Bali opened its borders earlier this year and these new properties are more than worth the trip. By Carolynne Dear.
Jimbaran Bay
Ayana Segara Bali brings 205 more rooms to the sprawling estate at Jimbaran Bay.
Ayana Segara Bali is the fourth hotel to open on the 90-hectare Ayana Estate at Jimbaran Bay. It will be welcoming guests from November 5.
The hotel brings an additional 205 rooms to the existing properties of Ayana Villas Bali, Ayana Resort Bali and Rimba by Ayana Bali. The result is a sprawling complex of 980 villas, suites and rooms and 22 dining spaces.
Expect an ‘indoor/outdoor’ design at Ayana Segara Bali, with spacious living areas and expansive views over Jimbaran Bay and the Ayana estate forest.
Guest rooms and suites make the most of the stunning views and the ocean breezes with floor-to-ceiling windows. Balconies or terraces come with daybeds. Each room has a living space, dining area, walk-in wardrobe and bathrooms with oversize tubs and marble rain showers. Families can take advantage of the two-bedroom Ocean View suites with living and dining areas for six people.
There are three restaurants, all with outdoor space for alfresco dining. The hotel’s all-day dining space, Karang, is near the pool and serves a wide-ranging menu of Pan-Asian, local and western dishes. Sit down to a breakfast buffet first thing and enjoy Chinese- and Italian-influenced tapas sharing plates later in the day. Medi takes its cue, as its name suggests, from the Mediterranean, with fresh salads, pastas and seafood. And Luna, at the top of the hotel, soaks up sunset views with locally influenced dishes using ingredients from the resort’s farm.
Ayana Segara Bali opens on November 5 and to celebrate the launch there’s a 25% discount for stays until March 31, 2023. The property is also offering ten percent discounts on spa treatments along with a complimentary one-hour Thalassotherapy treatment for two people per room booking for minimum two-night stays. Further discounts of ten percent at food and beverage outlets also apply.
Uluwatu
From villa to private beach at Jumeirah Bali in Uluwatu.
The stunning Jumeirah Bali opened earlier this year, perched on the limestone cliffs overlooking the ocean at Uluwatu in the south of the island.
The 123-key resort offers one- and two-bedroom configuration villas with private pools and, for larger groups, the Royal Water Palace has four bedrooms and sweeping views of the Indian Ocean.
Fill your days relaxing on the secluded, private beach or sink into a lounger by the resort’s infinity pools. Children, meanwhile, can head over to the on-site kids’ club.
The resort’s Talise Spa has Bali’s only Turkish hammam; in addition guests can expect a full spa menu, with facials, massage, scrubs and stress-release treatments using traditional Balinese herbs and techniques. Further wellness offerings include a sauna, steam bath, Vichy shower treatments, guided meditation and yoga classes with a resident master yogi.
Eco-friendly elements at Jumeirah Bali feature the world’s most advanced desalination system and the resort also supports the local community through the Jumeirah Uluwatu Foundation.
More details and booking information online.
Ubud
No walls, no doors at Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape in rural Bali.
Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape is the first Banyan Tree Escape branded resort to open in Bali and is located in northern Ubud next to the Ayung river, surrounded by rice paddies and jungle. But leave the kids at home because this is an adults-only resort with a ‘no walls, no doors’ concept.
The resort has been a long time coming and Banyan Tree has owned the block of land on which the hotel has been built for more than 20 years. And this is no concrete high rise; a select 16 ‘balés’, or villas, are set around an open kitchen and lounge space. The property embraces a zero-waste, farm-to-table concept and the menu is 70% plant based, with produce sourced within an hour’s drive.
“The conceptualisation of Banyan Tree Escape started almost five years ago,” said Banyan Tree's Ho Ren Yung. “It’s a true labour of love and a bold experience proposition… At the heart of this brand is creating a way for people to be present, to unearth, to renew, and a way to truly ‘be here’. Fireflies in your room at night and morning mists with the sunrise.”
And if you’re hoping to do a little more with your holiday than relax by the pool soaking up the views (and why not?), a menu of self-led activities has been created by the resort team with the aim of immersing guests in the resort’s surroundings.
More details and booking information online.
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