Where to build a house in Bali

If I had a pot of money and time on my hands, I might build a house in Bali. Even if I don’t, just thinking about where it would be, is a lot of fun. Riding around on my motorbike and marking spots with a GPS, I see there is no limit to the amount of scenic spots on the island, with relatively cheap land. As always, location is the real factor you have to consider, when building a house.

Personally, I’d never build a house on the beach. Reason being, is 5 minutes after its built, someone else will build next ot me, behind me, around me. Better to find a nice chunk of land in a valley with a view. One of the most scenic valleys I’ve seen, runs 13kms from Dausa, on the rim of the Batur crater, down to the NE coast at Bondalem. There are no ‘bules’ living there, the valley affording views of the coast, with coconut, mango, papaya, avocado and a host of other fruits dripping from the trees. Only problem with this place, is where do you go for stuff. Nearest supermarket, bank, cinema, doctor, ATM will be in Singaraja, over an hour away. Same thing with some of the highland places I see in Jatiluwih, or Penebel. The access is often via rutted roads, the nearest big town being Tabanan, the nearest real town of interest being Seminyak, 90 minutes away.

One of the best places I’ve visited, and think of as ideal, is near Tirgagangga in East Bali. Just behind the town of Amlapara I remember there being a large, virtually unpopulated valley. When I say unpopulated, I mean by westerners. The reason I like this area is that East Bali feels like a lower key, more traditional place than the south of the island. I always get a good feeling about that part of Bali. The valley directly behind Amlapura, to the north, offers sweeping views of perfect rice terraces, a river running down the center (no annoying local road with noisy motorbikes!), cheaper land than in Seminyak, decent access with a car, 10 minutes to Amlapura, 30 minutes to Candi Dasa, 15 minutes to the coast and 45 minutes to Amed. There you have it, ATM’s and banks, sweeping ricefield views, coastal access, white sand beaches and restaurants. Next time I go I’ll post the coordinates. With the new Kusamba Bypass stretching all the way to almost Padangbai, you can jet out to East Bali faster than ever before. Even if a Bypass to other parts of the Bali happens, you’ll be hard pressed, to find the attractions of what I mentioned, plus the water palace at Tirtagangga, in such close proximity.

Another area that will explode in the next 10 years will be Ubud. I’ve seen nice land in Tegallalang and other areas, with easy access to Ubud.

Fun isn’t it to dream?