With so many jaw-dropping places to stay in Bali, how do you choose? Here, we help you find Bali's best five-star resorts for your next escape.
With striking raw landscapes, breathtaking beaches, and a spiritual hinterland, Bali is all about rest and rejuvenation – backed by its huge number of luxury retreats, but a quick search for the most blissful base can quickly become overwhelming, so we’ve done the hard work for you.
The best five-star resort for: health and wellbeing
Does anywhere scream wellness more than Ubud? The traditional arts and culture capital of Bali is home to verdant hills, iconic temples and a town centre where cheeky monkeys cavort, and the epitome of Ubud’s spirit has to be Viceroy Bali.
A family-owned retreat, Viceroy Bali is perched overlooking the Petanu River gorge in the mountain foothills. With more than 170 staff for just 40 pool villas, unmatched service and relaxation are a given. The onsite spa, Lembah Spa, is considered one of the finest in Ubud, and offers treatments merging modern Western science with the age-old wisdom of Balinese healing traditions. After massages, scrubs and reflexology, take a dip in the infinity pool overlooking the jungle ravine. For something a little more active, take a leisurely walk or afternoon cycle through the rice fields.
Ready to escape? Check out this Multi-Award-Winning Five-Star Ubud Sanctuary Perched Above Petanu River Gorge
The best five-star resorts for: beachfront bliss and first-class amenities
Clear your phone of photos before a stay at Mulia. Here, you’ll find three luxury resorts (The Mulia, Mulia Resort and Mulia Villas) on one sprawling beachfront property overlooking the Indian Ocean. This resort area, on the southern peninsula of the island, is the perfect spot for first-time visitors to Bali. While the views are awe-inspiring, there are also nine restaurants and bars, four pools and the longest oceanfront infinity pool on the island.
If you prefer to be above, rather than on the beach, try The Ungasan. The resort is perched on the limestone cliffs of Uluwatu, above Sundays Beach Club – a favourite chill-out area – and home to one of the beach beaches in Bali.
Check out our Five-Star Uluwatu Clifftop Escape with Butler Service & VIP Beach Club Access
The best five-star resorts for: contemporary Balinese luxury
Want to experience what it’s like to stay in a Balinese village? Andaz Bali’s entire design is based on a modern local village concept. Bamboo, stone and teakwood feature in the rooms, suites and villas, which look out onto lush greenery – all spread around clusters of courtyards. The resort is located in the heart of Sanur, home to picture-perfect beaches and a quaint seaside town.
South of Sanur, in the fishing village of Jimbaran, Kayumanis Jimbaran Private Estate & Spa is an exclusive sanctuary spread across a former coconut grove. Indigenous materials such as hardwoods and local stone have created a design that emulates Bali’s-plan living and it’s all just a short stroll from Jimbaran Beach.
The best five-star resort for: sustainable luxury
Research shows travellers are increasingly interested in eco-friendly stays, leading many of us to choose properties purely based on their commitment to sustainability. Alila Seminyak has such a solid commitment to sustainable practices; you can even taste it.
The resort has its own hydroponic garden, where it plants vegetables and herbs, harvests its own organic ingredients and serves zero-waste cocktails. Staying here also means you’re helping support two local schools. Its eco-efforts can also be seen in the lush secret garden, wall-hugging plants, green roofs and landscaped terraces.
Ready to escape? Alila Seminyak Five-Star Beachfront Suite Stay with Daily Farm-to-Table Breakfast
In Sanur, Maya Sanur Resort & Spa has taken its eco-practices so seriously it's been awarded a Green Globe certification. All of the rooms were designed to reflect the natural environment and you'll even find an eco-green rooftop where you can unwind beneath a gazebo and gaze at the glistening ocean.
The best five-star resort for: a celebrity stay
Follow in the footsteps of celebs like Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg, and Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian, with a five-star stay at Soori Bali on the island’s southwestern coast. Every villa has private pools and courtyards with sweeping vistas of the mountains or ocean. The entire resort is postcard-perfect, set between rice paddies and volcanic-sand beaches. With its seclusion and manicured gardens, it’s not hard to see why it’s the go-to for big-name celebrities. If you can pull yourself away, don’t miss a trip to the nearby legendary Tanah Lot – a sea temple atop an imposing rock, surrounded by shimmering ocean.
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