conde nast traveller ubud

Review: Como Shambhala Estate, Bali

Reviewed by Amerley Ollennu

The Como Shambhala Estate offers such wondrously close-up views of Bali’s verdant fauna from the vantage point of its tree-top rooms, suites and private pool villas, all of which seem to spill over the Ayung Valley, that it’s hard to believe you are less than 10km from the busy streets of Ubud town. Much like the colourful town where clean eating is the order of the day, zingy Asian flavours could not taste any fresher, than the nutrient-rich healthy meals served at Como. Its Integrated Wellness Programme consists of a personalised eating plan, therapies and wellness activities to target your personal needs, be it stress management and cleansing or rejuvenation, to name a few. You can sign up from a timetable of activities such as yoga, Pilates, meditation, circuit training and rice field walks, or make an offering at a Balinese Gratitude Ceremony. You can go with the flow and pick complementary therapies that call to you – from Balinese massage, Ayurvedic therapy, Chinese medicine, alkaline water therapy and more.

By Amerley Ollennu

Fri 07 October 2022

Tanah gajah, a resort by hadiprana, scores coveted conde nast traveler readers’ choice award.

The popular resort is named #4 Best Resort in Indonesia and #31 Best Resort in the World

Tanah Gajah, a Resort by Hadiprana, a homegrown resort moored amid the rice paddies of Ubud, was chosen by some of the world’s most discerning travelers as one of the best resorts, globally, this week. In the Condé Nast Traveler annual Readers’ Choice Awards. Announced on October 4th, Tanah Gajah was recognized as the 4th Best Resort in Indonesia and 31st Best Resort in the world.  

More than 240,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers submitted responses rating their travel experiences across the globe to provide a full snapshot of the top places they enjoyed this year and can’t wait to return to next. The Readers’ Choice Awards are the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry and the full list of winners can be found here .   “ We feel blessed that Tanah Gajah has achieved this milestone and is now recognized amongst the top resorts in the world ,” said Deasy Swandarini, GM of Tanah Gajah Ubud. “ We are also proud that we were the only independent boutique resort brand in Indonesia to make it onto the list. ”  

The 20-key property is spread out over a lush six hectares of land in the uplands of Bali. With roots that go back to legendary designer and art collector, Hendra Hadiprana, the property has long attracted art and design lovers. It was originally built in the 1980s as a holiday home for Hadiprana and his family and was transformed into a resort in 2004. Though the Hadiprana family relinquished its occupancy of the site as a private family compound, the patriarch’s art collection remained, and numerous sculptures, antiques, and artwork from his travels can be found throughout the property to this day.   The resort offers two dining destinations, The Tempayan and Panen Padi Lounge. The new Tempayan was unveiled in 2020 with a design inspired by Wantilan , a Balinese style pavilion. The tapas outlet, Panen Padi Lounge, also debuted during the pandemic. Both locations command prime locations with views over rice paddies and the resort’s hot air balloon experience.  

Jalan Goa Gajah, Tengkulak Kaja Ubud, Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia

+62 361 975 685

[email protected]

• Inspiration
• Destinations
• Places To Stay
• Style & Culture
• Food & Drink
• Wellness & Spas
• News & Advice
• Partnerships
• Traveller's Directory
• Travel Tips
• Competitions

Canggu – Bali's beach hotspot

By Brigid Delaney

There is a perfect marriage which makes Canggu irresistible - a sort of yin-yang combination of Tulum 's yoga and green-juice bars, the arty aesthetic and galleries of Paraty , Costa Rica 's surf scene and the party friskiness of Mykonos . How has a sleepy village with a few homestays, some warungs (Indonesian roadside cafés) and a handful of hideaway hotels such as the Tugu morphed into Bali's version of Brooklyn -on-Sea? The coastal community 10km north of Kuta hums with smart new villas, city-slick restaurants and delicious little shops that seem to have sprung up overnight.

Of course the island itself has been a honeypot for generations. In the 1970s, hippies and adventurers came for the legendary waves, the lush, iridescent-green landscape and friendly, laid-back locals. Since then, it has weathered terrorist attacks and economic downturns, and yet 'Where is Bali?' was still the most Googled travel question last year. So it was only a matter of time before Canggu was discovered. Neighbouring Seminyak can be hectic and crowded. Also close by, Uluwatu, set high on the cliffs, has walls of waves pro-surfers go wild for. Sanur has long been a favourite for grey nomads and Ubud, a 90-minute drive inland, is the island's New Age capital. But Canggu has edge.

