I never intended to end up at a Bali surf camp. In fact, over the whole 7 weeks I spent in Bali, surfing wasn’t on the plan at all (my failed attempt at surfing in Portugal pretty much guaranteed that). And yet, while planning my time in Uluwatu and searching for the perfect Uluwatu hotel, I stumbled upon Dreamsea Surf Camp and instantly knew it was the place for me.
Insta-worthy decor? Check. Super comfy beds? Double check. Delicious food at the on-site cafe AND yoga lessons? Triple check. Actually affordable? Quadruple check.
Seriously. From the outlook, there was no single thing in which Dreamsea Uluwatu came up short. And so, I booked my stay and got ready to go!
But did this Bali surf camp live up to expectations (spoiler alert: it did)? Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about Dreamsea Uluwatu and read my review of this Uluwatu surf camp!
Bali Surf Camp: Everything You Need To Know
Thinking about attending a Bali surf camp? You’re in the right place. This section will tell you everything you need to know about surfing in Bali!
Surfing in Bali
Bali is an incredibly popular surf spot, and for good reason. Along with the great surfing in Bali (especially on the Bukit Peninsula), it has all of the amenities a surfer could want.
Bali isn’t necessarily the best place in the world to learn to surf, as it can have inconsistent and challenging swells. This makes it a great spot for more advanced surfers, but there are still opportunities for beginners (like me), so not to worry if you are one!
When to Surf in Bali
There are opportunities to surf in Bali year round, so you don’t necessarily need to worry about timing when planning your trip.
That being said, there are still some seasonal differences! The Dry Season (May-September) offers the amazing breaks that Bali is known for, but is also high season, meaning that the island (and the waves) will be more crowded. Wet Season (November-March), on the other hand, still offers good surfing opportunities while being less crowded.
Here is a really great guide to the best spots to surf depending on the season in Bali!
Where to Surf in Bali
There are absolutely loads of places to surf in Bali. If you’re interested in a good combination of great surf and that Insta-Bali vibe, then here are my top two choices:
Uluwatu – Located about an hour south of the Airport, Uluwatu is known for it’s incredible cliffside temple, stunning cliffs, and great surf. Popular surf spots include: Padang Padang (home to the Ripcurl Padang Padang surfing competition), Bingin, Dreamland, and Balangan. Home to Dreamsea Surf Camp Uluwatu, where I stayed (and is the subject of this review!)
Canggu – Absolutely chock full of Insta-worthy cafes & digital nomads, Canggu is a fantastic place to stay. It’s also incredibly popular with surfers for its wide range of breaks. You can also find a Dreamsea Surf Camp here!
Dreamsea Surf Camp Bali: General Information
If you’re interested in attending a Bali surf camp, you really can’t do much better than Dreamsea Uluwatu (or Canggu). I’ll get into why, exactly, that is a little later on, but for now here is all of the super-important information that you need to know about Dreamsea Uluwatu!
How to Get to Dreamsea Uluwatu
Dreamsea Uluwatu isn’t necessarily the easiest place in the world to find, so here’s a little guide.
BY AIR
The closest airport to Dreamsea Uluwatu is Ngurah Rai International Airport (Denpasar). You can find flights here from all over the world. Upon arrival, you can take Dreamsea’s pick-up service, which is €20/person, or arrange a taxi yourself.
BY ROAD
If you’re coming from elsewhere in Bali, or using your own transport from the airport, here are the instructions that Dreamsea Bali gives on how to find them:
“When travelling from the North of Bali you will see Mango Tree on your left, Padang Padang Inn on your right, and roughly 10m after you will see a right turning called ‘RODDA 6’. Follow it to the end, where you will find temple parking for cars and a scooter parking area. This is the cliff which Dreamsea is situated on. Walk past the scooters and when you reach a set of stairs turn down them, keep to the right and follow the stairs until you reach the last building where you will find Dreamsea Surf Camp Reception.”
If you need to get transport to Dreamsea from elsewhere in Bali, I highly suggest booking with Grab or Gojek!
