Editor’s notice: Umana Bali, LXR Lodges and Resorts supplied a complimentary keep so TPG may get an inside have a look at the resort and its facilities. The opinions expressed beneath are fully these of the creator and weren’t topic to evaluation by the resort or any exterior entity.
[circuit type=review circuit_id=”20420174003″]With the debut of Umana Bali, LXR Lodges & Resorts in November 2023, Bali’s southern Bukit Peninsula — well-known for locations together with Uluwatu, Jimbaran Bay and Nusa Dua — now boasts another attractive clifftop resort.
One side that helps this resort stand out from the remaining is the truth that all of the lodging are villas with personal swimming pools. And never simply plunge swimming pools, however massive infinity swimming pools full with jetted scorching tubs.
The resort is definitely a complete revamp of what first opened in 2011 as Banyan Tree Ungasan. In late 2020 it dropped the Banyan Tree flag and started a radical transformation into the very first property in Southeast Asia for Hilton’s luxurious LXR model.
I dwell in Bali with my household, and we selected this close-to-home resort as our very first staycation with the most recent member of our brood, who was simply 6 weeks outdated after we drove half-hour east from our house to test in.
Right here’s all it’s essential to learn about what it’s like staying at this thrilling luxurious resort in one in every of Bali’s most picturesque scorching spots.
What’s Umana Bali, LXR Lodges & Resorts?
With 72 pool villas, Umana Bali is the primary property on this area from Hilton’s rising LXR model, which is concentrated on customized service and memorable experiences that commemorate the encompassing vacation spot.
Based mostly on the opposite friends we encountered, Hilton Honors loyalists and well-traveled globe-trotters already appear drawn to the resort, which seems to be a major improve from its Banyan Tree days with the additional benefit of getting mature vegetation that resembles the jungles of Bali’s inside.
The brand new design by WATG and Wimberly Interiors is closely influenced by the Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, described to me as the key for happiness derived from having balanced relationships with the celestial, human and pure realms.
Upon arrival (to the sounding of a gong, no much less), a younger man requested permission to tuck a aromatic frangipani blossom behind my ear and slip a symbolic crimson, white and black string bracelet onto my wrist.
Carved stone dragons, sculptures depicting Balinese dancers, a ponderous banyan tree and a soothing water function set the tone straightaway as I gazed previous a pair of sunken lounge areas to the blue ocean past.
The clifftop perch, 230 ft above sea degree, makes for awe-inspiring views from almost any level on the terraced resort (“umana” means “rice paddy” within the Balinese language), from the villas to the eating places and foyer.
Throughout our keep, I noticed a reasonably even cut up between {couples} — together with some honeymooners — and households stress-free into the expansive villas with their daydream views, the various eating shops, the excellent spa and the menu of attention-grabbing experiences obtainable, similar to Balinese cooking lessons.
Easy methods to ebook Umana Bali, LXR Lodges & Resorts
For one of the best charges and factors redemptions, ebook by way of hilton.com, the place the associated fee per evening — together with a scrumptious and beneficiant breakfast — begins at an inexpensive $588 or 90,000 Hilton Honors factors.
When reserving Umana Bali, you’ll wish to use one of many bank cards that earn essentially the most factors for Hilton stays, in addition to one that provides automated Hilton Honors elite standing for value-added advantages. These embody:
- Hilton Honors American Categorical Surpass® Card: Earn 12 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at Hilton accommodations, automated Gold elite standing, and the flexibility to improve to Diamond standing by spending $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar yr.
- Hilton Honors American Categorical Enterprise Card: Earn 12 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at Hilton accommodations, automated Gold elite standing, and the flexibility to improve to Diamond standing by spending $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar yr.
- Hilton Honors American Categorical Card: Earn 7 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at Hilton accommodations and automated Silver elite standing (with an improve to Gold once you spend $20,000 in a calendar yr).
- Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card: Earn 14 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at Hilton accommodations and automated Diamond elite standing.
The data for the Hilton Aspire Card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
Umana’s location is quintessential southern Bali
Umana Bali, LXR Lodges & Resorts sits simply above Pantai Melasti (aka Melasti Seaside), which occurs to be our favourite sandy spot to go to as a household since its turquoise waters are typically extraordinarily kid-friendly, with straightforward areas for swimming and tide swimming pools to discover. The placement close to the village of Ungasan additionally has the title of the southernmost level of Bali — should you had a magical telescope, you’d spot Australia due south.
From the airport, the 14-mile journey may take wherever from 30-60 minutes, relying on visitors and the time of day. The numerous glorious eating places, cafes, shops and surfer-thronged seashores of Uluwatu are roughly half-hour west by automotive or motorcycle.
Umana Bali’s pool villas are a few of the largest lodging within the space
Hugging the contours of the clifftop, the pitched-roof villas are terraced to optimize panoramic ocean and backyard views.
Obtainable in one-, two- and three-bedroom configurations, the villas really feel huge, with the one-bedrooms sprawling throughout a whopping 4,300-plus sq. ft and the three-bedrooms clocking in at almost 13,000 sq. ft, together with leisure rooms and rooms for personal spa remedies.