The big early adopter was Australian fashion designer Dare Jennings (behind the surfwear label Mambo) who in 2006 set up Deus Ex Machina , a motorcycle company and clothing brand. His store is also an artists' studio, restaurant and workshop. It paved the way. There's now street art in Canggu that wouldn't be out of place in Berlin or Valparaiso , sharply designed vinyasa studios, a thriving coffee scene that takes its cues from Portland , Oregon , skate parks and reliable surf breaks that suit both intermediate and beginner surfers. Each café along the road to the beach looks snappier than the last, hammering home the current go-to aesthetic of polished concrete, hanging ferns and lots of macramé, plus excellent baristas, in-house coffee blends, top-quality cold-press espressos and, crucially for the tribes of travelling hot-deskers who gather here, super-fast Wi-Fi. There's the excellent Crate Café and the Recovery Room, and one of my favourites, Montagu . Just like Little Flinders down the road, which is named after a Melbourne laneway, this café could easily be found in a cool Australian neighbourhood - or any of the global cities such as London or San Francisco where freelancers with furrowed brows sit in front of lit-up MacBooks. It's only the heat and the scent of frangipani that give the game away.

BALI'S HOTTEST HOTEL: THE SLOW

Brazilian yogi Jade Moyano on falling for The Slow, the super-coveted Bali hotel that put Canggu on the map

Gazing at The Slow from afar, I see tropical brutalism, straight lines, traces of the jungle. Driving past on my scooter always makes me turn around to have a second look. There is something new to take in every time, a compelling reason to stop. The Slow redefines the classic hotel experience. A stay doesn't have to require sleep, the bedroom doesn't have to have four walls, your bathrobe can become a sarong, gardens can become inverted, partitions are perforated. I am constantly awake and aware here, on the lookout for the next surprise.

The project represents the coming of age of its founders, George and Cisco Gorrow, pioneers of Australian design who have galloped through peaking creative industries to finally wind down in Bali. Walls are covered with ethereal photography and art; their personal collection, showcasing more than 90 pieces by both established and up-and-coming artists from around the globe, includes works by Woody Gooch, Mark Gonzales, Chris Searl and Mad Saki. Next door is the monochromatic store Non-Type, George's menswear line with Gareth Moody of the Australian label Ksubi.

The hotel is where the most artistically and aesthetically inclined people on Bali gather, those who happily wait months for a chance to stay in one of the 12 retro-modernist suites. Artisan-produced furniture and crafts and natural textures blend with industrial elements and custom pieces by the owners' friends. The soundtrack is curated by LA -based Reverberation Radio. I fell in love with the music as soon as I walked through the door. The weekly podcast serves up a heart-warming selection of lost-gem tracks from psychedelic rock to vintage bossa nova. The concept of The Slow encourages guests to expand their understanding of music, art and culture. It is the coolest place to stay in Bali right now.

CANGGU'S COOLEST CAFES

Asia-based lost guides writer anna chittenden calls bali her second home. she has the scoop on canggu's café scene.

In this corner of Bali, it's all about breakfast. The high-octane, clean-living culture means everyone is up at the crack of dawn, and the first meal of the day is the most important. The food is as healthy as can be: chia, spirulina, almonds and coconuts, turmeric lattes and buckwheat pancakes headline every menu.

Shady Shack , founded by free-spirited Aussie Gypsy (who also runs the popular Betelnut restaurant), is the prettiest whitewashed wooden café, serving up vegetarian dishes. I love the Chickbeans - eggs with braised chickpeas and mashed avocado - followed by a bright purple Berry Bliss smoothie. Surfers flock to Nalu Bowls , just inland from the black volcanic sands of Echo Beach, for vegan-friendly snacks. Nalu, which means wave in Hawaiian, churns out coconut shells filled with blended local fruit; each bowl is named after the owner's favourite waves from around the world. I always have the Uluwatu (Bali's famous Bukit surf spot), which is made from dragon fruit, banana, mango and raspberry. Digital nomads can spend the rest of the day at the adjoining co-working space Dojo Bali .

