Where to stay? Most charming boutique hotels in Bali

Hello Nextinationers,

Do you have plans to visit Bali soon? Do you already have the purchased the flights  but do not know in which area to stay or which one is the best for you? Ubud, Seminyak, Jimbaran, Kuta? Have you no idea what those areas are like or where to spend your days? Do you want to know where to stay in Bali? It happened to me too. In this post I will give you some tips and I will recommend the most charming boutique hotels in Bali, so you can choose which is the most that fits to you and your plan for the trip.

It should be taken into account that although the island of Bali is not very big, moving from one side to the other involves spending many hours in traffic jams and slow traffic, as the roads are narrow and there is a lot of volume of cars and motorcycles at all hours.  Each area of the island is frequented by a different type of tourists and depending on the particular interests of each traveler, some areas may be of great interest or be totally avoided. Just recently we’ve spent two amazing weeks in Bali and we used this time to stay in different areas of the island to visit different places of interest, minimizing the journeys by car.

My recommendation is that you spend -if possible-  a couple of days in Ubud to enjoy the true essence of Bali, a couple more in Keramas Beach for a total relaxation, few more of days in Seminyak to enjoy the beach clubs and the shopping, one or two in Jimbaran or Uluwatu where or you can miss the sunset at the temple of Uluwatu watching the Balinese dances while the sun sets,  and you should go to  discover Canggu -is pronounced “Changgu”-, the most hipster area of the island, which is becoming more and more fashionable.

In definitive, I assure you that in Bali you are not going to get bored. I will give you more specific tips on what to do in Bali on my next posts, but for the moment I recommend you these hotels that are really spectacular and very charming for your next visit to Bali!

Here below I leave you  map with the location of the hotels for your quick reference and don’t forget to save it into you Google Maps.

Top things to do in Jimbaran and Uluwatu.

Desa Visesa Ubud

It is one of the most charming boutique hotel in Ubud, and Bali in general, due to its mix of authentic Balinese lifestyle, layout and design of their villas and the surroundings. Whether you’re traveling as a couple or with your family, this hotel is for you. The resort is like a small town, in fact, that’s what it means Desa in Bahasa, the Indonesian language. I totally recommend it.

The complex includes several rice fields, a small farm and a small orchard where they grow their own products that they  use in their daily kitchen. In addition, the Desa Visesa Hotel has its own entertainment service, Balinese dances two days a week and daily several typical Bali shows that enliven the restaurant Lesung, next to the Lobby, during the dinner buffet.

The other restaurant, Lumbung, with a quieter atmosphere and a la carte food, is on top of passing a river below it. From the terraces of the restaurant you can eat/dine with a view of its waterfall. The food is a 10 and has typical dishes of the Indonesian cuisine. It was all delicious. Try their Nasi Goreng and the satay.

This hotel also has its own Children’s Farm, with horses, cows, geese, ducks, hens and much more. The little ones will delight here where they can even ride the horses or feed the animals.

Other of the restaurants I loved was the Warung, which was just amazing. This particular one is more secluded, beside the orchard and the farm, built all of bamboo. It offers rice dishes and vegetables with different types of curry. The food is delicious and above all, it has the charm of being eating outdoors overlooking the rice fields in one part and on the other hand overlooking the jungle.  This restaurant also teaches cooking classes, and has a small park for children built all in bamboo, so they can play while you relax.

They have another restaurant called Padi Fine Dining restaurant because it is surrounded by rice fields -“Padi” means rice fields in Bahasa-. They make dinner barbecues of fish, shellfish or vegetarian Indonesian delicacies.

Another of the things you can’t miss in this hotel is the Spa. Incredible, located inside a cave, you will hear how the water flows through the stones as the energy flows all over your body with restorative and soothing massages. Also, their outdoor gym has the best views you can have. A real delight!

We stayed in one of the hotel Villas and the experience was amazing. We had a beautiful room with a very spacious and open bathroom, where you could shower outdoors or give yourself a flower bath listening to the nature of the background. The Villas have a very spacious living room with several sofas, fridge and coffee maker and a small pond with fish at the entrance of it.

Although definitely the most spectacular is the private pool. If you stay in one of its Villas, do not hesitate to ask for a floating breakfast, an experience that you have to live at least once in your life. Just spectacular!

Regarding its location, the Desa Visesa Hotel is about 10 minutes drive from the center of Ubud but they offer a shuttle service, 3 times a day. Personally, I find it perfect since you have the center of Ubud very close but at the same time you are not in the middle of all the hustle but you are more secluded in a really amazing setting.

 Top things to do in Ubud, Bali. 

Top Things to do in Ubud, Bali

Komaneka Hotel at Keramas Beach

This newly opened hotel will be a delight to your senses, being another of the most charming boutique hotel in Bali. It belongs to a local chain, Komaneka, founded by a young couple from Bali. It all started with a small art gallery specializing in Indonesian and Balinese art. The island already has five hotels Komaneka being this, the last one to open. Each of the five resorts is located in a more spectacular location: either in the middle of the jungle, or in one of Ubud’s liveliest streets, or in spectacular hills or next to the sea or rice fields.

