I won’t sugarcoat it: Bali is an island in flux. A stunning, special, and singular island with an intriguingly rich history and culture, spectacular scenery, exciting food, world-class resorts, and yes, a lot of recent and ongoing development. The latter can be both a huge positive and a challenge, depending on your holiday intentions. Certain parts of the island — which sits close enough to the equator for gloriously hot, year-round sun — currently feel very much under construction. But if you know where to go, it’s possible to dive headfirst into a genuine Balinese experience.
As an expat who first visited and fell in love with Bali a decade ago, has been living near Uluwatu since 2022, and has built two villas, most recently, a blush-colored rental with a pool in the sky, I’ve seen many sides of the island and its continuing evolution. The Bukit, which includes arguably the best beaches plus Nusa Dua and Uluwatu, is quite busy these days, especially the latter. There, it’s not a stretch to say a new shop, spa, or eatery opens every single week. If you love a lively environment, global cuisine, and all the wellness-y experiences you could possibly pack into a day — everything from Pilates, physiotherapy, surfing, and spin classes to contrast therapy, kirtan sessions, yoga, lymphatic drainage massage, gua sha facials, and nail art — this is a very good thing. Much of these can be found in bustling coastal ‘hoods Canggu, Pererenan, and Seminyak, too. Yet if solitude, serenity, and jungle soundtracks are your thing, plus Balinese Hindu purification ceremonies, active immersions into traditional dance, craft or rice farming, village and market visits, head to Tabanan, Ubud, and even farther north for a more bucolic scene and slow pace, dotted with sweet interactions with local Balinese. Here is my insider’s peek at Bali’s most luxurious offerings and treasures, from my personal favorite resorts to the eats and activities I recommend to my nearest and dearest.
SLEEP
Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay and Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan
Two famous destinations, two of the island’s most beautiful resorts. The first, Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay, is where we go for beach getaways since the wide iconic bay — known for its fish market and sandy seafood barbecue restaurants — is so accessible and friendly. Enjoy waste-free cocktails at Telu Bar, the fun plastic-free kids club, and Bali’s longest Sunday brunch, not to mention sprawling super-private accommodations including the resort’s new four-bedroom residence. At Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, kids are treated fantastically too, but there’s a romantic feel (and cultural emphasis) to the place where the Obamas have stayed and indulged in treatments at the Sacred River Spa, now fresh off a reimagining that keeps it among the world’s best destinations for healing and rejuvenation.
Desa Potato Head
Comprising two very special hotels featuring extraordinary Indonesian artisanship and craft, Potato Head is one of my most beloved on the planet for many reasons, one of which is the fact they send just 2.4% waste to landfill. (And soon to be even less, thanks to the tirelessly creative sustainability and circular economy efforts of many.) Sculpture art made of recycled materials, a streaming radio station (made of upcycled materials — are you noticing a pattern?), zero-waste restaurants, and a buzzy rooftop bar with Indian Ocean panoramas, not to mention wonderfully welcoming and personable staff, make it a true, feel-good experience that stays with you long after checkout.
Uluwatu Surf Villas
My favorite local place for ocean-view morning yoga flows, pool days, and sundowners with a side of local artwork or live music. This barefoot clifftop resort, with an array of architecturally inspiring villas, is an independent hotel by people with great taste who are genuinely devoted to the ocean.
Amandari
Opened in 1989, Amandari is the oldest luxury hotel along the Ayung River, just outside Ubud. But it remains flawless from not only a physical standpoint but for its supremely refined yet warm service. On a recent visit, I loved my early morning trek through rice fields where I was, happily, the only outside visitor, and had a blast learning the exacting movements of Balinese dance in a private lesson.
Bulgari Resort Bali
About as luxurious as it gets, Bali’s exclusive Bulgari escape was also a pioneer in its area, high on the southern coast’s limestone cliffs. Its 59 villas and residences sprawl across terraces referencing the island’s famous rice paddies and come with intuitive butler service and private pools. The spa is particularly dreamy, and the quiet beach club — down a private funicular — feels like the most privileged spot in all of Bali.
Nirjhara
A short distance from lovely Kedungu beach in Tabanan, this intimate resort — treehouses and waterfall-adjacent suites with giant outdoor soaking tubs — is peaceful and restorative, but I also adore its fantastic location. It’s close enough to dip into Canggu if you’re feeling social, but it’s a launching pad for the farther flung, more authentic corners of Bali. The wellness treatments are incredible, too.
Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape
If off-the-beaten-path, natural Bali is your wish, I can’t recommend this adults-only escape enough. It puts you so close to the jungle — your villa won’t even have walls or doors — but it will have insanely delicious Baligroni cocktails. The energy is ethereal yet earthy and honest, and the zero-waste Open Kitchen restaurant produces dishes that inspire wonder and happy tastebuds. Don’t miss the opportunity to go foraging or take a Balinese cooking class.
*Honorable mentions: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Raffles Bali, Capella Ubud, Alila Manggis, Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and Amankila as each is stunning and incredibly unique, too.