It's a bike ride through the paddy fields to Milk & Madu . Created by the same team behind the brilliant Watercress in Seminyak and Ubud, the Canggu outpost is buzzing at brunch when everyone orders the scrambled-egg burrito with corn salsa. They also make the creamiest superfood-filled raw desserts; the chocolate-marble cheesecake is incredible. The coffee comes from Bali's own Revolver Espresso - arguably the best beans on the island. Down the road is hip new hangout Panama Kitchen , which has a pastel-blue Miami-Deco-style beach house and palm-lined pool. Come here in the evening for rounds of vivid-green vodka, kiwi and lime, or the signature Panama Beach Terror cocktail. For dinner, order the sticky pulled-pork burger or honey barbecue chicken wings.

The next morning, nurse your hangover at Café Organic , a quirky juice bar on Batu Bolong. Go for the Garden Gangstas with kale, spinach, cucumber and apple, plus shots of goji berries, ginseng or bee pollen to make you feel virtuous again. Or you can stretch out any tiredness in one of the area's many brilliant yoga studios. I like Desa Seni , an eco-resort built out of antique wooden joglo houses. It has a great roll call of classes at the open-sided sala, as well as private sessions, meditation and pranayama breath work. Even more relaxing is the spa; stop in for traditional Balinese aura cleansing.

BALI'S BUZZIEST BEACH CLUB: THE LAWN

Travel journalist lauren holmes on the grooviest beach scene in bali.

'"Suka duka" is an expression to learn when you come to Bali. It's a concept central to the culture, signifying that life hangs in a balance between light and dark, highs and lows, good and evil. You'll see chequered black-and-white cloth draped around temples and statues, a reminder that both must be embraced for life to flow. So when things start to feel a bit too insular in Ubud - a cauldron of healers and hippies, shamans and spirits - I head straight to Canggu for a wash of sea air and a buzz of energy.

I stop for a cinnamon bun at Made's Banana Flour Company before settling down on one of the double day beds at The Lawn . Inspired by the break at Echo Beach, surfer Tai Graham set up a campervan here, on a sizeable scruff beside the ocean, selling popcorn and rum-laced fresh coconuts to his friends. Fast-forward a year and a barefoot beach club has blossomed across the rolling grass. Every day feels like the laziest of Sundays. In the thatch-roofed restaurant families graze on herby seafood tacos; couples snooze on sun beds and go for dips in the pool, and when the pro-tour rolls into town, you're likely to spot Kelly Slater bobbing on the horizon. Tattooed mixologists muddle hibiscus Martinis to old-school hip-hop, and later a jazz band jams. Compared to the monster clubs of Bali's southern shores, this is a much groovier way to spend your evening.'

CANGGU'S BEST SHOPS

Globetrotting fashion stylist martha ward hunts down the loveliest hidden shops.

'Everyone knows that Seminyak and Kuta are wall-to-wall with slick homeware stores, hand-loomed textiles and rails of silk dresses. In Canggu the focus tends to be more practical: lots of surf- and sportswear. But look closely and there are some brilliant finds. I love the dreamy aesthetic that runs through the Instagram account of clothing line Yoli & Otis , and it's been replicated at its new island home. The space is minimal, with nothing but the odd basket and pot on the shelves, and a bonsai tree for good measure. The brand may have originally made its mark with children's wear (its first product was a hit organic baby carrier), but the designs for women are great: cotton and linen overalls, vests, collarless shirts, wide-leg trousers - no details, no frills, no fuss.

Magpies will love Maison Blonde , a tiny shop stuffed with beautiful glass and brass boxes filled with handmade jewellery. The pieces are predominantly very fine gold, inspired by vintage treasures and childhood memories. At café and lifestyle store Quince , the father-mother-son team sell delicate ceramics and embroidered linens alongside flat whites. And at Bungalow Living there are geometric cushions and Berber blankets to take home. I stay at Red Door , the most gorgeous villa amid a canopy of coconut trees in quiet paddy fields.

WHAT'S NEW IN CANGGU

Founding editor of mr and mrs smith juliet kinsman gives a heads-up on two new openings already making waves.

