Hip Holiday Apartments in Bali You'll Want to Call Home

The Apartments Canggu range from simple studios to deluxe two-bedroom villas. All feature carved wooden beds, basic kitchens (two-ring hobs and a fridge) and private courtyards. The shared pools sit within tropical gardens enclosed by white-washed walls. You can borrow bikes, yoga mats and surf boards for free – take the latter to nearby Echo Beach and catch a wave before watching the sunset, cocktail in hand.

Giant Buddha prints, trickling water features and frangipani trees – so far, so Bali. The rooms at Raj Sindy Sanur overlook a tree-shaded pool, and include open-air bathrooms with pebble floors, rain showers and deep soaking tubs. Kitchens are basic, but who wants to cook when you can pick up sate lilit (minced meat satay) or babi guling (roasted pork) at the night market next door?

The Legian Sunset Residence in Seminyak is a 15-minute walk from the legendary nightlife of Legian Street, meaning you can have your fun but sleep well, too. The 53 studios stretch skywards in this high-rise building and overlook the quiet pool in the central courtyard. Long-term guests and families are welcome, but be warned: Wi-Fi can be patchy, so digital nomads may need to find another spot to work.

The homely self-contained units at Kuta Ardenia are generously sized, with ample living space and huge bathrooms. Some of the three-bedroom units come with a private pool, but there’s a raised pool (with a transparent side) on the rooftop, next to the American-Indonesian restaurant, where breakfast is served. Kuta Beach is a five-minute drive or 15-minute walk away, and the international airport is only 10 minutes by taxi.

The 28 sumptuous studios and self-catered apartments at Anantara Vacation Club Legian include standalone tubs and extra-large beds. Double Six Beach and Rip Curl Surf School are right on your doorstep – and a steam room session or Balinese massage at the spa can release that post-surf tension. Venture half an hour north to reach Seminyak or the same time south to Kuta.

While the lobby is a little gaudy – with chairs made of steel barrels and neon orange cushions – the large rooms at KAEN Apartments are more sleek, thanks to their exposed brick and under-bed lighting. The centre of Canggu is a 15-minute scooter ride away, but the beaches are much closer. Don’t miss the sunset at the nearby Hindu temple, Pura Gede Luhur Batu Ngaus – it’s like a mini Tanah Lot, without the crowds.

Ayana, in Jimbaran, is adjacent to the Ayana Resort & Spa and comes with recreation facilities, including two swimming pools and a cosy 10-seat cinema. The villas are privately owned, so decor varies dramatically – one resident appears to have a penchant for leopard-print wallpaper – but all come with full kitchens and fabulous treetop-to-ocean views.

Starling Villas comprises six self-contained units, each of which leads to a frangipani-filled garden. The skinny beach of Sanur is just a 10-minute walk away – wander south along the paved coastal path until you find a sufficiently secluded spot. Alternatively, there’s a shared pool surrounded by rainbow-bright bean bags back at the villas, plus a few loungers and a vast white-washed terrace – perfect for a lazy afternoon if you’ve had too much sun.

The teak and chocolate tones throughout the apartments at Puri Hiromi Boutique Residence feel just a little 1970s – but the fancy private pools (available for one-, two- and three-bed apartments) bring them back to the present day. Some rooms also come with thatched vaulted ceilings and big balconies. East-facing Sanur is the prime spot for catching the sunrise – you can roll out of bed and be on the beach in four minutes.

The nine thatch-roofed boutique rooms at the Apartments Umalas are pristine white and punctuated with quirky, colourful trinkets. Private terraces come as standard and give guests direct access to two freeform pools surrounded by plush loungers. There are plenty of eating options just a taxi away – try Nook for smoothie bowls with a paddy-field backdrop or the iconic Potato Head Beach Club for a zero-waste meal at the on-site restaurant, Ijen.