Disclaimer: Top 10 Lists are created keeping in mind only my opinion. Rest assured that IH Aviation and Travel is not biased whatsoever.
Known for its forested volcanic mountains, beaches, coral reefs and rice paddies, Bali is an Indonesian island that is home to religious sites such as Uluwatu Temple. Kuta city has upbeat bars while Sanur, Seminyak and Nusa Dua are popular towns of many known resorts. Bali is a perfect combination of forest and beaches, thus giving the travellers the best of both worlds. Bali boasts many beautiful beaches and nearby them are some excellent hotels and resorts. Let’s take a look at the Top 10 5 star Hotels and Resorts in Bali
10. The St. Regis Bali Resort
Located in Nusa Dua, The St. Regis Bali Resort is in the entertainment district and on a private beach. It’s a 5-minute drive from Bali Collection Nusa Dua Shopping Area. The property offers 124 soundproofed rooms which are accessible via exterior corridors and are decorated with cultural fabrics. Each villa comes with a balcony or terrace overlooking the garden, pool or ocean. Select suites and villas feature a private hot tub or plunge pool. The hotel has 3 restaurants of which international cuisine is featured in Boneka Restaurant and Kayuputi Restaurant. Gourmand Deli offers pastries while drinks are served in Vista Bar and King Cole Bar. 3 outdoor swimming pools, 2 hot tubs and a kids’ pool are on site. Guests can work out in the fitness center or head for a relaxing sauna session to unwind. Iridium Spa has 8 treatment rooms, including rooms for couples. Services include deep-tissue massages, facials, body wraps and body scrubs. A variety of treatment therapies are provided, including aromatherapy, Ayurvedic and hydrotherapy. The spa is equipped with a sauna, a spa tub and a steam room.
Website: The St. Regis Bali Resort
9. COMO Shambhala Estate, Bali
COMO Shambhala Estate offers a private location in Begawan Village, a 15-minute drive from Ubud city center. Surrounded by tropical greenery, the resort is a 1.5-hour drive from Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport. Spread across 23 acres, the resort features 30 suites and villas that are spread out across the estate and nudge up to the dense jungle. There are two restaurants present at the resort, Glow and Kudus House. Glow is open all day long and features vibrant, health-conscious eats. Kudus House, located in a 150 year-old residence, is open for breakfast and dinner and serves a wide variety of authentic Indonesian dishes. Offering individually designed programs for guests to benefit mind, body and spirit, COMO Shambhala Estate provides Yoga and Pilates instructors, an Ayurvedic doctor, a Dietitian. Outdoor activities that can be arranged from the resort include trekking, cycling, and rafting, canyoning and cultural tours. Guests can enjoy complimentary daily 1-time shuttle service (drop off or pick up) to/from Museum Puri Lukisan in Ubud Center. The Ojas Spa offers therapies running from the gamut from Ayurveda and anti-ageing to Thai massage and stress management. An outdoor swimming pool, outdoor jungle gyms and a Tennis Court are present at the resort.
Website: COMO Shambhala Estate, Bali
8. Amandari, Bali
Perched on a hillside surrounded by rice paddies and coconut palms, Amandari is only a 15-minute drive from the town centre. Presided over by a sacred stone tiger, Amandari is designed after a traditional Balinese village on the verdant lip of the Ayung River Gorge. The resort consists of just 30 villas featuring slick marble floors and thatched roof ceilings. All the villas offer outdoor baths, and flower-strewn decks with sunloungers. The Restuarant, overlooking the swimming pool with all-embracing views of the Ayung River Valley, serves Indonesian and Western cuisines for breakfast, lunch and dinner while The Bar, adjacent to the pool, is the ideal place for a refreshing drink or light meal throughout the day. Every day at 4 pm, Ibu Made and Ibu Wayan from a village called Kedewatan arrive with an array of traditional Balinese sweets and home brewed tea and coffee for the hotel guests’ enjoyment. The Afternoon Tea is served at the Golden Pavilion, by the main resort swimming pool. Facilities include Amandari’s famous infinity swimming pool with views of the valley, a fitness centre and a tennis court. The spa features two open-air treatment bales surrounded by lotus ponds, a beauty treatment room and a sauna and steam room,
Website: Amandari, Bali
7. Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali
Alila Villas Uluwatu, overlooking the Indian Ocean, is a 15-minute drive from Jimbaran Bay. The 64 modern Balinese-style villas boast an elevated outdoor pavilion overlooking the ocean and private pools and private plunge pools. Balinese and Indonesian specialties are prepared at The Warung restaurant’s open kitchen, while CIRE offers Western dining at 71 metres above sea level. Sunset Cabana Bar offers sublime artisinal cocktails, perched over the cliff edge with beautiful ocean views. An indoor swimming pool and an outdoor swimming pool are present at the resort. Alila Villas features an art gallery displaying modern Indonesian artwork, and a library for quiet reading. The fitness center includes a yoga and Pilates studio. Guests can pamper themselves by indulging in Spa Alila. There are 5 treatment rooms. Services include hot stone massages, facials, body wraps and body scrubs. A variety of treatment therapies are provided, including reflexology.