EAT
Fed by Made
I haven’t yet made it to the newly opened 2.0 version of this young Balinese wunderkind chef’s Seminyak restaurant. But judging by what I’ve intentionally slowly savored from his mind-boggling, ever-changing, prix fixe menus prior, it’s a run don’t walk kind of approach you should take with snagging a table in advance. There is, however, a new a la carte menu and walk-in bar-lounge option.
Kaum
Soulful Indonesian food, captivating decor, responsible ingredients sourcing. This is one of my top go-tos with visitors who haven’t yet sampled the super-diverse cuisine from this super-diverse archipelago. And the gohu ikan tuna is to die for. It happens to be at Potato Head, so make sure you start — and maybe also end — your evening with evocative tipples at either Sunset Park or Akademi Bar.
Home by Chef Wayan
Don’t let the casual appearance of this Pererenan warung fool you: the food coming out of chef Wayang Kresna Yasa’s kitchen is fine-dining worthy. I guarantee you the Michelin-starred restaurant veteran puts love into each and every plate of Balinese home cooking he makes.
Il Ristorante – Luca Fantin
For a splurge and ultra-memorable date night, dine on seven (plus a handful of other nibbles) courses of tweezer-perfect seasonal Italian fare. I count myself very lucky every time I get one of the restaurant’s 36 seats, knowing the delectable riches that progress in a classical manner and crescendo with an addictive coconut dessert I fantasize about regularly.
Rumari
The way dinner at Raffles Bali’s fine-dining restaurant unfolds is so delightful it’s not worth ruining the surprise, just know that a meal here — ideally paired with exquisite cocktails from Writers Bar — is an exercise in thoughtful, edible artistry.
Begawan Biji
A new and incredibly exciting restaurant just outside Ubud, this Eden set on a regenerative farm has produce growing in mandalas and a menu that highlights those very ingredients as well as Mansur heritage rice grown sustainably in the immediate surrounds. The offerings at lunch and dinner are texturally and flavorfully vibrant, and made even more beautiful with the fact the open-air restaurant’s proceeds support the Begawan Foundation, which educates local students, breeds critically endangered Bali starlings, and supports farmers transitioning to regenerative methods.
Hujan Locale
My go-to for modern Indonesian fare when in the center of Ubud, Hujan Locale does justice to all the bold flavors from the island of Bali and around it. When in Ubud, get the bebek goreng (crispy duck) and share plates to try as much as possible.
PLAY
Experience a Melukat Ceremony
Many of the best resorts offer this quintessential Balinese purification ceremony at their own temple, with a local priest, and more ritualistic bell ringing, chanting, flowers, and water than you know what to do with. It’s an experience I feel should be on the itinerary of every visitor to the island (likewise experiencing a major temple). Make your way up to Pura Taman Percampuhan Sala, a mystical waterfall temple in the north, for the ultimate version of this and I promise you’ll feel changed afterward.
Take a Jewelry-Making Masterclass at John Hardy
The Artisans Workshop tour offered at the iconic fine jeweler based outside of Ubud is fascinating. But I gained even more appreciation for the intricate craftsmanship of the team when I tried to mimic it myself in a very fun — if not slightly frustrating (due to my readily apparent lack of skill) master class — that included attempted wax carving.
Cooking Class with Dewa
There are zillions of cooking classes across Bali, but I know the very best to be by a Buddha-like man named Dewa who welcomes private parties into his Keliki home compound for the most enlightening time I’ve ever had preparing food. I’d say eating it was the best part, for the local dishes were epic, but the knowledge he imparts cannot be matched.
See a Balinese Dance Performance
Whether it’s the young ladies dancing at Amandari regularly, a show in Ubud or Garuda Wisna Kencana Cultural Park, or the kecak fire dance that occurs nightly at sunset at the legendary Pura Luhur Uluwatu (Uluwatu Temple), make sure to get a glimpse of this finely executed and fabulously festooned cultural tradition.
Uluwatu Surf Charters
You don’t have to surf to snag this private 36-foot speedboat for a customizable half or full day — snorkeling trips, sunset cruises, spearfishing excursions, and national park outings are available. But naturally they also do strike missions to find up to nine passengers (and their surfboards) pristine, empty waves.
Go Hiking or Biking
Bali has mountains and volcanoes, and they make for breathtaking climbs or rides — best alongside a guide and usually in the wee or early morning hours to catch a fiery sunrise. Waterfalls are also plenty, especially in the top half of Bali — check Munduk and the areas around Lake Bretan — and make for a refreshingly chilly interlude in the midst of a trek.
Get All the Massages
It would honestly be crazy to visit Bali and not get a massage — or five. There are probably as many spas as there are Hindu temples on the island, and just remember, expensive doesn’t necessarily equal the strongest Balinese pijat (massage). That said, I’m particularly fond of the treatments at Raffles Bali, the Four Seasons Resorts, Ayana Spa, and Fondue Recovery in Uluwatu.
Featured image courtesy of Begawan Biji; Travel Curator may earn a commission from shopping links on this page
