Bali Tours, Sports & Weddings!

Most hotels and villas in Bali basically offer 3rd party tours, where the hotel simply carries brochures and books your tour with the tour operator for you. Of course, they make a commission from this, and the tours offered by 3rd parties tend to be "sardine specials". Where you are collected in a minibus full of other tourists, given rest breaks at shops that pay the tour operator a commission on anything you buy (generally this means expensive cheap souvenirs) and then finally taken to the destination at the same times as hundreds of other tour groups (when the aggressive sales hawkers selling yet more souvenirs are ready for you).

Some hotels run their own, individual, in-house tours that are the complete reverse of such 3rd party commission opportunities, often allowing you to design your own tour with them and where you get individual guide attention and travel in a car. If you do go to one of the main Balinese temples, etc. where aggressive hawkers frequent, the hotels tend to get you there before they and the tour bus hoards arrive. These Balinese hotels and villas are to be applauded. Below are some of the hotels / villas we are aware of that offer such bespoke tour services;

Cultural Tours

Taman Harum in Mas
Balisani in Legian and Kerobokan
Bolare Beach Bungalows in Canggu
Villas Agung Bali Nirwana in Sambirenteng
Swastika Bungalows Sanur
Graha Resort near Ubud

Cycling Tours

Cahaya Dewata Hotel in Sayan, Ubud
Saren Indah Hotel in Nuh Kunning, Ubud

Horse Riding

Balisani Suites Hotel in Kerobokan

Java / Lombok / Other Islands

Prima Cottages in Sanur offer incredible tours at low prices

Ornithology / Bird Watching

Ayo Udayana eco-Lodge has to be the best on Bali

Scuba Diving

Tauch Terminal in Tulamben
Hidden Paradise in Amed
Agung Bali Nirwana in Sambirenteng
Taman Sari in Pemuteran
Mimpi Menjangan and Mimpi Tulamben