A mesmerizing view of the private pool and the Lombok Strait beyond from the Indrakila Suite.
At the Beach Club, two teakwood massage tables are hidden away in a grove of coconut palms and flowering shrubs.
The villas' spacious outdoor terraces are furnished with daybeds and dining furniture.
Halfway up the tree-clothed hill, and blending seamlessly with the verdant surroundings, 34 freestanding suites radiate out from the main building in two deep crescents. Built in the ubiquitous Balinese style of wooden structure topped by round alang-alang thatched roof, each suite has an outdoor terrace furnished with a large daybed with comfy pillows and bolsters for lounging and a table and chairs for private dining, a deep soaking tub looking out over a miniature manicured garden and other top-of-the-range amenities. Most villas enjoy views of the sea. A mesh of raised walkways links the villas to the restaurants, swimming pools and other public areas.
Amankila's signature three-tiered infinity-edge swimming pool echoes Bali's terraced rice paddies.
A small selection of natural herbal products.
Views of the panoramically endowed freestanding Kilasari Suite, with its spacious outdoor terrace, private pool and luxuriously appointed bathroom.
Address: Amankila
Manggis, Bali
Indonesia
Tel: +62 363 41333
Fax: +62 363 41555
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.amanresorts.com
AYANA Resort & Spa
Dramatically perched on a bluff overlooking the Indian Ocean at the southwestern tip of Bali, the AYANA Resort & Spa (formerly the Ritz-Carlton Bali) more than lives up to its name—Ayana means “place of refuge” in Sanskrit—despite its location a mere 6 miles (10 km) from bustling Denpasar and Ngurah Rai International Airport. Some 70 percent of the 192-acre (77-hectare) site is used to accommodate business conferences, wedding parties, spa junkies and hallmark romantics. A state-of-the-art business conference center for 800 and a clifftop wedding atrium are among the facilities, the latter particularly popular with Japanese guests. Buggy highways lined with brightly blooming bougainvillea and fragrant frangipani link the 368 luxuriously appointed guest rooms, including 78 private villas and 16 suites, which overlook some of the island’s finest coastline. Staircases, promenades, fountains and statuary spread out from the main four-story building and reception, cascading down to the beach.
A hundred wooden steps lead down to the Spa on the Rocks, stunningly located on craggy outcrops facing the sparkling blue Indian Ocean.
Luxuriating in a sensual red rose petal bath, part of the spa's Diamond Miracle treatment.
But it is the AYANA’s Spa on the Rocks, opened in 2006, that draws most attention. Comprising two private treatment villas nestled on rocks amidst the ocean, it adjoins the Thermes Marins Bali Spa, which includes not only the largest Thalasso (seawater) therapy facility in Asia but its seawater-filled aquatonic exercise pool is one of the most entertaining around. The Ocean Beach Pool at the bottom of the cliff, filled with filtered seawater pumped up from the bay, is an alternative to a swim in the sea at Kubu beach.
An enticing bedroom and a tub for two in front of picture windows in one of the cliff villas, set in a private courtyard.
The entertaining seawater-filled aqua-tonic exercise pool and spa.
Restaurant choices at AYANA include Balinese, Japanese and Mediterranean cafés and a superb seafood grill that overlooks crashing waves and incredible sunsets.
Candle-lit dinners on the pier are a romantic option.
The resort’s thatch-roofed garden villas are nestled within manicured gardens abloom with brilliant bougainvillea and frangipani.
A therapeutic massage with oils bound with elements of silk and pearl is part of the ultra-luxurious Diamond Miracle treatment at the Spa on the Rocks.
The sedate seawater-filled Ocean Beach Pool is a contrast to the rock-studded sea below where guests can enjoy swimming at low tide.
Address: AYANA Resort & Spa
Jl. Karang Mas Sejahtera
Jimbaran, Bali, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 702222
Fax: +62 361 701555
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.ayanaresort.com
Bagus Jati Retreat Bali
Bagus Jati, literally “good teakwood” in Indonesian but metaphorically “strength of character” in Balinese, is a small health and well-being retreat set in 12 acres 5 hectares) of hillside gardens amidst lush tropical forests in the mountains of Bali, about 30 minutes’ drive north from Ubud, the island’s cultural and artistic center. The brainchild of former travel agent and hotelier Bagus Sudibya, Bagus Jati is distinguished from most other spas by its natural “green” setting (cultivated beds of herbs and organic vegetables, flowering shrubs and fruiting trees, and grassed terraces fill every inch of space between the buildings) and its philosophy (managing stress through “lifestyle training”). Local farmers helped to develop the retreat and continue to maintain it.
The circular timber yoga and meditation pavilion, built within a bamboo forest, is an exquisite and inspirational setting.
The resort's hand-hewn ochre swimming pool is filled with warmed spring water.
Bagus Jati focuses on the natural in its architecture as well as its therapies. Guests have a choice of eight circular deluxe spa villas,