for it should be around $5-$7AUD per day. Petrol costs about $2 to fill from empty to full.

Uber – Bali does have Uber, however there are a lot of areas and hotels that are against it. You need to go a little out of the centre to get an Uber to collect you. I recommend it for bigger journeys as you save a ton of money! I got an Uber from Sanur to Seminyak which cost me about $7 for an hour drive. You can also get Uber Scooters 🙂

Hire a driver – If you plan to visit places like Ubud, Uluwatu etc. its worth hiring a driver for the day to take you around. I recommend Bali Midori Transport. Depending on your group size a half day charter starts from $40 or a full day for $60.

Top Things To Do in, around, from Seminyak

Massages/Spa Treatments – You can one hour full body massages from $7+ depending on the spa you choose. I found that paying around $12 were the best massages for an affordable price. Everything is on offer in Bali for incredible prices; Facials, Manicures, Pedicures, Eyelash Extensions, Hair Treatments, you name it!

Beach Bars – The beach bars in Bali are not just bars to go and drink. They are places you spend an afternoon, relaxing, eating, drinking, great photo opportunities and a place to meet people. La Laguna is a must with incredible decor for Insta-worthy photos, beach views and a great atmosphere.

Shopping – There is plenty of shopping in Seminyak for all budgets. There are designer boutiques, surf shops, classic Balinese touristy/souvenir shops and markets. Check out Kayu Aya Square Market for some bargains, hand made items, leather products etc.

Day Trip to Uluwatu – Uluwatu is in the South of Bali (around 1 hour from Seminyak depending on traffic.) It is lined with beautiful cliffs and incredible surf beaches, plus one of my favourite bars Single Fin. Head there for sunset or their famous Sunday session! You can explore the Uluwatu temples where there are monkeys roaming (and thieving and attacking.) I recommend Dreamland Beach & Padang Padang Beach.

Day Trips/Tours elsewhere – From Seminyak you can travel almost anywhere and back within a day. Head up to Ubud to check out the Monkey Forrest, Rice Fields, Healers & more. Do a sunrise tour to Tanah Lot. Go on a Quad Biking, Rafting, Canyon Tubing or Monkey Bike Tour with Bali Quad Discovery Tours. They’ll pick you up and drop you back to Seminyak after your activity. Highly recommended!

Want to do some healing while in Bali? Check out my Bali Journey blog

Want to do a safe self-drive scooter journey in Bali? Check out my Ubud to Bali Beaches blog

Have a question or want some advice? Feel free to Contact Me