After a seemingly never-ending Indian summer, the cold weather has finally arrived in Australia. But that doesn’t mean you have to stick around for winter. Luxury Travel magazine has found the best luxury resorts in Bali where the sun in shining, the water is warm and the cocktails are cold.
Being so close to the equator means Balinese weather is reliably hot and sunny year round, but it’s the middle months that see lower humidity – around 50 per cent compared to upwards of 70 per cent from November to March. Visit now for the long days (always around 12 hours), balmy weather and friendly people. Direct flights to Bali’s Denpasar Airport are available from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin and Perth. Flight times range from just two and a half hours from Darwin, less than four hours from Perth and just over six hours for east coast departures. Return economy fares start from A$800 and business class fares from A$2,170.
Best for honeymooners
Viceroy Bali
Tucked away in the lush hills surrounding Bali’s cultural capital, Ubud, the all-pool villa Viceroy Bali is perfect for a romantic escape. The 25 villas are enormous, staring from 150 square metre garden villas and expanding up to the 400 square metre, two-bedroom Viceroy Villa. Children are allowed, but the resort is really designed for romance and relaxation. For an ultra-luxe trip, it’s the only hotel in the region with a helipad so you can take a 15-minute flight to the hotel and avoid the hour long journey in Bali’s infamous traffic.
Rates:
Villas are priced from US$600 (about A$639) per night. viceroybali.com
Best for pampering
Ayana
It’s home to arguably Bali’s most famous bar – the stunning Rock Bar that juts out over a cliff on the southwest coast of the island – but the spa is the highlight of this resort. Set over a huge 22,000 square metres the Thermes Marins spa has been chosen as the world’s best by Conde Nast Traveller and Destinasion in previous years. The two “Spa on the Rocks” villas are the highlight, set on a rocky outcrop jutting into the ocean with a menu of treatments using volcanic mud, jade and even diamonds. Thalassotherapy is also on offer with one of the world’s largest seawater therapy pools.
Rates:
Rooms are priced from US$215 (about A$230) per night, suites from US$429 (about A$459) per night and pool villas from US$585 (about A$626) per night plus taxes. ayanaresort.com
Best for glamazons
Semara Luxury Villa Resort
Former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins chose this luxury all-villa retreat as the spot for her 2013 wedding, and it’s easy to see why. There are just seven villas spread across 30 metres of cliff at Uluwatu, in the far south of Bali. All have private pools and are spread out over multiple pavilions, becoming like a little private village. The Selatan Restaurant serves lunch and dinner or you can choose to eat within the walls of your villa with meals prepared by a private chef. Finish the day with a spa treatment, a spot of tennis or a lesson with the golf pro.
Rates:
Villas are priced from US$2,755 (about A$2,968) per night plus taxes. semaracollection.com
Best for rejuvenation
Luxury Retreats Bali
If twice-daily yoga, vegan food, cold pressed juices and plenty of massages sounds like your ideal holiday, then this is the place for you. Accommodation is in a private villa (with butler service) at Semara Luxury Villas in Uluwatu and after a five-day retreat you will go home a new person. The Ayurvedic detox program includes daily meditation, vegan meals free from refined sugar, caffeine, alcohol, dairy and hydrogenated oils, and more traditional holiday activities like snorkelling and kayaking, as well as plenty of time to relax.
Rates:
Five-day retreats are priced from US$2,500 (about A$2,680) per person all-inclusive.
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