That actual property is unfold throughout light-filled residing and eating rooms with excessive ceilings to create an ethereal atmosphere, large bed room suites and huge bogs with gargantuan bathtubs, Toto robotic bathrooms (as my daughter calls them), lengthy closet areas, and indoor and outside showers.
Open air, in the meantime, every villa has a non-public pool, jetted scorching tub, loungers and a big open-air pavilion. The latter, I discovered, known as a “begong” in Balinese, which loosely interprets to “clean thoughts” or “pondering nothing,” and we loved watching sunrises from its daybed.
Our ocean-view one-bedroom’s 33-foot infinity pool with a curvy edge (it’s 82 ft lengthy within the three-bedroom) mimics the rice terraces of northern Bali, whereas textiles, wooden accents, books and tchotchkes that adorn the inside play off indigenous motifs and themes.
The villa felt residential within the plushest means potential — suppose silky, sage-colored bathrobes, a wine fridge with a few bottles from New Zealand, tote luggage and straw hats for friends to make use of, a Sonos Bluetooth speaker, yoga mats, and a pure loofah and incense by the bathtub. It was like visiting a buddy’s very well-provisioned seashore home.
Having a powder room with an additional commode was handy, and whereas there have been digital blackout shades, we slept with simply the sheers drawn so we may get up with the solar.
My few gripes had been comparatively minor: The TV wasn’t a sensible TV, the mattress pillows had been overwhelmingly massive and dense to the purpose of being uncomfortable to sleep on, and we had hassle decreasing the finicky air-con to a temperature the place it was snug to sleep.
Worldwide shops, together with USB-A and USB-C ports, obtainable on either side of the mattress made it straightforward to maintain our multitudinous gadgets charged. The lighting controls, which I sometimes discover a main ache level, had been fortunately nicely labeled and responsive, although the room at evening was both fairly vibrant or completely darkish, with no settings in between. In the future, regardless of activating the “make up room” gentle within the morning, housekeeping didn’t arrive till 4 p.m. Alternatively, any time I WhatsApp-ed about needing extra bottled water (complimentary) or a buggy journey, they got here shortly.
A handful of eating and consuming locations supply much-appreciated selection
Umana will finally have six eating places and bars, and through my keep, I skilled three of them, plus in-villa eating. Households, take notice: Youngsters beneath 5 eat free all through the property.
The resort’s all-day restaurant is Commune; its identify refers back to the Tri Hita Karana idea of relationship to group. The massive, cheerful eatery highlights Southeast Asian delicacies, with an emphasis on Indonesia and Bali particularly evident within the mornings over breakfast (included with all charges), when the sizable buffet options specialties from not solely the area however the native village. My husband cherished the Ungasan-style bubur ayam, which is sort of a turmeric-tinged porridge with shredded hen and egg. The ayam betutu, roasted spiced hen, was one of the best I’ve had whereas residing on the island on and off for a number of years.
Past the shows of Indonesian sweets, regionally made coconut yogurt, basic Western staples, charcuterie, fruits, salads and extra, friends might order limitless a la carte dishes. They embody smoothie bowls, eggs Benedict and the Umana breakfast with child lobster, truffle scrambled eggs and caviar, in addition to espresso drinks, teas and jamu served in beautiful customized Bali-made Kevala Ceramics cups.
For dinner, Oliverra’s loftlike upstairs bar hints at nights in Morocco, and is the place we loved a charred rosemary- and grapefruit-tinged Oliverra Spritz ($11) and a basic negroni ($16) from the succinct drink menu earlier than transferring to a desk downstairs by a dramatic wall of glass. There, we had a chicken’s-eye view of the shoreline because the meal kicked off with a scrumptious amuse-bouche of tuna stomach on a black rice cracker.
Our server described the mountain panorama of the a part of Java the place the creamy burrata ($14) I savored was sourced and talked about that my husband’s burnt barramundi with braised fennel and mandarin confit ($16) and my bamboo lobster medallions in velvety bisque ($22) had been from Jimbaran.
The Balinese cooks, Agung and Ngurah, appeared to like visiting their friends, and the employees was equally pleasant. I’d return in a heartbeat for the fluffy Grand Marnier souffle ($13).
To the facet of the pool, the Pad Pool Bar’s sq. form is derived from ubiquitous Balinese rice baskets, and it presents implausible cocktails just like the foamy tiki-like Tandusan ($14) that includes coconut oil-washed rum, delivered with a choice of sticky-sweet, savory and spicy bar snacks. We discovered the worldwide fare to be stable, significantly the Angus beef burger ($15) and grilled salmon with lemon butter sauce ($29).
Sadly, we discovered an in-villa barbecue dinner ($254 for 2, together with a bottle of wine) to be our least compelling meal, partially due to the warmth and flies — nothing the resort may management, in fact, however maybe it ought to have been arrange indoors, and in addition the too-quick pacing of the cooking and serving of a half-dozen proteins.