Website: Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali
6. Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali
Perched on a cliff with sweeping views of the Indian Ocean, Six Senses Uluwatu is located at a distance of 6.8 miles from Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport. All of the 103 suites and villas offer an outdoor deck with uninterrupted ocean view. Guests can enjoy extensive buffet breakfast with healthy choices available every morning at the property. Rocka serves an eclectic mix of Indonesian and international cuisine with an emphasis on fresh and local ingredients. Crudo serves a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese cuisine where guests can enjoy Robatayaki grill. The Cliff Bar offers freshly oven-baked specialties combining Southeast Asian spices with traditional pizzas and homemade pastas with spectacular panoramic views of Uluwatu. 2 outdoor swimming pools are on site along with an indoor pool. In addition to a kids’ pool, other recreational amenities include a health club. Six Senses Spa has 10 treatment rooms, including rooms for couples. Services include deep-tissue massages, sports massages, facials and body wraps. A variety of treatment therapies are provided, including aromatherapy. The spa is equipped with a sauna, a spa tub and a steam room.
Website: Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali
5. Bulgari Resort, Bali
Located in Pecatu, Bulgari Resort Bali is 150 m above sea level and offers sweeping views of the Indian Ocean. It features 64 luxurious villas with a private sundeck and plunge pool. The spacious villas at Bulgari Resort Bali come with traditional Balinese décor and audiovisual systems. The floor-to-ceiling glass bathrooms overlook the private courtyard. The resort has 3 restaurants of which Il Ristorante Luca Fantin serves creative and modern interpretations of Italian cuisine, adopting refined techniques and artful creativity of their Italian Resident Head Chef. Other international dishes are also served at Sangkar Restaurant, while fresh seafood is served at La Spiaggia. A 1 km long beach is accessible only through the resort’s inclined elevator. The resort also offers an infinity swimming pool overlooking the ocean. Recreation choices include working out at the 24-hour fitness center or enjoying a massage at the spa while enjoying unobstructed view of the ocean. The Spa has 8 treatment rooms, including rooms for couples and outdoor treatment areas. Services include deep-tissue massages, hot stone massages, sports massages and Thai massages. A variety of treatment therapies are provided, including aromatherapy, Ayurvedic and reflexology. The spa is equipped with a steam room.
Website: Bulgari Resort, Bali
4. Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan
Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan is set amidst lush tropical valleys by Ayung River. The resort is located at a 90 minutes drive from Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport. Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan features 60 guest suites and villas with each featuring a dining area, seating area with sofas, and a private terrace with views of the greenery. Ayung Terrace specialises in Indonesian cuisines, while Jati Bar serves cocktails and light meals. At Riverside Café, guests can enjoy western delicacies for lunch and dinner. Facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, a children’s pool and a 24-hour fitness centre. Staff at the tour desk can assist with sightseeing arrangements, hiking or cycling trips. A library and a kid’s club are also available in the resort. Guests can indulge in a pampering treatment at the hotel’s The Scared River Spa. Services include facials, body wraps, body scrubs and body treatments. The spa is equipped with a spa tub. A variety of treatment therapies are provided, including aromatherapy and Ayurvedic.