Different Types of Accommodation at Dreamsea Uluwatu
There are several different room options at Dreamsea Uluwatu, including Suite Rooms, Ensuite Twin Rooms, and Twin Rooms.
The Suite Rooms are private rooms with ensuite bathrooms, double beds, and often a private terrace.
Both the Ensuite Twin Rooms and Twin Rooms have 2 single twin beds with either an ensuite or shared bathroom and a shared terrace. These rooms can be booked either as a whole, or by the bed. So if you’re traveling with a friend, you can book the whole room, or if you’re traveling solo you’ll be assigned a roommate. This is what I did and it was great-my roommate was super lovely!
Dreamsea Surf Camp vs. Surf Lessons
Depending on how long you’re spending at Dreamsea Uluwatu and how much time you actually want to devote to surfing, you can either purchase a full Bali surf camp package, which includes 10 hours of surfing instruction (2 hours a day), or one-off 2-hour lessons on the days that you want to surf.
If you’re an experienced surfer, you have free access to Dreamsea’s equipment and can surf on your own if you prefer.
Dreamsea Uluwatu Amenities
In addition to its amazing rooms and great surfing, Dreamsea Uluwatu has a huge range of amenities. These include a private beach, yoga lessons, and an on-site restaurant and bar!
Dreamsea Surf Camp Bali Costs
Dreamsea Surf Camp isn’t necessarily the cheapest Bali surf camp out there, and definitely not the cheapest Uluwatu hotel, but it actually has really reasonable prices, especially considering everything that you get!
If you want to go for the full Bali surf camp experience, then go for the weekly pack. This includes 7 nights accommodation, breakfast, dinner, 10 hours of surfing lessons, 3 hours of yoga lessons, and access to all of Dreamsea’s equipment. The weekly pack costs €998 for suite accommodation for 2 people, €449 for ensuite twin accommodation per person, and €419 for twin accommodation per person.
If you don’t want to commit to surfing almost every day, you can also book accommodation on its own. Suites cost €80/night without a terrace or €89/night with a terrace, ensuite twin rooms cost €30/person/night, and twin rooms cost €25/person/night. All prices include breakfast the next morning.
If you go this route, or if you run out of lessons in your weekly pack, then you can purchase a 2 hour private surf lesson for €40 or a shared surf lesson for €30. Yoga lessons cost €10 each. You can either book these ahead of time or when you get there!
My Dreamsea Uluwatu Review
Alright, now for the down and dirty: did Dreamsea Uluwatu live up to my extremely high expectations? Was the surf great? The accommodation insta-worthy? The yoga lessons relaxing? The food delicious? Let’s dive right in!
The Best Uluwatu Hotel: Accommodation at Dreamsea Surf Camp Bali
The whole reason I ended up at Dreamsea Surf Camp was because I was searching for a good, cost-friendly Uluwatu hotel. Of course, when I’m booking hotels I have pretty high expectations. I want a good location, great decor, and a good price. Well, Dreamsea Uluwatu absolutely fit the bill! At €25/night for a shared room, it’s a bit expensive for Bali, but still affordable enough, and you’re only sharing with one other person!
When I arrived at Dreamsea Uluwatu (after climbing down approximately 100 stairs, as the hotel is perched on the edge of the Uluwatu cliffs), I was greeted with lemongrass tea (yum) and a friendly smile. I was quickly checked in and brought to my room at the end of the long, shared terrace overlooking the sea.
The Room
The actual room consisted of two twin beds, a chair, a mirror, and a small table. The glass sliding doors could let loads of light in, or the curtains could be closed for privacy/a good lie in.
The decor is very much boho-chic, and the whole room is white and airy, so it’s a super pleasing place to be.
The walls are made of bamboo and pretty thin, so it’s pretty easy to hear your neighbors – but other than that I had absolutely no complaints.
I fell asleep that night to the sounds of the ocean hitting the cliffs below, and the bed was perhaps the comfiest I slept in during my entire time in Bali.
