Cottoning onto what generations of Aussies have known for decades, elite leisure travellers from the rest of the globe have been landing en masse in Bali.
The Indonesian province, famously nicknamed the Island of the Gods, is a destination unlike another other: even in a broader regional geography that boasts some of the most unforgettable tropical getaways anywhere in the world (looking at you, Vietnam).
To help readers make the most of their time in this playground of surfing, beach clubs, and ancient Hindu tradition, we’ve rounded up 11 of the best Bali resorts you can book now. From sunny Seminyak to art & culture-focused Ubud, these are the most unforgettable stays the Island of the Gods has to offer.
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The Best Bali Resorts
The Slow
Contact:Â +62 811 3899 009
Pricing: Starting at $244
Located amid a plethora of smart coffee shops and fashion boutiques on the famed Batu Bolong, The Slow redefines tropical luxury for a new generation of smartly turned out, design-conscious travellers.
The property’s 12 suites — which are the brainchild of the same Australian couple behind Sea Sea Hotel — offer a uniquely Balinese twist on Brutalism. Even in the hotel’s communal spaces (notably including its rooftop bar and signature restaurant) there’s a recurring vein of wood and polished concrete.
Be sure, if presented with the opportunity, to reserve one of The Slow’s ground-floor rooms. Among regulars, these quarters are the most coveted: owing to each one possessing its own private plunge pool.
Four Seasons Resort Bali At Jimbaran Bay
Contact:Â +62 361 701 010
Pricing: Starting at $1,084
A resort which could have easily subbed in as the setting for the latest White Lotus instalment, Four Seasons’ all-villa retreat at Jimbaran Bay has been among the best resorts in Bali for over two decades.
The eponymous Canadian luxury hotel group were early to entrench themselves in the popular Indonesian holiday destination — and now operate two Bali resorts (the other at Sayan).
Still, Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay is clearly the proverbial people’s champ: consisting of 147 villas, cascading down a hillside to a private beach below. Traditional Balinese design accents are blended with modern creature comforts — and even if you’re aching to embrace the call of adventure during your stay, management has a ton of experiences which go beyond your average beach club.
From traditional Balinese cooking classes to a properly baller island-hopping helicopter tour (prices starting $2,880) the skies, and your credit rating, are the only limit.
Potato Head Studios & Suites
Contact:Â +62 361 730 622
Pricing: Starting at $1,076
A refreshing rebuttal to many of the stodgy, heritage-inspired resorts that are a recurring sight in Seminyak, it says something impressive that Potato Head was named the 21st best hotel in the world for 2024 — over a decade after it first arrived (then as an all-day beach club) on Balinese shores.
Founder Ronald Akili’s seemingly simple-sounding philosophy for Potato Head (‘Good Times, Do Good’) has spawned a destination that is more than any mere hotel.
Long before the poseurs embraced greenwashing, Potato Head was already a zero-waste operation; and this dynamic, modern sensibility permeates through the private studios and suite spaces — decorated in a style that some have described as “tropical modernism.”
While luxuriating in the property’s global-cool spaces is a foolproof plan of action, even the extracurricular offering at Potato Head is its own very distinct animal. We’ll put it this way: where else in Bali can you sign up for an ikat-weaving class, learn the techniques of breathwork, sip a couple of rooftop sundowner, before kicking on to a full-blown Boiler Room session?
The Legian Seminyak, Bali
Contact:Â +62 361 730 622
Pricing: Starting at $1,076
Set on a beachfront stretch in the buzzy, expat-dense neighbourhood of Seminyak, The Legian is the closest thing Bali has to a ‘Grande Dame’ of a resort — initially opening in 1996, at a time when all-suite luxury resorts were still relatively uncommon.
The property’s timeless and thoughtful aesthetic is the work of the late, great Jaya Ibrahim: revered widely as one of Indonesia’s most important homegrown interior designers. The main hotel’s 67 suites are set around a three-tier pool and lavishly manicured gardens; which are, together, the proverbial jewel in The Legian crown.
Your experience, in this quadrant of the hotel, is already pitched at an extremely high level. Still, for hardnosed connoisseurs who desire even more exclusivity, ‘The Club by The Legian’ has 11 detached villas to choose from: each with its own pool, chauffeured car and invite-only access to the club lounge.
COMO Uma Canggu
Contact:Â +62 361 620 2228
Pricing: Starting at $404
Set in the traditionally surfer-centric, tourist-heavy enclave of Canggu, the COMO imprint’s latest Bali resort arguably draws more from Miami than it does its immediate beachfront surroundings at Batu Balong.
A flash of gleaming glass-and-concrete against the neighbourhood’s usual backdrop of rice paddies and narrow scooter-filled roads, COMO Uma Canggu offers a smart modernist take on the typical Balinese resort.
There are 107 rooms & suites all up for guests to choose from, in addition to a dozen three-bedroom duplexes — each with a rooftop pool encased in 45 degrees of glass, lending the appearance of a water-filled aperture.
Of course, like a good many neighbouring resorts at Canggu, this COMO outpost’s big sticking point is its beach club. Minutes from one of the best surfing breaks you’ll find on the southern coast of Bali, and in full view of a lagoon-style pool which runs the length of the entire property, it’s popular with everybody from honeymooners to family units.