Californians promising fresh, simple flavours is nothing new, but in Bali an imaginatively restored beach house with farm-fresh ingredients and open fires certainly is. I'm really excited about the arrival of Attarine Gardens and Grill in September 2017, the latest project from the Potato Head gang (Katamama Hotel, Potato Head Beach Club Seminyak, restaurants in Singapore and Hong Kong). When the first Attarine outpost opened in Jakarta last autumn, chef Jacob Burrell (just landed from the USA's West Coast via David Kinch's three-Michelin-starred Manresa and the Big Sur Bakery) lent a Spice Route lilt to the menu. But in his Canggu kitchen, Burrell is going back to basics, throwing in a lesson on permaculture on this stretch of sunset-facing sand. I tried his cooking at the preview pop-up, and the Mediterranean twist on local produce was delicious: aubergine stuffed with cashews and chillies, watermelon carpaccio, plus meat grilled on an open flame.

Also this autumn, the new COMO hotel , just along the coast from Old Man's at Batu Bolong beach, should be ready for guests. It's quite the departure from the group's reserved inland properties, destination spa COMO Shambhala and COMO Uma Ubud. The Echo Beach hotel will be a more lively prospect. The modernist-style building is topped with 12 penthouse suites, each with its own extraordinary arch carved out of the roof, framing the private infinity pools in a crescent-shaped scoop. There will be the zen styling and high-gloss finish we know to expect from COMO, as well as living walls and a serious surf school. This is the first big-name hotel to arrive on this stretch of coast - it will be interesting to see how it changes the face of the place. To book a trip to Bali, contact The Ultimate Travel Company Telephone: +44 20 3733 5356 Website: theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk

This feature was first published in Condé Nast Traveller July/August 2017

Surfboards at Deus Ex Machina, Canggu

A sitting area at Mandala House, Canggu

Breakfast at The Slow, Canggu

The exterior of The Slow, Canggu

Strawberry chia pudding at Crate Café, Canggu

Interior detail at The Slow, Canggu

Art at The Slow, Canggu

Salumeria Tanah Barak, Canggu

Skaters at Pretty Poison, Canggu

The swimming pool at Fella Villas, Canggu

A pool suite at The Slow hotel, Canggu

A bedroom at Red Door, Canggu

A suite at The Slow, Canggu

A domino game at Batu Bolong beach, Canggu

Montagu sandwich bar

A necklace at Bungalow Living, Canggu

The restaurant at The Slow, Canggu

Poached eggs and avocado at Crate Café, Canggu

A skater at Pretty Poison, Canggu

Panama Kitchen, Canggu

An animal skull at The Slow, Canggu

An anchovy dish at Salumeria Tanah Barak, Canggu

Mozzarella on toast at The Slow, Canggu

Crab burger at The Slow

A bedroom at Fella Villas, Canggu

The garden at Red Door, Canggu

The garden at Mandala House, Canggu

• Destinations
• Hotels & Homestays
• Food & Drink
• People & Culture
• Mindful Travel
• Readers' Travel Awards
• Escape to Rajasthan
• READERS TRAVEL AWARDS
• #LOVEGREATBRITAIN
• TAJ SAFARIS
• BOUTIQUE HOTELS
• CNT TOP RESTAURANT AWARDS
• DESTINATION WEDDING GUIDE
• DON’T TRAVEL WITHOUT IT
• #UNDISCOVERAUSTRALIA
• ESSENTIALLY RAJASTHAN

Secret Bali: where to find the quieter side of the island

By Chris Schalkx

A quiet, two-street hamlet on Bali’s eastern tip, Lean is part of a string of coastal villages known as Amed, which hugs a black-sand bay crunchy with shells and coral nubbins. Pebbles of coloured glass dot the bay where a handful of hotels and warungs hide in the jungle fringe, polished into forbidden wine gums by the Bali Sea. But most real estate here is still fishermen’s homes made from bamboo and cinder blocks. I am staying in the hilltop retreat owned by Widaning Sri, Wida for short. Wida was born on Surabaya, one island west, and has been coming to this part of Bali all her life. Fifteen years ago, she bought a plot of land up the hill, far from the crowds in Kuta and Legian, and has since spent summers with her French-Indonesian daughter Aude, snorkelling in Lean’s glassy waters and drinking lemonade with kele-kele honey at the local restaurants that teeter on the rocky cliffs. Last summer , they opened Villa Hana, a bookable hideaway above Wida’s home – with roofs made from thatched lalang grass and two whitewashed bedrooms furnished with antiques they picked up on the island.

