Four New Hotels to Check Out in Bali This Year
Mar 16, 2016
No place speaks of serenity and rejuvenation quite like Bali does. The island in Indonesia, known for its forested volcanic mountains, green rice paddies, untouched beaches and coral reefs, is one of our favourite travel destinations. Check out these new hotels for your next holiday vacation.
Alila Seminyak
Located just off the trendy streets of Seminyak hides the Alila Seminyak, a 240-room beachfront resort and the fifth Alila property in Bali. The contemporary design of the residences fuses minimalist interiors with natural and locally-sourced materials to present an evolution of the traditional Balinese aesthetic. As part of the resort’s Alila Experiences, guests can also explore the rest of the island paradise in a fully restored Vintage 1980 Volkswagen Kombi. For those who prefer to be homebodies, there is a selection of four swimming pools separated by lush greenery and frame the beachfront view of the pools.
Mandapa, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Meaning temple in Sanskrit, Mandapa is located in the Ubud jungle by the Ayung River. The resort is part of the Reserve extension under the Ritz-Carlton portfolio and offers a more boutique personality than the brand’s typical offering, with round-the-clock dedicated butler service. The 60 suites and villas in the resort are designed to resemble a Balinese village, with rice paddies at the centre, offering guests an immersive experience of the island’s most important resource. Inspired by its namesake, Mandapa is designed to offer a sanctuary to relax your mind, body and soul in its serene and secluded setting through the resort’s wellness programmes and immersion into the surrounding Ubud culture.
Katamama
Katamama is located strategically behind a Seminyak landmark, the Potato Head Beach Club, and they share more than just their ideal beachfront location. The PTT Group, owners of the club and the resort, have brought their experience in bringing a modern twist to traditional Indonesian hospitality to their new hotel venture. The hotel architecture incorporates local Balinese materials like teak and handmade bricks as well as Javanese tiles into its contemporary design to reflect the local lifestyle. The interiors of each suite have been personally designed by Indonesian craftsmen and are filled with artworks, furniture, and other collectables, many from the resort owner’s personal collection. Katamama also brings to the scene new dining options like Akademi, a bar helmed by famed mixologist Dre Masso, and the first international venture of MoVida, one of Australia’s most popular Spanish tapas group.
Bisma Eight
With only an exclusive 38 suites available, the Bisma Eight resort offers the ultimate jungle getaway in central Bali. Shunning the traditional Balinese resort exterior, the Bisma Eight instead opts for a more minimalist industrial aesthetic to highlight its lush greenery while incorporating Balinese artisanal handicrafts in its interiors. The hotel also reveals its Japanese design influence with an onsen soaking tub in every room. The resort further integrates itself into its jungle setting with its dining options, offering farm-to-table dining sourced from the neighbourhood as well as the organic farm Bisma Gardens on the property itself. If you so fancy, you too can get down and dirty on the farm to forage, and then bring the fruits (and veggies) of your labour to the Copper Kitchen and Bar where they’ll use it for their Bali-inspired treats. If that sounds like too much work for a retreat, then dive into their infinity pool (Ubud’s only temperature-controlled one), enjoying the view that overlooks Mount Batukaru, Bali’s second-largest volcano.