The location of the Komaneka Hotel, between rice fields and next to the Indian Ocean, surrounded by the black sands of your beach, is amazing. The hotel has a view of 360 degrees coming to see the nearby island of Nusa Penida and even Mount Agung, the highest and most sacred volcano in Bali. If you want to disconnect and seek a relaxing time, this hotel is for you.

It is also close to Ubud, a 30-minute drive away. In addition, it is perfect if you plan to spend the day at Nusa Penida or a few days to the Gili islands of Lombok as the boats leaving from Sanur or Benoa port are within walking distance of this hotel.

One of the things that caught my attention the hotel, apart from its location, was its architecture and design. It’s amazing how it adapts perfectly to your environment. From the entrance of the hotel you will drive through a prive road  in the middle of rice fields to reach the hotel lobby.  In order to go to the rooms, you will have to go walking over more rice fields on a bridge in front of the sea . The hotel design is just spectacular.

Its Villas are defined by its grandeur and beauty. With about 200 m2, they have private pool with sea views, an outdoor lounge, a small pond with fish, sun loungers and a sort of enclosed area next to the pool to eat, lie down or relax in the shade.

It has a king size bed and a TV screen with Apple TV to access your favorite series and movies. The bathroom has two dressing rooms as well as two different areas, each one with its own washbasin -perfect for the typical mine/yours split-  and also has a huge bathtub and two showers, an interior and an exterior with access to the pool area. I most recognized that taking a shower in the outdoor area it was one of my favorite part of the day.

It’s totally unbelievable. It reminded me of those Los Angeles mansions that come out in the movies, as there were no walls but instead huge glass walls,  At night we opened the  sliding doors and enjoyed sleeping with the sound of the breaking waves just in front of us.  This hotel is definitely recommended if you are going to this part of the island and if you are looking for a quiet and totally disconnected atmosphere.

Its restaurant, called Timur Kitchen, has Indonesian and international food. You can’t stop trying their food.

The breakfast is a la carte and with the best views you can imagine.

 Be sure to ask for the floating breakfast:)

The Spa is amazing. You can enjoy soothing or invigorating massages while listening to the sound of the waves in the background, since the Spa is next to the beach. An experience that will activate the five senses.

Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach

The Indigo Hotel Bali Seminyak Beach uses up design everywhere. It’s the first thing you’ll notice when you walk into the Lobby. It’s just spectacular. Chairs of different designs and colors and different types of lamps decorate the lobby, open and overlooking its gardens. Not a single detail is missing. If you like interior design, this is the hotel for you.

The room was super spacious, having a small living room inside of it. It also had a dressing room at the entrance. The bathroom was quite large and the shower had a window that looks to the private terrace accessed from the room. The terrace itself is quite spacious with a couch outside and another table allowing you to have another space separate from the room.

What was amazing also about the room was the design on every piece of furniture, from the tea mugs, the coffee maker and the teapot, the juice maker, the decorating items or the basin to pour water into the Spa-inspired shower area. All with a vibrant and striking color palette. Everything is design around you. I was struck by the details imitating the Muslim lattices. For sure this hotel goes to the list of the most charming boutique hotels in Bali.

As for the food, I have to say that the breakfast at the Hotel Indigo Seminyak  is probably the best one I have ever tasted in Bali. It is a buffet kind of breakfast and the selection of products and the quality of them is amazing, being totally up to the hotel. I was amazed by the originality of presenting in jars the different types of yoghurts, the different types of milk as well as the different cereals, also counting with a gluten free ones.

Also, we had the opportunity to have dinner one night at Makase restaurant . Just like the breakfast, the food and the service here was incredible. I recommend the scallops au gratin and the fish barramundi, delicious.

It also has a buffet restaurant next to the beach and a Chill Out area next to the sand where you can watch the sunset, one of the best I’ve seen I have to say, accompanied by its signature cocktails and its “Happy Hour”, just at sunset time.

Do not miss the Pottery cafe, inside the hotel, and try its Afternoon Tea. Also you must try the cocktails with live music at the beautiful Tree Bar, another of the spaces in the hotel that stands out for its design and decoration.

About the facilities, theHotel Indigo Seminyak  has 3 pools, one for kids another for adults and finally, another, more secluded than I thought was spectacular. It seemed that you were swimming in one of the temples of Bali, those that have sacred water, surrounded by vegetation and of Balinese sculptures. Also, everyone bathes in the other pools so you have this whole pool for yourself.

This hotel also has a snack bar next to the pools and an ice cream parlor where they can make your own gelato, just for you. I found it super original and the ice cream was delicious.

If you go with children, this hotel is also perfect because they have so many things for the little ones and they organize activities every day, from painting, Kite creation, etc. In addition, the hotel also has several activities for adults and family. Just the day we arrived they had done a bicycle guided tour around Semiyank. Too bad we missed it.

