Indonesia Travel Information - Accommodation Indonesia: Accommodation Hotels & Guesthouses The popular tourist resort areas like Bali, Lombok, Lake Toba, Tanatoraja and the Manado area have a great selection of places to stay from five-star hotels for the rich holidaymakers to beach-huts for backpackers. In all categories, prices tend to be very competitive by international standards. In cities and bigger towns that don't get many foreigners, hotels cater mostly to Indonesians. These tend to be on the functional side, with little attention paid to "style". One can still find Chinese-run places with TV and air-con, but not with the variety of food and entertainment options offered at resorts. The cheaper options described below are more plentiful though. In smaller towns small, local-style lodges called "losmen" or "penginapan" take over. These are usually perfectly fine for budget travellers, but offer little besides the bare essentials like a bed and a fan, and should be viewed as places to sleep in rather than somewhere to have holiday-fun. Staying in villages There are plenty of places where you can experience village life from the relative comfort of tourist-oriented homestay accommodation. In these places you can count on at least minimal comforts, decent food, and will be charged a fixed, but usually low rate for the room and board. Such village homestays are common in parts of Sumatra, Sulawesi, Flores, Lombok and on Bali and are listed in guidebooks. On the other hand in really remote regions, and on islands without formal accommodation, it may be necessary to arrange a stay in a simple local home. Obviously, this is only really an option if you speak at least some Indonesian and are familiar enough with the local culture not to become a head-ache for your hosts. While staying in an Indonesian village off the beaten track may sound interesting, in reality it means having zero privacy, minimal or non-existent sanitary facilities, basic food, often no electricity, plus perhaps bedbugs and rats as room-mates! :-) And while people are unlikely to ask directly, always give some money for your keep! Don't ask bluntly "How much do I owe you?", but give an appropriate amount (say 5$ /person /day) discretely to the woman of the house, saying it is a contribution for the kitchen expenses.