Having based myself between Melbourne and Bali for the past three years, I’ve had my fair share (ok, ok, more than my fair share) of incredible resort and hotels stays. Always one to share the love, particularly when it comes to recommending excellent spas, exceptional food and top nature-immersions, here are some of my favourites ...
Perched on the leafy banks of the Petanu River in a secluded corner of heavenly Maya Resort, Maya Spa is a slice of old Bali. Its open-sided pavilions have massage tables and petal-filled bath tubs from which guests can overlook the surrounding jungle while enjoying a soundtrack of rushing water, birdsong and cicadas.
Also in Ubud, French-owned Kappa Senses Resort’s OmTara Spa combines sophisticated Clarins beauty products and treatments with a distinctly island vibe. Invest in an anti-ageing facial then relax on outdoor recliners with views over the surrounding rice fields.
Clifftop luxe resort Alila Uluwatu has a no plastic policy and an on-site water purification plant, and has been designed around permaculture practices. But best of all in terms of regenerative tourism is its Sustainability Lab where, after guests depart, a team of dedicated staff are charged with separating everything that’s left behind into appropriate waste and recycling streams, be it cigarette butts, earbuds or unwanted shoes.
In Seminyak, Desa Potato Head Resort is another eco-activated resort, blending an edgy aesthetic and party vibe with community-minded sustainability including the recent opening of a waste centre for its Batu Belig neighbourhood.
Chef-owners Eelke Plasmeijer from the Netherlands and Ray Adriansyah from Indonesia opened Ubud’s Locavore NXT late last year to take their plant-forward ethos to the next level. At the new modernistic restaurant (with a wild herb garden on the rooftop and a mycelium lab) guests indulge in a 19-course tasting menu and can stay in one of three new luxe wooden guesthouses each with a queen bed and a deck with rice farms views.
Foodies can also check-in for a culinary immersion at Ubud’s Room4Dessert, where celeb dessert chef Will Goldfarb has just opened Shelter Island. The boutique nine guest rooms are Balinese-style with playfully comfortable, casual and colourful interiors. There’s a swimming pool and guests have VIP access to food forest foraging activities and cooking courses at R4D’s The Powder Room bakery and room4dcafé.
Tabanan Regency is far enough along the south coast for most visitors to have never heard of it. This is how Soori likes it. This luxury beachfront resort, designed by architecture-owner Soo K. Chan is a one-off, but it has all the trimmings of the bigger name high-end resorts including highly attentive staff, immaculate design and on-point food.
Another little-known hangout is Munduk in Bali’s highlands. With views over tropical jungle towards Menjangan Island and the volcanoes of Java, Munduk Cabins makes the most of the lofty cooler climes, with its cosy cabin-style villas, a sizeable hot tub and firepit, where s’mores are served nightly.
The Legian, Seminyak’s beachfront locale is perfectly paired to the hotel’s Balinese architecture and design. Its 66 suites (and one beach house) – all with ocean views, are colonial style with shutters, balconies, ceiling fans and teak furnishings. The grandiose lobby is full of Balinese art, books and intrigues. Outside the beachside pavilion bars are grass-topped and perfect for G&Ts.
Along the coast on Canggu’s Batu Bolong beach, beautiful Tugu Hotel’s lobby is a traditional Indonesian wooden pavilion that features the owner’s private collection of antiques and objets d’art from across Asia. The villas, suites and pavilions are equally endearing with Balinese artifacts, fabrics and carved wood furniture. The spa specialises in Indonesian treatments and experiences including a jamu-making workshop.
It’s hard to go past Bambu Indah for an all-in nature-based stay. The resort, in the lovely village of Sayan, has 17 unique wood and bamboo accommodation options dotted throughout a glorious three-hectare riverside property thick with jungle. It boasts three spring-fed swimming pools, a waterfall and an enchanting bamboo lift.
Home to a firefly sanctuary and a restaurant with views of seven distant mountain peaks, exclusive Buahan A Banyan Tree Estate, is hidden away in the mountainside village of Buahan, north of Ubud. It has 18 pool villas and a ‘no-walls, no-doors’ approach that ensures guests get all the feels from being immersed in the tropical habitat.
This writer was a guest of all these hotels.
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