With a generous spirit, she ushers me around, showing me the many rituals of the village. One evening we pass a gathering of women, a flash of floral sarong and eye-popping cummerbunds dancing to the hypnotising pling-plong of the gamelan, a percussive orchestra of xylophones and gangsa. Another evening, we find Putra, a local fisherman, tidying yards of nylon netting in his jukung outrigger, one of the hundred or so lining the beach. He tells us about the tour guides and bellboys that returned to their hometown during the pandemic, and now sail out to the fish-rich waters off Lombok every morning. He’s Wida’s go-to for the mackerel she turns into pepes ikan, spice-smothered parcels steamed in banana leaves. When she asks him when he’ll be back with his catch, he shrugs. “I don’t know, the fish can’t read time.” 

Sabar, or patience, dictates life’s rhythm in this part of the world. “Whenever I arrive here, I instantly lose track of time,” says Wida, over meals of sate and sambal. “There’s still this genuine connection to the island that has been lost in other parts of Bali.” This is the Bali I’ve come to find – slower and more rooted, away from the scooter-crush of Canggu and the Divine Love workshops of Ubud .

From Wida’s, I drive further north, watching the billboard jungle of adverts for surf shops and infinity-pooled villas thin out behind me. I share the road with saronged women riding side-saddle on clattering Yamahas, balancing woven baskets overflowing with fruits and pompoms of marigold on their heads. Turmeric-hued temples are busy with worshippers, here to send off ancestral spirits after they’ve spent time among the living for Galungan, a 10-day ceremony that turns the island into a floral extravaganza every 210 days. Outside the temple gates, raucous children crowd around pushcarts selling bootleg Disney balloons and terrified baby chicks dyed purple and green. 

By Condé Nast Traveller

By Arundhati Ail

Rice fields stand no chance around the rocky volcanic flatlands sloping off Mount Batur on Bali’s northern coast. Instead, farmers grow sweet potatoes and cassava when there’s enough rain, and take up fishing during the harsh dry season. “We cook in a different dialect here,” local chef and priest Jero Mangku Dalem Suci Gede Yudiawan – Yudi for short – tells me. “We share many recipes with the rest of the island, but swap meat for seafood and use different spices.” 

I meet him tending to a makeshift grill fired by coconut husks in the palm-fringed courtyard of Dapur Bali Mula, his parental-home-turned-restaurant down a dirt road in the small coastal community of Les. His spotless white sarong seems to be lit up between the collection of daggers, wood carvings, bamboo baskets and rusty oil lanterns lining the open kitchen embalmed in greasy soot and grime. Yudi is still in his holy attire because he’s just officiated a blessing ceremony for two of his guests. Now, he has swapped his udeng (a white cloth intricately tied around the head) for a bucket hat, and his white button-up for a Ralph Lauren T-shirt. Before the pandemic, Yudi ran a popular barbecue restaurant on Kuta’s Sunset Road, but moved back to his home village when the crowds lulled. It seemed right, he said, just like that hazy instinct years ago, when he felt a calling to return home after running three restaurants in Java. Days later, his family phoned to tell him that the Les community had chosen him to become their next holy man.

Between ceremonies, he cooks. Assisted by a crew of beach boys with inked arms and stretched out earlobes, he covers my table with plates of mackerel steamed in bamboo tubes and bowls of spicy-sour broth cooked from their bones. There’s chilli-tossed squid and flat skewers of sate lilit, a spiced paste of mackerel and barracuda served with little bowls of shallots and chilli for dipping. Everything is made from scratch in his kitchen from ingredients sourced around the village: the ocean salt (“Works wonders on an upset stomach”), the lontar palm syrup, the coconut cooking oil and the arak palm wine that dribbles from bamboo pipes into old whiskey bottles. He cooks in clay pots on wood-fired stoves, and grinds herbs in a mortar of volcanic stone, like his ancestors have done for centuries. It’s his attempt at preserving northern Bali’s indigenous flavours, too often lost to the convenience of instant noodles and pre-packaged bumbu-spice blends. When I finish eating, my eyes prickly from smoke and my head lolling from the arak shots Yudi keeps asking me to try, I am asked, like all guests, to leave a voluntary donation in lieu of paying a bill.

