by Juliet Kinsman, Lee Cobaj and Lucy Douglas, The Telegraph, July 7, 2017
An expert guide to the top boutique hotels in Bali, featuring the best places to stay for easy luxury, stylish villas, alluring pools, exquisite food and glamorous spas, in locations including Ubud, Seminyak and Canggu.
The Purist Villas Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
9Telegraph expert rating
This intimate boutique hotel is designed by Dutch-Spanish duo Yvonne Hulst and Alberto Cortes who also have The Giri Residence in Ibiza and Ryad Dyor in Marrakech. The Balinese proudly celebrate their age-old culture and traditions, and thanks to the owners’ excellent taste in art, The Purist is alive with carvings and sculptures at every turn. Materials are locally sourced with hunks of petrified wood on stands and lampshades fashioned from chicken coops, with artefacts such as inscribed stone from Timor and lanterns from Java among the treasures from around the country. The spacious stone-floored bedrooms in soothing neutral and natural shades couldn’t be more chic. Read expert review. From £156per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Katamama Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia
8Telegraph expert rating
One sexy (kata) mama. The startling architecture – a red brick Brutalist-like edifice punctuated with light and shadow – sets the tone; this is a hotel that isn’t afraid to make a statement. Inside, there’s nothing as dull as a reception desk. Instead, guests are met at the door and whisked to their rooms via a buzzing bar and restaurant by trendy tablet-wielding assistants. For all its swagger and daring good looks, it’s refreshing to see that Katamama has also given some consideration to the environment, with locally made amenities, water provided in glass bottles and a ban on plastic straws, among other eco-friendly initiatives. Guests of the hotel are entitled to a complimentary day bed and use of the beachside facilities at Potato Head – a big draw for Pretty Young Things who want to party. Read expert review. From £347per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Bisma Eight Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
9Telegraph expert rating
A narrow frontage does little to betray the quirky configuration of this considered retreat which stretches back further than you imagine. After laying your canang sari (offering) at the feet of the Ganesh shrine in the breezy lobby (Bali is a colourful mishmash of cultures), follow the path through an inner garden alive with frangipani, bamboo, pandan palms and jamburan grasses to access your suite on the ground floor, or up a level. A new-gen attitude to luxury includes an attention to detail and beautiful craftsmanship in the bespoke furnishings which blend hessian, woven leather, delicate basketwork and wicker with modern flair. Reclaimed traditional carved wooden doors and black-and-white photographs whisper a little of Bali’s past. Read expert review. From £176per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Alila Villas Uluwatu Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia
9Telegraph expert rating
Instagram gold. On arrival, the first thing that almost every guest does is whip out their smart phones and snap the hotel’s extraordinary modernist architecture. Bright white blocks which house the reception, restaurants and spa, are set amongst jigsaw-like paths and water gardens, with a show-stopping wooden building cantilevered out over the cliffs – all juxtaposed against bright blue skies and a seemingly infinite Indian Ocean. The hotel’s 30 private villas are stunning in their simplicity, all creamy walls, clean lines and vast windows softened with giant day beds and pretty batik cushions. Bathrooms are designed for pampering with indoor and outdoor showers, luxuriously deep tubs and a range of lush locally-made amenities. Read expert review. From £597per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
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The Slow Canggu, Bali, Indonesia
8Telegraph expert rating
High fashion meets laid-back surf culture at The Slow, from the photography that decorates the walls and the 1970s beach beats that play throughout the property, to the meticulous design that has gone into every touch point. It’s perfectly pitched for the vibe in Canggu, Bali’s boho beach town. Owner George Gorrow, a former fashion designer, turned his hand to interiors for this project to beautiful effect. Entrance from the street is via the restaurant, an industrial-chic space with smooth concrete flooring, Scandi-style dining tables and tropical flora hanging in terracotta pots. Everything from the furniture to the crockery was designed especially for the place. The work of artists and photographers that Gorrow has partnered with over the years hangs on the walls, such as fashion favourite Chris Searl. Read expert review. From £126per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Bambu Indah Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
9Telegraph expert rating
This is the consummate south-east Asian eco-retreat; small, scenic, and almost entirely sustainable. On arrival, the first thing you’ll notice is the stress-melting view of a lime, moss, and parakeet-green valley veiled in golden sunshine and dotted with coolie-wearing rice farmers. It’s hard to know which of Bambu Indah’s 13 villas to plump for; the cute antique Javanese bridal home? The stilted teak cottage? The shrimp house hovering over a bubbling pond? Or the romantic Jawa Lama house with its gorgeous wood carvings and Ayung River soundtrack. Each is completely unique and you’re bound to fall in love with whichever you opt for. Read expert review. From £98per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
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Amankila Manggis, Bali, Indonesia
7Telegraph expert rating
From the imperious main building – all blonde stone, Corinthian columns and puffs of pink bougainvillea – to its shimmering black-sand beach complete with linen-clad attendants, to the gracious guest villas, Amankila exudes a refined Balinese charm. Taking centre stage is a spectacular three-tiered swimming pool, which steps down the hillside echoing Bali’s cascading rice fields. Wind your way downhill from here and you’ll find a fourth fabulous pool at ground level, as well as a stunning sweep of volcanic beach. A series of stairs and elevated walkways wind through the treetops to 34 freestanding guest villas, designed in the style of Balinese beach huts. Read expert review. From £689per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Mr & Mrs Smith.
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Hoshinoya Bali Tampaksiring, Bali, Indonesia
9Telegraph expert rating
Hoshino Resorts’ first property outside Japan blends together influences of its homeland with a Balinese edge, creating an elegant, tranquil hillside retreat that holds its own among stiff competition in Ubud’s luxury retreat scene. The design is exquisite: a Japanese-style tiered rooftops of the villas sit alongside thatch-topped gazebos (made from sacred Balinese alang-alang tree) and punctuate the tropical flora that runs through. The size means plenty of secluded spots to read a book or enjoy the pervading views in peace. In particular the seven Café Gazebos – couch-lined cages that jut out into the valley, give the feeling of hanging among the treetops. Read expert review. From £576per night.
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Uma by COMO Ubud Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
8Telegraph expert rating
At the heart of the complex, you’re struck by the knockout swimming pool, surrounded by sun loungers and lush vegetation; at night it is lit by candles. The hotel has a simple, Balinese look with thatched balés, whitewashed rooms and minimal decoration, and yet it has a quietly luxurious feel. There is a deep calm to the resort, broken only by the sounds of frogs, crickets or birds from the jungle surrounding it. There are free morning walks to the local rice paddies; free evening yoga sessions at the pavilion; a canopy that overlooks the jungle in the Tjampuhan Valley; plus a spa. The individual rooms are all behind private gates, with ponds with stepping stones that lead to the bedroom. The bathrooms are outdoors; you can end up sharing your shower with one of the neighbourhood’s bright orange frogs. Read expert review. From £257per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
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This article was written by Juliet Kinsman, Lee Cobaj and Lucy Douglas from The Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].