Out of all the amazing resorts in Bali, I recommend staying at the Ayana Resort & Spa. It is on another level. I had never really been to a big resort like this in my life. Most of the time during my travels, I am constantly on the hunt for affordable Airbnbs or deals at boutique hotels. Staying at the Ayana was more of a conscious choice to say to myself (with my boyfriend encouraging me like a little devil in my ear :) ) you work hard, the trip you planned is going to be fast and exhausting, spend the little extra (not exactly little) and enjoy pure luxury. Here is my review of the Ayana Resort & Spa: Bali.

AYANA RESORT

AYANA Grounds

Walking the Grounds to Main Pool

View from the Room

Its all in the details - this was a footpath

Sunset

RIMBA RESORT

Entryway view of RIMBA

RIMBA Resort

UNIQUE Restaurant

Lower Pool in RIMBA

Price

We went in October and found a great deal for about $300/night. It was a splurge but having cut expenses everywhere else we planned ahead and made it work. We booked the cheapest room they had which still was the size of a suite at any other hotel. The rooms are so big and spacious and deluxe! 😀For those of you that are not watching the wallet, the Villas are incredible and offer an even more secluded stay.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Impeccable service. As a guest at Ayana, you are treated so impeccably. The staff treats every single person that walks in like royalty. At first, I was a bit self conscious that staff would smile and ask me if I needed anything just by walking by. Like I mentioned before, my travel style is to find cheap but habitable places to stay while abroad and to be treated like a queen was quite alarming at first. But its pretty easy to get over that feeling 😀Especially when you are deep in relaxation and restoration.

AMENITIES

SPA

The Spa is not to be missed! First off, have you ever heard of an Aquatonic Pool? I had not before this trip. The Aquatonic Pool is a hydromassage pool. They pump in (salt) water directly from the Indian Ocean and it is filled with 12 stations that use jet-streams to massage you all over your body. Its a wildly unique experience and one I suggest you try! We did it our first night after 4 days of literal country hopping. One thing I had wished I had done was the get a massage at the Spa on the Rocks. It sits on a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean. For a complete look at their Spa menu Items click HERE!

POOLS

There are countless pools. Okay okay, you will find on their website they counted and there are 12 pools and they are all unique and amazing! What really sold us on the Ayana was the Ocean Beach Pool. It is a saltwater infiniti pool that sits right on the Indian Ocean. Get there early! This pool is reserved for guests only but it still only has about 12 or so daybeds. The staff will even turn guests away to keep the pool intimate and not overcrowded. I could have spent a week here. On our last day, we took the shuttle over to Rimba. The pools there are open to guests of Ayana as well. I could not be more blown away by the magnitude of them. Rimba has more of a jungle vibe while Ayana has more of a beach theme.

Main Pool view of AYANA

Main Pool of AYANA

Ocean Beach Pool in AYANA

Upper Pool in RIMBA

Lower Pool in RIMBA

Lower Pool Seating in RIMBA

Tiered Pool in RIMBA

GYM

If you're anything like me, then you will appreciate a full gym at your disposal. If you're not, then skip it and continue to soak up the sun.

BEACH

Kubo beach is a private beach owned by Ayana. We took the shuttle there because I plan to dip my feet into every ocean in the world! (some day). The beach itself is golden sandy, with the most turquoise water and its warm. We played in the water for a couple hours. At the beach, they have a full bar and daybeds built into the cliff OR you can use one of the covered daybeds on the beach with a full cocktail service delivered right to you so you can sleep, read, and eat without having to get up :)

View from the top

Stack of Coconuts!

Beds on the beach

Bar in the Cliffs

Beds near the bar

View from the bar in the cliffs

The Indian Ocean

Kubu Beach

Look how turquoise the water is!

SHOPPING, TENNIS, GOLF, OH MY!

Ayana is very much a self-contained environment. You really are provided with everything you could ask for and never have to leave the property. Shopping, there's a ton of it. There is an Arcade with boutiques, local goods, gelato, you name it. If tennis, golf or cycling is your thing, reserve a time or a tour and you can!

Shopping

Bought the Top at the boutique

Golf Course

HIRED DRIVERS

As much as I would love to live at the Ayana and never leave, there really was too much of Uluwatu that I wanted to see. Ayana will arrange private drivers to take you around to all the sights for a base fare with a supplemental increase for every additional hour.

FOOD

The restaurants alone need their own feature. There are about 32 different restaurants, cafes, or dining experiences at Ayana. I did not get a chance to try them all but each restaurant specializes in a particular cuisine or experience.

Rock Bar - The Rock Bar is built right into the cliff side. The fastest way down to it is to take the elevator down! It has some of the best views at the resort. Get there early. This place is a destination even for people who are not staying at the resort. They do their best to prioritize for guests.

Dava- Dava is the Steakhouse and martini Bar. The premise is gorgeous as it sits in an open air indoor patio overlooking the resort and the ocean. I had the fish and it was amazing!

Kisik Bar & Grill- the Seafood Restaurant. It is located next to Rock Bar so the views are second to none. It was so busy everytime we tried to go so I was not able to try it but that should be testament to how good it is.

Padi - Padi is where is we ate breakfast everyday. The morning breakfast buffet is an all you can eat for $20 ranging from American, Indonesian, Thai, Chinese, European, or Japanese cuisine. Lets just say you will want to go back for 3rds even if it hurts.

To'ge - I would not know how to pronounce this name but it was great. Its labels itself as global comfort food. I was craving Fish n' chips and they had it. It is located in Rimba Resort.