Indonesia is a land of almost infinite variety. Firstly it's smattering of islands, from the very large to the very tiny, spread 5,000 kilometres along the equator, and that's a lot of opportunity for local indigenous plants and animals to develop in their own diverse eco-systems. And they have. There are parts of Indonesia which are still virgin to Western explorers. And secondly the population is edging up around 250 million, but exists in such separate ways - on 6,000 inhabited islands - that this is more like a hundred different cultures and countries than one.

Indonesia's people, cultures and landscape are spectacularly varied, but the weather is uniform. There are two seasons: wet and dry. Both are tropically hot.

Some of our Indonesia Collections:

• The Best Places to Stay in Bali
• The Best Places to Stay in Lombok
• 20 of the Best 5 Star Luxury Hotels in Bali
• 13 of the Best Resorts in Bali

Where to Stay

Choosing the best places to stay in Indonesia for you requires at least an idea of which facets of Indonesia you want to discover.

• Capital, Jakarta, is a heaving metropolis in the crazy, energetic South East Asian sense, and at the opposite end of the scale are the wild islands of Flores, Komodo and Rinca. It's a cliche, but there really is something for everyone here. If the temples of Prambanan and Borobudur are on your 'to do' list then Yogyakarta is a good base. It's also considered Jakarta's cultural hub and this is where you'll find many museums and galleries.

• Mysterious Bali has the luxury beach resorts. Denpesar is Bali's capital and this is where you'll find the liveliest nightlight, best restaurants and bars and the Grand Dame resorts, like The Oberoi and the Four Seasons Jimbaran. Ubud is probably the best place to stay in Bali if you're interested in experiencing the colour of her culture. This is museum and gallery central. And a short driving distance from some of the most beautiful of the island's 20,000 temples. This used to be where the backpackers and artists came, but now there are plenty of luxurious options for food, drink and sleep as well. Uma Ubud is a great place to come to relax in luxurious, tropical elegance, right in amongst the mist of the rice paddies. Or try Bambu Indahwhere you sleep in traditional thatched homes with open air bathrooms and vast verandahs.

• Lombok is famously beautiful both in and out of the water, and Lombok and the Gili Islands are the place to come for divers and snorkelers.

If you're looking for the best places to stay in Indonesia to relax you really will be spoilt for choice. Likewise if you enjoy poking around local markets and atmospheric old temples then Indonesia is your oyster.

What not to Miss

If you want memorable, Indonesia offers up:

• the Orangutan Feeding Centre at Bukit Lawang;
• Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park for some of the world's scariest volcanic landscapes;
• Kelimutu National Park with its three deep volcanic lakes shrouded in mist;
• Sumatra's Kerinci Seblat National Park, for the big game and giant rafflesia flowers;
• Danau Sentani, a huge lake with its own 19 islands dotted with wonderfully traditional Papuan wooden fishing villages on stilts;
• the highlands of Tana Toraja, another richly traditional place where the old farming cultures live on and you can really see how diverse people's lives are;
• Komodo for its dragons;
• the Gili Islands or the Raja Amput Islands for their spectacular coral reefs and diverse marine life;
• and Java's wonderful ancient temples.

But those are just the very tip of Indonesia's many magical possibilities.

The Best Places to Stay in Indonesia

The Best Places to Stay in Jakarta

• The Gunawarman, set in an impressive colonial building, boasts wonderfully smart accommodation featuring plenty of wood panelling and parquet floors accompanied with antiques. Lovely European cuisine served up in their two restaurants - a dreamy stay. 
• The Hermitage oozes colonial chic with its cream accommodation, high ceilings, and smart furnishings. Its wonderful restaurant, spa, pool, and lovely bar only add to the splendour.

The Best Places to Stay in Bali

• Shambhala's 30 suites are in nine individually designed villas, each with their own pool and facilities, so this is a wonderful spot for some privacy. And its location means it's also good for a spot of adventure.
• At just 25minutes from the airport, The Bale makes Bali seem like a viable fly and flop option, but with all the added extras of it being a tropical destination with an ancient culture and a great access to the rest of the region. Being in Denpasar is one thing, but The Bale is gorgeous with it, with 29 rooms arranged in a series of beautiful pavilions dotted with gardens and pools, so each room and suite feels very private if you want it too. The decor is contemporary, with lots of teak and white muslin, and the bathrooms are huge. There’s also a huge shared pool, and a spa and gym, and a beach club. The food, fusion Asian European, is fantastic too.