Another morning, I ramble through the rice fields and banana groves of Buahan, a rural community north of Ubud. Sitting shotgun is Wayan Wardika, my guide for the day, in a VW convertible so vintage that we needed to bump-start it to get going. At a farm down a dirt road, we meet Eka Sunarya, an infectiously upbeat chef with a CV spanning tenures at some of Bali’s high end hotels. During the pandemic, he moved back here, his birthplace, to helm the kitchen at Banyan Tree’s rootsy new “no walls, no doors” Escape hotel in a valley on the edge of town.

We follow the burbling of the subak, the UNESCO- protected irrigation system that has watered much of the island’s crops for centuries. It weaves past branches strung with leathery green vanilla pods, coffee plants and trees heavy with tangerines. It feeds fields of just-harvested rice, which now reflect Mount Agung veiled in fog. But even between these farmer-sown roots, Buahan keeps giving. Eka points out wild-wood sorrels and mouth-puckering sour berries he’d eat as a kid when hunting for birds in the jungle. I try paracress with edible buds that numb my tongue like Sichuan peppercorns. His face beams when he spots a jellyfish-like blob on a rotting coconut trunk, a hard-to-find local mushroom, which he grills on the spot with a lighter. It tastes meaty, with a coconutty chaser, and he’ll later turn it into plant-based satay. “That’s the beauty of Buahan,” he says. “You pluck it, cook it, and you’ve got a meal.”

Further inland, Wayan brings me to his home village, Taro, where he has turned his parents’ sugar palm plantation into a pit stop for cycling tours . It’s part of the desa wisata, or community-based tourism , that he’s helping to get off the ground to draw travellers to this part of the island in a sustainable way. We find his father in the shade of towering palms with wooden rungs nailed to their trunks, scraping meat from a coconut shell – the first step in the laborious process of making coconut oil. “He’s mostly deaf and needs a stick to walk,” Wayan says. “But he still climbs trees like a monkey.”

Wayan’s ambitions reach far beyond this palm-tufted plot. Just outside town, he tends to rice fields and organic gardens, which light up with swarms of fireflies at night. Elsewhere in Bali, they’ve mostly disappeared, he tells me, but they’re slowly returning to places where the air is clean, the soil is organic and the water isn’t yet contaminated with chemicals. Now, he tries to convince his community to do the same. “The pesticides we use hurt our Ibu Pertiwi, our Mother Earth, so how can we expect nourishing food from her?”

“In a way, the pandemic has been a blessing for us,” he concludes, while we share a banana-leaf plate of laklak, tiny rice-flour pancakes drizzled with frothy palm syrup. “We had forgotten about Ibu Pertiwi, but covid gave us time to stop and reflect. It taught us to take care of this island, to share the values we have.” When I return to my wall-less villa at Buahan that evening, I gaze out over the valley; an ombré layer cake, craggily contoured by palms and acacias. And there, in the inky distance, I see the faint blinking of fireflies; just the two of them, dancing rosily into the night.

Secret Bali: where to go off-grid

It’s easy to see why locals refer to Sidemen, a valley town in the shadow of Mount Agung, as the Ubud of 20 years ago. The luscious spot of secret Bali is similarly fringed by lush jungle, and carpeted in rice paddies and fields of taro and peanuts hemmed by subak canals. Two-tabled warungs serve up roast duck and sell cheap Bintang beers, while farming families still use the streets to dry their rice on tarpaulins. But between the Indo-pop leaking from speakers and the rustle of palms, you can hear the faint noise of saws and hammers – a reminder that this laid-back enclave is on the cusp of a flurry of development. 

Where to stay  

Pitched along a river that’s home to buffalo-sized boulders, Wapa di Ume Sidemen is a bamboo fantasy of swirling pools and thatched-roof villas. Some of the latter open to private plunge pools, while all have breezy interiors of sun-bleached wood and sandy stucco. Despite all the do-nothing appeal here, the cooking class along the river is worth leaving your lounge for. 