Finally, the Sava Spa Experience has collected Balinese treatments from around the island along with the unique development of exfoliating and massage oils made with local ingredients such as black pepper and nutmeg.  The Spa is this and much more, one that you will not want to miss and with which you will be able to the brooch to a round day at this hotel.

¿What are you waiting for? Make your booking now.  http://seminyak.hotelindigo.com

Dash Hotel in Seminyak

The Dash Hotel is one of the most charming boutique hotels in Bali and I’ll explain you why.  If you are looking to have everything at hand. Its location is unbeatable, next to the best shops and boutiques in Bali and the coolest and most photographed cafes and restaurants in Indonesia.

Just get to your lobby you realize that this boutique hotel is going to be loved by you. It is characterized by its modern and casual decor. Its walls, floors and even ceilings are full of graffiti and color. It’s definitely one of the most colorful hotels I’ve ever been to.  It will not leave you indifferent their red pool, yes, red! Its red tiles give the water a red tone that will surprise you! Likewise it is one of the hotels more “Instagrammable” in which I have stayed.

Its rooms are very spacious. Ours had the bathtub inside the room behind the bed and had that peculiar industrial air of this hotel. The decoration within it is just as original having inspiring phrases and graffiti on the walls, included in the ceiling.

Breakfast is also quite varied, being a la carte. Don’t fail to try out their healthies varieties, one of the things I love most about Bali.

Each corner is perfect to photograph, especially its terrace called “the Shack” with 360 degrees views on the top floor. It is perfect to spend a day of rest in the hotel. Their sun loungers and chairs are also colorful and their small pool are perfect to refresh you a bit while you take one of the hotel’s star cocktails and admire the sunset. It’s still one of those secret places to watch the sunset in Seminyak without being crowded. You should not miss it.

This hotel is presented as a favorite to win the Luxury Hotel awards. Don’t forget to vote here.

Regali Villas in Canggu

This hotel in Canggu is another of the most charming boutique hotel in Bali to stay. This hotel is perfect if you like to have the exclusivity of your private Villa but at the same time, have the possibility to be close to several of the cafes and restaurants more trendy of Canggu. This area is full of Villas to stay and it has as well several rice fields around. Regali Villas is located just 10 minutes walking from the famous Echo Beach.

Our Villa was quite large, with private pool, open bathroom, with bathtub overlooking the pool and a large solarium area. At night, we had the frequent visit of small frogs that wanted to refresh in our pool, giving the feeling that we were camping outdoor but with the comfort of the hotel.

The hotel also has a communal swimming pool and a restaurant next to it with Indonesian and western dishes. The hotel also has a free bicycle rental. We rented them and in less than 10 minutes we were in all the most famous cafes and restaurants in Canggu.  I think it’s a perfect plan. Without a doubt, I recommend and much come to Canggu a couple of days and see this part of the island. No doubt, I know I’ll be back.

Rimba by Ayana Hotel in Jimbaran

It is without a doubt, another of the most charming hotels in Bali to stay. If you are thinking of staying at the Jimbaran area to be halfway between Uluwatu and Ubud, this is definitely your hotel. The Rimba by Ayana Hotel  has  8 hectares within the 90 hectares of the other luxury hotel in the same chain, Ayana. Between them there is a shuttle every 10 minutes and you can use all the services also of the hotel Ayana.  Just entering the Lobby you fall in love with the hotel.

It is located in front of the sea and surrounded by several swimming pools. It has no less than 400 rooms, between suites and rooms, many of them overlooking the pool and even several of them with access to it. The breakfast is one of the most varied and rich I have ever tasted. There is the possibility of a buffet or a la carte, you choose. Also, the environment is amazing.

Also you must try their restaurant Unique, located in the rooftop of the hotel, which has a central bar and a pool of 25 meters of infinity border that overlooks one of the best sunsets of the island. Its cuisine has Mexican touches and you can not miss the Sunday Brunch where there is live music and then link to the Sunday Party until sunset. And you? What are you doing this Sunday?

Top things to do in Jimbaran and Uluwatu.

Other benefits of staying in the Rimba by Ayana Hotel is that you have priority access to enter one of the best places in Bali as is the Rock Bar, inside the Ayana Hotel. So named for being literally located on the rocks of the cliff it is one of the most impressive places where I have been! Seriously, the site can not be more amazing! You access the bar through a tram lift, there is no way to go down any other way. Once downstairs you can enjoy another infinity pool and then dine or have a few cocktails while enjoying one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world.  Are you going to miss it?

The truth is that I personally am not one of those who are quiet on holiday, but I like to go out to see and visit, but this hotel will invite you to stay in it all day or the whole weekend as it happened to me. It’s just amazing!

Most Instagrammable places in Bali

Have you been to Bali? What are your favorite hotels?

Organize your trip to Bali

You can book your flights here    And your hotel at the best price with a 15% discount by clicking on this link. Booking.com  You can find here the best Bali Travel Guides Hire your  travel insurance here.  If you want to hire a driver, email me and I will give you his contact. He is the best if you are traveling with kids because he has a baby /child seat for the car.  You will find here the best trips and tours  in Bali.