• On Bali’s quieter, east coast, Amankila is a Bali institution, one of the island’s oldest resorts, and very well loved for its incredible views of the Lombok Straight, and some of its fantastically elegant old buildings, which have both a traditional and colonial feel, based on the nearby Karangasem Palaces. Amankila is also known for its three tiered infinity pool… There are just 34 villas in the complex, surrounded by gardens and jungle, and the restaurant serves fusion dishes and impressive cocktails.

The Best Places to Stay in Lombok

• The Oberoi does an excellent job of ticking all the boxes; it's beside its own sandy beach, has private, thatched roofed villas, has an award winning spa, gorgeous tropical gardens and is next to an 18 hole golf course.
• The Qunci Villas is another dreamy beach resort with an infinity pool overlooking a sandy beach and the vast ocean beyond. Well spaced and generous sized villas mean this is also one of the best places to stay in Indonesia if you want a family resort holiday.

Some of Indonesia's Best Beach Resorts

• Just up from Kuta Beach in Denpasar, The Legian is a stylish 79 room beach resort right on the sand. If you’re looking for privacy you’ll find it here in one of their private villas, but there are also great family suites and standard rooms, and there’s a kid’s club too of you want to fly and flop with your kids. Interiors are a beautiful blend of traditional Indonesian style and modern minimalism, but with parquet floors and muslin drapes, and there’s a really, really good choice of bars and restaurants offering international choices as well as local ones. Friendly and laid back.
• Jimbaran Puri is just off the sand of idyllic Jimbaran Bay, an elegant resort and one of our favourites if you’re looking for a relaxing escape. As well as offering direct access to one of Bali’s most beautiful beaches, this is the sort of place for sipping cocktails in your outdoor bath, dining by candlelight, morning yoga sessions and open air massages. There are 64 rooms and villas, with the Deluxe Pool Villas or Cottages perfect for families or groups, and they offer babysitting too. The resort has a choice of restaurants, but your just a stroll from the restaurants of neighbouring resorts too. Not that you’ll see them from Jimbaran Puri.

The Best Places to Stay in Indonesia for Families

• The Oberoi is the grande dame of Bali’s beach resorts, with a great collection of traditional Balinese styled villas on easy to reach Seminyak Beach in Denpasar. The villas comes in all different sizes, some are great for families, some have their own private pools and walled gardens, but all are similarly styled with carved teak four-poster beds with white muslin drapes, thatched roofs, cane furnishings and big sliding doors/ windows. The spa is glorious, with some fantastic local treatments, as well as the ones you know and love, and the restaurant is excellent, and has both indoor and outdoor seating. And you’re just five minutes from a string of lively bars.
• Often it’s the larger resorts the have the best facilities for kids, and the Four Seasons Jimbaran is a great example of five star family friendly. There are 156 villas of various sizes, all spacious, with thatched roofs and Balinese touches to the decorations, a private pavilion and pool, and some of the biggest ones are bound to be larger than your home. They’re arranged on a jungle-covered hill overlooking Jimbaran Bay, rolling down to a beach that’s a mile long. There’s also a choice of five open air restaurants, a gym, cooking school, kid’s club, organised watersports, badminton, bocce and the hotel will organise local activities too, like the opportunity to ride an elephant.
• The Alila Villas Soori is an eco-friendly resort set right against one of those dramatic black sandy beaches on the less discovered west side of Bali. Which are quite chic in themselves. There are 48 rooms, spread throughout villas with between one and ten bedrooms, all with private terraces and infinity pools. Some have private dining rooms too. There’s also a spa. This is a great place for families and groups, because of the range of villas sizes, and they also offer babysitting and are able to arrange loads of fantastic local activities, including horse riding, traditional dance classes and trips to local markets.

Still not sure which to book? Browse through our list of all the best places to stay in Indonesia, or contact, one of our friendly gurus for advice.