Address: Banjar Dinas, Jl. Raya Tebola, Telaga Tawang, Kec. Sidemen, Kabupaten Karangasem, Bali 80864, Indonesia Price: Doubles from about £180 (Rs17,880)

This rural community lies just 30 minutes north of Ubud’s restaurant jumble, but feels like a wholly different part of the island. Farmers rise early and go quiet at dusk, and finely wrought temples of mossy rock dominate the skyline. The Banyan Tree group opened its first Escape outpost here in the summer, but not before spending months researching the best ways to preserve the untouched environment and uplift the local community. 

Where to stay

The 16 open-sided villas of Buahan, A Banyan Tree Escape, crafted like traditional balé pavilions from reclaimed ironwood, roll down a jungled valley dissected by waterfalls and terraced rice fields. The concept is rootsy – from the riverside spa drawing on homegrown herbs and local healing techniques to the Balinese coffee in pourover kits in the guest rooms. At the restaurant, all ingredients are sourced from within an hour’s drive. 

Address: Jl, Buahan Kaja, Kec. Payangan, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80572, Indonesia  Price: Doubles from about £590 (Rs58,610)

Bali’s bread basket, a patchwork of pancake-flat fields of rice and corn, has so far escaped the relentless urbanisation of Canggu and Pererenan, 30 minutes to the east. While crowds of tourists stop by the imposing Tanah Lot temple on a rocky island off the coast, most don’t venture beyond – leaving this palm-studded hinterland delightfully quiet. In the late afternoon, local families crowd the volcanic beaches and sip fresh coconuts on the beanbags lining the grassy cliffs. 

Family-owned Nirjhara, flanked by an impressive multistreamed waterfall, is a hush-hush hideaway for Bali’s in-crowd. The sleek, straight-lined villas are made from local stone and reclaimed hardwood, and dotted with contemporary Indonesian art. The breezy Ambu restaurant, overlooking the pool and the bamboo-roofed yoga sala by the river, is a welcome resting spot after a guided cycling tour around the countryside. 

Address: Jl. Nirjhara, Banjar Kedungu, Belalang, Kediri, Tabanan Regency, Bali 82121, Indonesia Price: Doubles from about £190 (Rs18,870)

Even further west, this seemingly endless stretch of black sand draws intrepid surfers with Bali’s longest left-hand wave breaking on its coast. A few surf camps and family resorts line the beach, but you’re still more likely to bump into locals trawling the sand for crabs than other travellers. Plans for a toll road from Denpasar are underway, which will cut a drive of about four hours down to 30 minutes, and undoubtedly bring in a wave of change. 

Opened in July in sleepy Pekutatan, Lost Lindenberg is the first Indonesian outpost from the Frankfurt-based Lindenberg hotel group – and flips the script on typical Balinese boutique escapes. There’s no Instagram-ready infinity pool; no wickerwork lights or yoga dogma. Instead, there are lofty rooms in treehouse-like towers, and an anything-goes vibe of salty-haired surfers and their families mingling over communal, plant-based meals at the restaurant’s sole dining table. 

Address: Banyar Yeh Kuning, Jl. Ngurah Rai, Pekutatan, Kec. Pekutatan, Kabupaten Jembrana, Bali 82262, Indonesia  Price: Doubles from about £600 (Rs59,593)

Getting around 

Luxury tour operator Remote Lands arranges bespoke itineraries in Bali from £850 per person per day. remotelands.com

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Condé Nast Traveler

23 Best Hotels in Bali

Posted: March 8, 2024 | Last updated: March 8, 2024

With some 4,300 options to choose from, picking the best Bali hotels is no easy feat. The bar is set high: On this island blessed with postcard scenes around every bend, even the most basic Bali villas and bungalows offer dreamy views and innovative designs from bamboo and volcanic rock. There are countless hidey-holes dotting the jungles around Ubud, cliffside villas in Uluwatu, and clubby beach retreats lining the coast from Seminyak to Kuta, but only some manage to stand out with extraordinary settings, service, or amenities. From the classic big-hitters to whip-smart new arrivals, we've tried, tested, and whittled down the best hotels in Bali to book right now.

This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.

