Bali is a vision of paradise beaches, lush rice paddies, and a jungled mountain interior, with a palpable sense of spirituality. Add to that a palpable sense of spirituality, sacred temples, and some great hotels to indulge your senses.
Some of the best Bali design hotels are located on the untouched west coast, near central Ubud and around Seminyak and the Bukit Peninsula.
Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali
The drop-dead gorgeous Alila Villas Uluwatu Bali design hotel is an all-villa design resort located on a commanding elevated plateau where limestone cliffs meet the crashing ocean on Bali’s Bukit Peninsula.
Exquisitely designed luxury villas maximise space and views, with modern open-plan design, unique lava rock roofs and bamboo ceilings.
Alila Villas Soori, Bali
The luxurious and authentic Alila Villas Soori is a standout design hotel in a place that has its fair share of breathtaking resorts. Located way up on the island’s untouched west coast, Alila Villas Soori is dramatically located between lush, green paddy fields and the soft black-volcanic sands of a Balinese beach.
The property’s 48 exquisitely designed villas – all with jaw-dropping views of the Indian Ocean - are sleek and spacious with modern interiors and generous outdoor decks and private pools - all located just ten minutes from Tanah Lot Temple, one of Bali’s most sacred temples.
Attentive service, an indulgent spa menu and organic cuisine will keep even the pickiest traveller satisfied.
Alila Ubud, Bali
****With one of the most beautiful pools in the world overlooking the terraced jungle outside the traditional hillside village of Payangan, Alila Ubud presents the authentic side of Bali - think lush valleys and villages hugging the hillsides, not the typical idyllic white-sand beaches and thatched-roof villas.
Here the resort’s rooms and suite villas stand on stilts like tree houses above a ravine. There’s an in-house art gallery, Mediterranean-infused cuisine and Bali’s art capital, Ubud, close by.
This design hotel mixes traditional Balinese design with strict modern geometry. Smooth plaster walls and concrete meet straw roofs, terracotta tiles to crushed rock, and wood to glass.
The Elysian Boutique Villa Hotel, Bali
Whether your stay is short-lived or longer term, the Elysian Boutique Villa Hotel offers a design-friendly space to indulge your senses.
Located two minutes form the white-sand beaches of Seminyak, right next door to the Oberoi, restaurants, shops and nightspots.
The Elysian design hotel’s look is ‘modern Asian’, a mix of traditional proportions and modern clean lines.
Elysian means paradise, and here that’s exactly what you get. Each of the 26 villas comes with its own private pool and a focus on openness. Oversized wood-framed sliding doors and windows edge walled gardens, while teak wood, local stone and marble provide luxurious finishes.
Luna2 Private Hotel
Straight from the pages of a James Bond novel, this beachfront Seminyak design hotel is a beacon of retro-modernist design with ‘funked up modern’ interiors and slick spacey exteriors.
A feast of 60s-inspired custom-designed furnishings is paired with design classicism and 21st-century innovation.
With just five bedrooms and the privacy of a private home, you’ll be bowled over by the pampering service – by no less than 23 staff – and executive chef and general manager Danny Drinkwater’s ‘out of this world’ dining options.
W Retreat & Spa Bali, Seminyak
The new W Retreat & Spa Bali is located in trendy Seminyak, with its designer boutiques, stylish galleries, lively restaurants and modern cocktail bars.
Showcasing distinctive architecture by SCDA Architects and interior design by AB Concept and Poole Associates Private Limited, W Retreat & Spa Bali - Seminyak reflects the rich natural beauty and cultural heritage of the destination, with a playful twist of bold designs and textures, inspired by the mysticism of Bali.
The incredible one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas and suites have high-energy interiors and vivid design and are some of the largest in Bali, each with private entrance and pool and the majority with inspiring views of the Indian Ocean.
There’s a range of restaurants, lounges, and bars, where you can sip cocktails, enjoy afternoon tea, or party on the beach, while the AWAY Spa is open 24 hours a day offering round-the-clock treatments.
