The village of Kuta has changed dramatically since the first modern age travelers drifted in in the early 1970′s. Back then the small lanes running between the main street and the beach were just sandy tracks, complete with palm trees, cattle and crater-sized potholes.
Getting to Legian meant going to a completely different village. Nowadays the Kuta-Legian-Seminyak strip is one contiguous sprawl.The actual village of Kuta (now a very rich village) is bordered by Jl. Bakung Sari at the southern end, Jl. Melasti at the northern end, Jl. Pantai Kuta to the west and Jl. Tanjung Mekar to the east. Given that rents are highest for beachfront hotels and hotels located on major streets, the cheapest accommodation can be found along the narrow lanes that connect the main business street and the beach.
The cheapest beds in Kuta
Bottom end prices for Bali guesthouses on Poppies Lane I, Poppies Lane II, and Jl. Benesari are around 40,000 rupiah (around US$4). Gang Ronta (lanes in Bali are called gangs), the narrow gang that connects Poppies I & II has a selection of budget places, most of which are clean, simple with fan and coldwater shower, and are perfectly okay for most of the year.
Booking a cheap place in Kuta
Staying in budget accommodation along one of the small gangs means you do not have to worry about pre-booking. Simply take an airport taxi to Poppies Lane (price around 30,000rp) and check out a few places. Christmas and New Years are busy so start looking as early as possible during the time, but ordinarily you’ll find somewhere.
Advantages to staying in this area
Staying between the main street and the beach has its advantages. Restaurants, bars, shops are all within easy reach, as is the Perama bus office located on the bottom section of Jl. Legian, which is the major business street that runs parallel with the beach.
Many guesthouses and hotels will try to sell you day tours and motorbike rentals. The area around Poppies II & Jl. Benesari are the staging areas for surfaris to other parts of the island and Indonesia, with plenty of businesses offering packages.
Below are some popular and notable places in Kuta. in much greater detail can be found on the Accommodation on Poppies II Lane page.
Kedin’s II (0361-763554) located on Gang Sorga, another small gang joining Poppies I & II (via Gang Ronta & the beach end of Poppies I).
Ayu Beach Inn (0361-752091), located close to Gang Sorga On Poppies Lane I, down a long driveway.
Suji Bungalows (0361-765804) and Hotel Sorga (0361-751897), are on Gang Sorga and both are decent places offering a choice of fan or AC rooms with hot water.
Un’s Hotel (0361-757409) on Jl. Benesari, which is accessed by following Jl. Pantai Kuta up one more block from Poppies II. This good value place offers large well-furnished rooms, swimming pool, lush gardens. Un’s also has a decent restaurant (The Balcony) attached, which is popular with families and surfers (photo of Kelly Slater eating at Un’s on the wall).
Poppies Cottages (0361-751059) is one of the ‘old school’ places to stay in Kuta that has endured due to its good reputation and great location. Poppies has very nice cottages set in lush, well kept gardens. There is a small swimming pool, internet access and library. Located on Poppies I close to Poppies Restaurant and TJ’s Mexican. Poppies Restaurant isn’t a budget place but does great food, including the best mie goreng in Bali!
Walking around Kuta you will discover many more value for money places to stay, some which renovate and change hands, creating a dynamic and interesting set of options.
