Spot Check: Uluwatu Surf Villas

Everyone has a rogue Bali story.

Food poisoning, mosquito blitzkreigs, livestock related quarrels, shared rooms with adventurous European backpackers, reef rash, scooter fiascos. The list goes on and on forever.

I’ve endured my fair share of trip misery. Now, at age 22, I’ve become a more cautious surf trip booker. In this day and age, good waves and nice accommodation don’t need to be mutually exclusive. Instead of roughing it, you can can treat yourself — and score.

Which brings us here.

A few weeks ago, a purple-hearted blob sent the Simmers family and I to Bali to shoot the second episode of ‘Ramble On.’ Due to a short production window, we had to mitigate the risk of surf trip misery so that we could spend as much time as possible in the water.

When locking in a place to stay, a brief web search revelead one undisputed favorite: The Uluwatu Surf Villas.

After 20-ish hours of flight time, we arrived in Denpasar where Nate Lawrence (Co- Producer/Captain Save-a-Hoe) drove us through a battery of mopeds to meet Ian Crane at Uluwatu Surf Villas. The food, service, and location all exceeded our lofty expectations.

Allow me to divulge:

Location: The rooms are gorgeous (but not try-hard!) and overlook the waves at Ulus. From the privacy of the cabana’s infinity pool, we watched lines of swell wrap from Temples to Racetracks. Feet from the front door, a private staircase gave us exclusive access down to a beach that makes the top of the point a much easier paddle. The grounds are lush and well-maintained. It enchanted the hell out of us first-timers.

The surf? Firing, duh. And, even though we were perched atop a land of lefts, we found a natural footer’s haven just a 10-minute scooter ride away. Delightful. Overall, we were surprised by the variety and consistency of the few-mile stretch of coastline. By each day’s end, our eyes stung, legs burned, arms felt like noodles, and our thirst for waves was quenched. Caity and Ian only took a surf break to visit the Temple and discover the story of the infamous “White Monkey.”

Food: The menu was more stacked than our 20-hour flight Spotify playlist. With the best from everywhere, there’s little motive to leave. The crew favored Benedict’s eggs with toasted hash browns and Padang Padang smoothie bowls. The colorful cuisine is a surefire way to boost serotonin for a exhuasted surfers. Plus, they even have room service — a major win for sunburnt zombies.

Service: I’m always wary of booking resorts because I hate rules. ‘Nice’ can be largely inconvenient — there are few things more triggering than a front desk refusing to store board bags or telling you to cover up in 85-degree heat.

True story: I lost my thongs the first day, so I went to breakfast every day shoeless. No one gave my nude toes a second look. The staff helped with boards, towels, bug spray, scooters, and all the devilishers details that can make or break a producer’s surf trip.

Additionally, the security kept the place on lock. The greatest threat to our personal safety was the American tendency to lean right on our scooters.

The five-star Bali experience kept our whole team’s batteries charged for a soon-to-be-released surf epic.

We highly recommend booking your best life at the Uluwatu Surf Villas here.