Bulgari Resort Bali
Contact:Â +62 361 300 1000
Pricing: Starting at $2,788
Set atop a staggering 150-metre cliff in Uluwatu, Bulgari Resort Bali is far and away one of the most upscale stays you can splurge for on the eponymous Indonesian island.
A seamless fusion of Balinese style and la dolce vita hospitality, there are no shortage of standout features here for guests to take advantage of. The resort’s infinity pool mirrors the dramatic vistas of the adjacent Indian Ocean, and — thanks to its (quite literally) elevated setting — the private beach below can only be reached using the hotel’s own inclinator.
Il Ristorante Luca Fantin, the property’s signature Italian restaurant, is also home to what is surely Bali’s largest cellar of premium wines: which skew strongly (and predictably so) in the direction of Piedmont and Tuscany. Be sure not to miss the venue’s private cinema.
Hoshinoya Bali
Contact:Â +62 361 849 3080
Pricing: Starting at $1,043
This well-regarded treetop property (from acclaimed Japanese hotelier Hoshino Resorts) is located in the hillsides of Ubud — an area north of central Denpasar that, since 2018, has become an increasingly popular haunt for visitors who long to experience Bali in a more tranquil, culturally contemplative way.
Blending Indonesian design accents with Japanese hospitality, Hoshinoya Bali reimagines the layout of a traditional Balinese water palace for the modern era. A trio of canal-like pools flow through the entire property, with guests encouraged to plunge in from the terrace of their own villa and explore Hoshinoya aquatically.
At its first ever property outside of Japan, Hoshino has not sought to achieve scale arbitrarily. The resort houses a relatively modest collection of 30 villas and, in peak ryokan style, meals are taken either in one’s living quarters or the all-purpose eatery that is Café Gazebo.
The result is a world-class resort where guests are capable of truly disappearing into the jungle: albeit with a full afternoon tea menu at their disposal.
Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali
Contact:Â +62 361 209 0300
Pricing: Starting at $848
Much like the nearby Bulgari Resort Bali, Six Senses’s outpost in Uluwatu is perched atop a dramatic cliffside setting offering panoramic views of the Indian Ocean.
A destination hotel in every sense of that phrase, the property merges the IHG brand’s signature focus on eco-luxury with Balinese whimsy. Camouflaged by lush vegetation — much of which is used to feed and fuel the property — guests here have 75 pool villas or 28 of the specialty ‘sky suites’ to choose from.
Undoubtedly, you’ll want to spend a lot of time at the hotel’s much-photographed main pool, which appears (at some angles) to stretch infinity-style across the horizon.
Once you’re all swum out, consider checking in with your personal ‘Guest Experience Maker’ — another signature aspect of Six Senses’ ethos — so they can organise cooking classes, a tour of the hotel’s organic gardens or a pilgrimage to nearby Ulutwatu Temple.
Capella Ubud, Bali
Contact:Â +62 361 2091 888
Pricing: Starting at $1,737
Another renowned luxury resort in the tranquil and far-off setting of Ubud, Capella’s outpost in Bali is perfect for guests with deep pockets — and an even deeper hankering for exclusivity.
Described by the acclaimed Singaporean hotelier as its “unique tented camp” concept, the breadth of the Capella Ubud property is accounted for by 23 glamping-ready lodges: brought to life in Technicolor detail by acclaimed architect Bill Bensley.
Make no mistake: the décor may say ‘European settler circa early 1800s’; but every detail on the experiential front is thoroughly decadent in the most modern of ways. Down to the complimentary laundry service: allowing guests to refresh four pieces of apparel daily.
Begin your morning at Mads Lange, the resort’s signature “tented dining room,” before rendezvousing with your personal ‘Capella Culturist’ in the whimsical social setting that is The Officer’s Tent.
The St. Regis Bali Resort
Contact:Â +62 361 8478 111
Pricing: Starting at $2,363
Assuming you’re the kind of luxury traveller who enjoys turn-key holidaying (as opposed to an itinerary that is planned with drill-like precision), then The St. Regis Bali is the kind of resort that ought to be on your radar.
Transporting the iconic New York hotel brand to the idyllic setting of Nusa Dua, this resort puts a plethora of attractions within arm’s reach: ranging from Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park to Bali Collection — the largest open air mall in the region.
Within the hotel, the House of Astor’s glam no-expense-spared approach can be felt at every turn. The signature St. Regis Bar and Iridium Spa concepts are both available to guests; and, on the off-chance that you’d like a diversion from authentic Indonesian cuisine, the hotel’s buffet is widely declared to be the best in Bali.
Further Hotel
Contact:Â +62 821 4769 8770
Pricing: Starting at $280
Imbued with an anachronistic sci-fi look that puts one in the mindset of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, Further is the newest Bali bolthole to capture the attention of travel influencers, design enthusiasts and the boho-chic set.
Self-described as a “diffused hotel,” Further is set across two ochre-toned buildings housing much more than a collection of guestrooms and suites. There’s a retail concept by Aussie label Thomas Surfboards; an all-day eatery from Melburnian coffee roaster St. Ali and independent fashion courtesy of Smile Clothing.
Much as Brisbane’s Calile Hotel did for the fledgling precinct of James Street many years ago, it’s clear that the intent of management at Further is to turn this property into a lynchpin of the surrounding village of Pererenan. Just 10 minutes’ drive from the sound and fury of Canggu, it could well become a future classic for discerning pleasure seekers.
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