The Best Luxury Hotels to Book in Bali

Alila’s hotels are an architect’s dream: slatted wood forms a basket effect around this property’s restaurant, jutting out over the sea, clean-edged spa cabanas host massages in the sea breeze and a wow-factor pool is framed by low-cut, tropical foliage. Everything feels balanced and uncluttered. Villa-only accommodation with roll-top love seats, sea-view terraces and private infinity pools suit this rarefied slice of south coast, where many of the designer hotels cluster.

Set in the lush, jungly countryside outside of hippie, entrepreneurial Ubud, the Viceroy’s villas spill down the valley towards the Petanu River. As such, a glorious main pool overlooks a dense canopy of palms and fruit trees, while the private villas range from ritzy to super-chic – think private lawns and 15m (49ft) pools, on top of huge marble bathrooms and serene open-plan bedrooms. The style is traditional Southeast Asian, with thatched roofs and pots of orchids.

Set in pristine natural beauty, Ritz-Carlton’s Reserve resorts are a cut above their smart, businesslike city hotels, and Mandapa’s overflowing tropical gardens and tranquil riverside spa are the stuff of dreams. A short drive from Ubud, in its river-fed rice paddies, it has a choice of suites and villas, rich with dark woods, local art and bowls of tropical fruit. Spa fans will be dazzled – a total of seven traditional Balinese healers, each with a different specialism, are on hand to soothe your body and soul.

You may know this one from Instagram, so photographed is its two-tiered pool, jutting out over the forest canopy like two slices of polished sea-glass. Hanging Gardens has a dizzyingly lofty position over the jungle in central Bali, a 25-minute drive from Ubud – you reach the different levels by taking a quaint funicular up and down. Rooms are traditional with chiffon-veiled four-posters, ornately carved woods and petal-scattered set-ups organised by staff, so it’s popular with proposers and honeymooners.

This global mega-brand lurks in the Balinese rainforest like a sculpted UFO, connected to the entrance by a long, showy bridge and topped with a lily pond. Private villas are the last word in luxury, with sun-flooded terraces and indoor-outdoor design that mean you don’t have to go near the (gorgeous) main pool to catch some rays. Highlights include the spa, where elaborate local rituals are performed overlooking rice terraces and a lily-pond as well as local guided walks and encounters with healers.

Close to beach-club central Seminyak, Padma’s army of cushioned loungers, generous pool and swim-up bar attract a youthful, informal crowd of couples and families, with kids loving the waterslides in the rock-framed second pool. High, pagoda-style ceilings and bohemian local decor greet you at reception, while rooms match glossy dark woods with pebble-smooth freestanding tubs and mother-of-pearl mosaic tiling.

Hidden away in under-the-radar Tabanan, on the east coast, Soori is the perfect base for exploring untrodden bits of Bali. With emerald foliage and manicured lawns backing a black volcanic beach, its looks are dramatic – slatted wood screens, stony hues, an incense-musky spa and a sea-breeze-swept restaurant terrace. While you’re here strike out for Tanah Lot, a dazzling island temple poised on a rocky outcrop.

This upmarket tented camp outside Ubud offers something a little different to the traditional Balinese bungalows. Spaced out among towering, mist-shrouded palms are tented suites, each with the feel of a safari camp. Spacious private terraces help you tune in with nature, while a shared Officer’s Tent lays on afternoon tea. The look is exquisitely bound up in Balinese heritage – think bright tasselled parasols, plunge pools built of local rock and black-and-white photography of historic scenes.

This good-value boutique hotel strives to exist in harmony with nature, with strong eco-policies and a small-scale design. Set in the fertile valley beyond Ubud, presenting its guests with fabulous views, it has super-accommodating staff who’ll organise river rafting, rural treks and yoga onsite. There’s also a L’Occitane spa to soothe jet lag with massages overlooking the treetops, and those much-Instagrammed floating breakfasts can be delivered to you in your plunge pool.