Website: Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan
3. Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bali
Located just a 10-minute drive from Downtown Ubud, Mandapa, A Ritz- Carlton Reserve offers a retreat among the greenery in Ubud. The property offers 60 villas which are accessible via exterior corridors and feature private hot tubs. Most of the villas and suites offer views of the surrounding rainforest, rice paddies and even views of the Ayung River. This hotel also offers several on-site dining and lounging options like Kubu Restaurant serving
Mediterranean-European dishes, Sawah Terrace with their Balinese and Asian cuisine, and The Pool Bar and The Library, where guests can spend an afternoon enjoying the beverages. Recreational amenities at the resort include an outdoor pool, a sauna and a 24-hour fitness centre. There are also a kid’s club, meeting/banquet facilities, and an on-site shop where guests can conveniently shop for souvenirs. Mandapa Spa has 5 treatment rooms, including rooms for couples and outdoor treatment areas. Services include deep-tissue massages, hot stone massages, sports massages and Thai massages. A variety of treatment therapies are provided, including aromatherapy, Ayurvedic and reflexology. The spa is equipped with a sauna, a spa tub and a steam room.
Website: Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bali
2. Amankila, Bali
Amankila is situated near the village of Manggis and is set on a private beachfront plateau, nestled between two headlands on the east coast of Bali. All of the 34 freestanding suites, designed as ‘beach houses with a twist’, are tucked into the lush vegetation around the resort and are private and spacious with fabulous views out to the ocean. Amankila’s open-sided Restaurant is located above the main pool overlooking the ocean and serves both Indonesian and Western dishes. Set back from the signature three-tier pool, the Terrace is open for breakfast and lunch, offering a selection of Asian and Western fare with panoramic sea views while the Beach Club offers a simple menu of salads and pizzas along with Indonesian and light Western dishes. Afternoon tea and cakes are served daily on the library patio. Facilities include the famous three-tiered swimming pool and a fitness centre. Mountain biking, horse-riding, rafting and diving are also available. Traditional Balinese massage and beauty treatments can be enjoyed in the privacy of your suite, in the massage pavilion or at one of the beach club’s massage tables tucked among the palms and frangipani and the healing power of the natural ingredients revive and stimulate, providing the ultimate in relaxation.
Website: Amankila, Bali
1. Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay
Located on the edge of Jimbaran Bay, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay is a 15-minute drive from Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport. The resort features Balinese-style villas surrounded by lush tropical gardens. The resort features 156 guest rooms, suites and villas boasting private lounge pools with views of either surrounding gardens or the ocean. Taman Wantilan serves a selection of Indonesian specialties and Sundara offers fusion Asian delights. A variety of Asian and Western dishes can be enjoyed at Pool Terrace Café. Recreational options include taking cooking classes, working out at the gym, playing lawn tennis at the outdoor tennis courts or relaxing in one of the 3 outdoor swimming pools. Located on the edge of Jimbaran Bay, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay is a 15-minute drive from Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport. The resort features Balinese-style villas surrounded by lush tropical gardens. The resort features 156 guest rooms, suites and villas boasting private lounge pools with views of either surrounding gardens or the ocean. Taman Wantilan serves a selection of Indonesian specialties and Sundara offers fusion Asian delights. A variety of Asian and Western dishes can be enjoyed at Pool Terrace Café. Recreational options include taking cooking classes, working out at the gym, playing lawn tennis at the outdoor tennis courts or relaxing in one of the 3 outdoor swimming pools. The Healing Village Spa has 8 treatment rooms, including rooms for couples and outdoor treatment areas. Services include deep-tissue massages, hot stone massages, sports massages and facials. A variety of treatment therapies are provided, including aromatherapy, Ayurvedic and hydrotherapy. The Healing Village Spa has 8 treatment rooms, including rooms for couples and outdoor treatment areas. Services include deep-tissue massages, hot stone massages, sports massages and facials. A variety of treatment therapies are provided, including aromatherapy, Ayurvedic and hydrotherapy.
Website: Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay
Featured image by Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay
If you think that I have missed any of the hotels present in Bali that you think should be included in the list, let me know in the comments section below.