The Bathroom
I stayed in a shared twin room with a shared bathroom. To get to the bathroom, we had to walk down a few stairs. There were two toilets and two showers, as well as a sink on the outside.
The toilet facilities were perfectly fine, as were the showers. As it is a beachside spot with lots of surfers coming and going, you can definitely expect a little bit of sand, The only downside was that there was no hot water.
The Terrace
Perhaps the biggest highlight of Dreamsea Uluwatu was its absolutely amazing terrace. The shared terrace stretches along the length of the hotel (which is perched on a cliffside) and has several different seating areas with hanging lounge chairs, wicker seats, and more.
There truly isn’t a better place to while away the hours reading a book, devouring a smoothie bowl, or just watching the waves.
Oh, and did I mention that the sunset views are to. die. for?
Surf Lessons at Dreamsea Surf Camp Uluwatu
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Bali surf camp if there weren’t plenty of opportunities to surf! Dreamsea Uluwatu has 2 shared, 2-hour surf lessons a day, timed with the tide.
I was at Dreamsea Surf Camp for 2 nights, and took one of the shared surf lessons both days that I was there.
Each lesson was me and 2-3 other students plus the instructor. The first thing we would do was get our boards and rash guards, and then we would get a little bit of on land instruction and practice standing up on the board.
After on land practice, we would walk down the beach to Padang Padang, one of the best surf spots in Bali and paddle out to the waves!
The actual surf lesson worked like this:
- We would wait to the side
- The instructor would bring us up individually and help us get on a wave
- We would ride the wave and then paddle back out to the side to wait to be called up again
This was the process for the whole 2 hours! While it can be a little bit annoying to have to wait for the instructor, the class sizes are super small so you don’t have to wait long at all. Plus, it’s definitely worth it to wait for the instructor so you don’t screw anything up.
Padang Padang is an incredibly popular spot, and there were several other surf schools as well as advanced surfers out both times that I was there. Just follow your instructor’s advice to know where to go.
All in all, I really loved my surf lessons with Dreamsea Uluwatu. The instructors were super friendly and helpful, as well as clearly concerned for our safety. The small group sizes meant we also got plenty of individual attention, which wasn’t the experience I had the last time I went surfing. I even managed to stand up (and then immediately fall over) a few times!
I highly recommend Dreamsea Uluwatu Surf Camp!
Yoga Lessons at Dreamsea Uluwatu
Dreamsea Uluwatu has 2 yoga lessons a day, one at 7am and one at noon. They take place on an amazing little terrace overlooking the beach, so you have the sounds of the waves and the sea breeze during your practice.
Now, I’m not going to lie, the actual yoga wasn’t the best I’ve ever done. The teacher had a rather disjointed style, so it was less of a flow than it was getting into random positions. But it was still really nice to just do yoga by the sea, so I highly recommend trying it out at least once!
The Food at Dreamsea Uluwatu
Honestly, the highlight of my entire time at Dreamsea might just have been the food. The small cafe onsite served breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and it was all abso-freaking-lutely delicious.
For breakfast, you could choose from smoothie bowls, bagels, eggs, and more, as well as fresh fruit juice! Lunch and dinner included options like burgers, shrimp tacos, and plenty of vegetarian and vegan options as well.
I literally only ate one meal outside of Dreamsea over the two days that I was there and I didn’t have a single bad meal.
In addition to the delicious food, the restaurant is also outside on the terrace, meaning that you get fabulous sea views – just like the rest of the hotel.
Final Thoughts on Dreamsea Uluwatu’s Bali Surf Camp
I truly don’t think I have ever been closer to paradise than the two days that I spent at Dreamsea Uluwatu. Although I never expected to end up at a Bali surf camp, it turned out to be a truly amazing time – and one I would recommend to absolutely anyone!
If you ever find yourself in Bali and looking for a fantastic hotel experience or great surfing opportunities, then Dreamsea Uluwatu is the obvious choice!
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