Tipping in Bali Villas

Headed off on a Bali adventure? Staying at a villa in Bali can be a great accommodation option, either as a standalone villa or as part of a larger villa complex. Your villa’s staff will be there to take care of your every need and make your stay a memorable one.

Do I Need To Tip The Villa Staff Members In Bali?

Yes, you should tip the villa’s staff members as tips are both customary and expected. Tips make up a large part of their income and they work hard for what, to many other nationalities, is not much money.

What About Villas That Charge Service Fees?

Villas in Bali often charge service fees that theoretically should go to improving the workers’ pay. In practice, much of the service charge goes to the owner, not the workers. If your villa charges service fees to users, you will still be expected to tip the villa staff.

How Much To Tip Villa Staff In Bali?

For each week that you spend in your villa, you should tip each member of the villa staff at least 100,000 IDR (Indonesian Rupiah). That’s around 7 USD or 9.75 AUD. This isn’t much but the villa staff will be grateful for it. You can tip members of villa staff more for good service or if they went out of their way for you. It’s up to you.

At a typical villa, you will have 3 – 5 staff that you each need to tip 100,000 IDR to per week. This would be the maid, chef, gardener/pool person, possibly a butler, and a nanny if you chose a villa that could provide one. That means you will need to budget 300,000 to 500,000 IDR in tips per week.

In terms of figuring out how much you need to tip in total and how much 100,000 IDR is in your currency, we have a free Bali villa staff tip calculator at the end of this article for you to use.

If you are staying in a villa with a very large number of staff (the largest villas have up to 30 members of staff), contact the villa directly or your booking agent to understand the tipping etiquette, which is likely to involve a tipping pool with tips shared equally among the staff. If you’re booking the villa with 30 staff members have a blast!

Tipping in Bali: Interactive Tip Calculator

You can use our interactive Bali villa staff tip calculator below to figure out how much to tip your villa staff in Bali based on your length of stay and number of staff. We have set the default weekly tip rate to 100,000 IDR per week but feel free to change it as you like. You’ll be able to know how much to tip your staff, in advance, for your length of trip. Plus you can understand how much the tips are in your own currency, not just in IDR. Luckily, it’s not much! At the time of this writing, a tip of 100,000 IDR to each staff member for a one week stay is equivalent to 1.04 US Dollars or 1.51 Australian Dollars per night to each staff member. Feel free to tip more if you received great service.

Click here to use our tip calculator for Bali villa staff. 

Is it customary to tip in Bali?

Tipping in Bali is not mandatory but is appreciated as a gesture of gratitude for good service. While it’s not customary in the way it is in some Western countries, small tips are welcomed in various settings:

1. Restaurants: Many restaurants add a service charge to the bill, but if one isn’t included, leaving a tip of 5-10% for good service is appreciated.
2. Hotels: Tipping hotel staff, such as bellhops or housekeeping, with small amounts (e.g., 10,000 to 20,000 IDR) for helpful service is common.
3. Villas: It’s commmon to tip each member of the villa staff 100,000 IDR per week. Villas typically have 3 to 5 staff members, so you will need to budget a total of 300,000 IDR to 500,000 IDR per week.
4. Drivers and Tour Guides: Rounding up the fare or giving an additional tip of around 10% for drivers or 50,000 to 100,000 IDR per day for tour guides is thoughtful.
5. Spas and Salons: A tip of about 5-10% of the bill is a nice gesture for spa and salon services.

Overall, while tipping is not obligatory in Bali, it is a kind way to show appreciation for excellent service.

How much to tip drivers in Bali

It’s common to tip private drivers or tour guides 10% of the cost of the ride or IDR 50,000 to IDR 100,000 (approximately $3.50 to $7 USD) per day. Ultimately, the amount you tip should depend on your satisfaction with the service they provided you.

How much to tip taxi drivers in Bali

Tipping taxi drivers in Bali is not required, but it is appreciated. It’s common to round up the fare to the nearest 5,000 or 10,000 IDR ($0.35 to $0.70) if you are satisfied with the service. This approach shows appreciation to your taxi driver while also being mindful of local customs and practices.

Is 20,000 IDR a good tip in Bali?

Yes, a tip of 20,000 IDR is generally considered a good tip in Bali. This amount is roughly equivalent to about $1.25 USD or 2 AUD and is suitable for various services, such as tipping hotel staff, taxi drivers, or restaurant servers for good service.