It’s no wonder Bali remains a top pick for honeymooners looking for the perfect mixture of sun, sea and sand combined with a dazzling cultural experience inland. You can stay in the ultimate seclusion in the luxury hotels – perfect for the initial collapse post-wedding – followed by a tour of the markets in Seminyak, a trendy beach bar, dolphin spotting or a cookery class in the mountains when sunbathing boredom hits and a daytime activity becomes a must for your own sanity. Here are our top tips for a magical Balinese experience.
ALILA ULUWATU
Perched on a limestone cliff with panoramic ocean views, you’d be hard pressed beating the location of Alila Villas Uluwatu on the southern part of the island. Its eco-friendly design has been built using local sustainable materials and with a personal butler service, luxury spa, cliff-side cabana for evening cocktails, gym and 50-metre infinity pool you might never want to leave. The added bonus being that all bedrooms benefit from their own private pool. Looking out to the Indian ocean with the rays bouncing off the mottled bamboo overhead, this is the ultimate honeymoon retreat. Even the room service is 24 hours.
ALILA MANGGIS
Alila Manggis is a secluded, stylish seaside resort in Manggis, East Bali – a soothing haven of serenity set amidst a coconut grove, nestled between the sea and the majestic Mount Agung, Bali’s most sacred mountain. You’ll be away from the crowds at this unspoilt east coast resort in Candidasa, where modern European shapes meet open, tropical design. Demonstrating creative function and elegant luxury, outdoors meets indoors throughout this boutique hotel. Bali’s perfect ocean views are captured from four two-storey buildings built around a palm-fringed pool where days can be filled with activity, pampering at Spa Alila and pursuits by the sea at East Bali’s legendary dive sites.
UMA BY COMO, UBUD
Owned by Como Hotels and Resorts, empire of Singaporean hotelier Christina Ong, Uma Ubud has been cleverly pitched as affordable chic. The 25 rooms are in semi-hidden enclaves scattered around a central infinity pool and bar area. Yoga classes take place on the roof as well as the hillside yoga-and-meditation pavilion set beyond the Shambhala spa. With white and cream furnishings, the hotel is marketed as a haven of peace but with it being just off the bustling main street you remain close to the action.