Sign up to receive the latest news, expert tips, and inspiration on all things travel

Bvlgari Resort Bali

Potato Head Suites & Studios

Hoshinoya Bali

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay

Alila Seminyak

Capella Ubud Bali

Buahan, A Banyan Tree Escape

Lost Lindenberg

Over the past decade or so, most of the boutique hotels in Bali have become a little predictable: the rattan lampshades, the swirling infinity pools, and the bamboo yoga shalas. This whip-smart new arrival wants none of that. After traveling through the rice fields and past the near-deserted beaches of Bali’s little-visited west coast to the sleepy backwater of Pekutatan, the last thing you’d expect is a Las Vegas-esque wall screaming “Holiday Fast” in flickering neon. Lost Lindenberg , which opened its doors in 2022, is the first international outpost of The Lindenberg, a small, Frankfurt-based hotel group of a similar ilk as, say, Soho House or The Hoxton, where guests aren't just guests, but a ‘collective,’ and hotels are referred to as communal living spaces.

The eight studio-like rooms take over the watchtowers in sets of two and are built just high enough to spot the Indian Ocean through the floor-to-ceiling windows that cover most of their wall surface. The bathrooms are practically open-air: their louvered walls let the sea breeze seep in but keep the neighbors from peeping. Dining is communal and completely plant-based, with hummus wraps and jackfruit baos served for lunch on a single, very-long table.

Tucked between the rice fields of Tabanan, a little-visited rural enclave on Bali's southwestern coast, Nirjhara feels like a hush-hush hideaway for the island's in-crowd. At the pool, overlooking the hotel's rambling waterfall, you'll find a stylish bunch of linen-clad expatriates, off-duty models, and high-society Indonesians on weekend jaunts from Jakarta. Between poolside sessions, they'll hop to the spa for flower baths or Ayurvedic marma-point massages, stop for yoga classes in the all-bamboo riverside shala, or venture out for trips to the nearby Tanah Lot temple on the complimentary guided bike rides. Nirjhara's lodgings—all straight lines, honey-hued woods, and Indonesian textiles—range from villas with balconies above the river to multi-bedroomed, private-pooled mansions with lush jungle views. If private pools are no priority, consider the Canopy Suites—these stilted treehouses surrounded by a palm grove come with brilliant rooftop decks overlooking the rice fields. And when Tabanan starts to feel a little too isolated, Canggu's buzzy bars and restaurants are just a short drive away.

Book now with Booking.com

Book now with Expedia

Six Senses Uluwatu

Hotel Tugu Bali

Alila Villas Uluwatu

COMO Shambhala Estate

Tanah Gajah, a Resort by Hadiprana

COMO Uma Ubud

The Legian Bali

COMO Uma Canggu

Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve

Bisma Eight

More for You

National Ice Cream Recall Due to Possible Listeria Includes 67 Products from 13 Brands

Photos show what it was like to eat at McDonald's in the 1970s

'I don't know how I'm going to work until I'm 67'

Carmen Electra’s “Baywatch ”Red Latex Look at “That ‘90s Show” Premiere Wasn’t Actually Inspired by the ‘90s (Exclusive)

Cleaning House? Start by Tossing These 50 Things

Squatters Can Legally Steal Property in 21 States: Here’s How

I Lost 50lbs With 3 Lifestyle Changes

Track star Quincy Wilson, 16, is not eligible to compete in the 400 metres in the Olympics

6 Of The Worst Things To Order At Subway, According To Employees

This Is the Average Social Security Benefit for Age 67

10 Mistakes You Might Be Making When Changing The Brake Pads On Your Vehicle

15 Highest Paying Jobs That Nobody Wants

Millions of Drivers Told to Avoid Gas Stations

Netflix smash hit watched 16.5 million times times in one week

Fever Coach Christie Sides Delivers Eight-Word Criticism of Caitlin Clark

The Alaskan Mega Tsunami Taller than the Empire State Building

Home maintenance expert shares simple trick to flush out buildup in AC drain line: 'Clear out all the gunk and the funk'

How Much You Need To Earn To Be Upper Middle Class in Every State

Wrestling's Dark Side: The Top 25 Villains to Ever Grace the Ring

17 Things McDonald’s Employees Won’t Tell You