What to actually pack for a villa stay in Bali

We see the same packing scenes every week. The new arrival rolling a 30kg suitcase up the path full of things they’ll never wear, holding a fresh bottle of sunscreen they bought at the airport for triple price, asking us if we have a hairdryer (yes, in every suite). Here’s the short list of what to bring, and the longer list of what’s already here.

Bring this

Reef-safe sunscreen. Bali is brutal on pale skin. Anything 30 SPF or higher. Reef-safe matters because most of the swimming you’ll do is in or near coral. We sell a small Australian-made one at cost (200,000 IDR) but bring your own preferred brand to save the trip to the warung.

A wide-brimmed hat. Not a baseball cap. Sun is overhead from 10am-2pm and your scalp will hate you. Buy a cheap one at the airport if you forget.

One swimsuit you actually like. You’ll live in it. Two if you want to dry overnight.

Loose linen everything. Long sleeves, long pants. They sound counter-intuitive in 30°C heat but trap less heat than synthetics and protect from sun. Plus most temples require shoulders + knees covered.

Reef booties. Sea urchins are the most common injury here. 80,000 IDR at any surf shop on Bingin road, but bring them if you have them.

A power adapter. Indonesia uses Type C / F (the round two-pin European style). UK, US and Australia plugs all need adapters. We have a few loaners but they always end up in someone else’s bag by week three.

Cash. USD 200 in small bills (10s and 20s) for ATM-failure days. Indonesia is mostly cash for warungs and small spas.

A book. Not a Kindle, an actual book. The pool deck calls.

Don’t bring

Hairdryer, towels, beach towels. All in your suite. Surfboard. Bali airport will damage it. Rent locally for $20/day. Sandals/flip-flops. We have spares in every suite. Yoga mat. We have them; the teacher brings extras. Pool inflatables. We have a small fleet of them, flamingos, donuts, the works. Snorkel gear. Provided for our snorkel trip. Bug spray. Supplied in each suite (Bali-formulated, works better than anything from home). Toiletries beyond your face routine. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand soap, all stocked.

Special cases

Travelling with kids: Tell us ages at booking. We have cot, high chair, pool noodles, a few books, and a small toy basket. Save the carry-on space.

Honeymoon / anniversary: Don’t bring anything to “set up.” Pre-order a private dinner from us; we handle flowers, candles, music, dinner service.

Long stay (2+ weeks): Bring a reusable water bottle. We refill from the filter system at no charge. Saves about 80 plastic bottles per stay.

Photographers: Bring your gear. The light at this villa is unfair. Sunset hits the pool deck at 5:50pm and turns everything copper for a clean 25 minutes.

The shortest version: a swimsuit, a hat, sunscreen, an adapter and a book. We have the rest.