The pool is spectacular, and hopefully the seashore membership shall be
This can be a resort that goes all-in on its water options. The substantial personal swimming pools at every villa are literally dwarfed by the behemoth most important one in entrance of Commune, which is flanked by solar beds and umbrellas.
The infinity edge melts seamlessly into the horizon, and the pool is lengthy sufficient to get some critical laps in, or simply to lounge within the huge shallow part.
Umana’s devoted seashore membership on Melasti Seaside remains to be within the works, and I used to be instructed it ought to open this summer season. Within the meantime, friends can request a shuttle automotive drop-off on the seashore, the place the resort has some free of charge loungers and umbrellas on one finish.
After I went down one morning with my daughter, nonetheless, there was a digger transferring huge limestone chunks about 15 ft from the resort’s chairs, which didn’t make for essentially the most peaceable expertise. Luckily, another building that’s been taking place appeared to have been accomplished earlier than my late February keep — I didn’t see any on the property itself.
The must-visit spa and health heart cowl all of the bases
In Balinese, the spa’s identify, Lohma, means “candy medication to your soul,” which struck me as fairly apt. The steam room, sauna, cold and warm plunge swimming pools, and rest space had been nonetheless being renovated.
So once I visited, I used to be merely led to one of many eight spacious therapy rooms for a 90-minute brightening facial ($153), which utilized Kerstin Florian merchandise, and received a short scalp and foot therapeutic massage as a part of the expertise. Some choices, such because the signature Lohma therapeutic massage, contain gems.
In the identical constructing is a big health heart, comprehensively outfitted and superbly lit, and an outside spa pool appeared like the right place to chill off post-workout.
The resort presents a complimentary every day yoga class every morning inside a separate wellness studio — the place friends can ebook meditation classes, stretching classes and extra. A very excessive level for me was a sublimely soothing sound therapeutic session with a Balinese girl named Wayan, who performed the crystal sound bowls and wind chimes so superbly that it made my physique tingle.
Actions spotlight Balinese tradition in genuine methods
In a non-public wing of Commune, we took a household Balinese cooking class ($191 per couple), throughout which we discovered from Chef Eddy to make splendidly spicy sate lilit ayam (hen skewers), barramundi basted with a stalk of lemongrass and crunchy lengthy bean salad.
Different intriguing choices included a 3 1/2-mile, 90-minute stroll by way of a neighborhood village with tales about Balinese historical past, a picket egg portray class, and excursions to the enduring Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple or to look at Melasti’s kecak dance present. Within the foyer’s Mer Lounge, the place espresso, beer and wine are served alongside ready snacks and sweets, friends can ebook an Indonesian espresso tasting or Balinese wine tasting accompanied by charcuterie.
The brand-new youngsters membership is without doubt one of the greatest youngsters golf equipment we’ve visited since having a household, not less than in line with my 3-year-old, who instantly ran as much as the slide spiraling right into a ball pit and cherished collaborating in cookie adorning and canvas portray. The weekly schedule of actions, fairly just a few of which delve into Balinese tradition, music and artwork, was fairly spectacular. Even higher, most of them had been free.
A number of causes Umana Bali may not be for you
Whereas Umana Bali is in a first-rate location and has all the trimmings of a luxurious all-villa resort, there are some points which may not attraction to each traveler.
The closest seashore, Melasti, is attractive however will get fairly busy through the day, with buses filled with vacationers, so the vibe just isn’t precisely that of a secluded island getaway.
The butler service wasn’t as complete or current as at another Bali resorts. At check-in I used to be instructed I’d have a private “curator,” however I by no means really met or was contacted by them throughout my three-night keep.
In case you’re not into native wildlife — i.e., monkeys — this resort may not be for you. Their presence actually isn’t assured, however it’s a risk, and friends are requested to maintain their doorways closed and meals indoors. (I solely glimpsed monkeys on the spa.)
Accessibility
Usually talking, Bali just isn’t essentially the most accessible vacation spot in Asia. Many accommodations on the island have plenty of steps and elevation modifications, but aids similar to elevators and chairlifts into swimming pools should not sometimes commonplace.
This resort has one accessible villa with a pool chairlift, plus roll-in showers, vast doorways, Braille room numbers and a handful of different accessible facilities, and there are ramps into the foyer, Commune restaurant and different shops. In case you require this room, one of the best factor to do is to name the resort and ebook it straight so you possibly can assure its availability to your keep. The paths winding across the resort had been principally used for buggy service — which might transport friends in wheelchairs — however we discovered them good when pushing our child stroller.
Alternate options to Umana Bali
On the dreamy southern coast of Bali, different close by factors properties embody Alila Villas Uluwatu, the place rooms begin at $743 or 35,000 World of Hyatt factors per evening, and Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali, the place a 1,160-square-foot Sky Suite (sans pool) goes for round $844 or 126,000 IHG One Rewards factors per evening.
Testing
The heat we — and particularly my daughters — felt all through our keep continued by way of the final minute on property at Umana Bali, LXR Lodges & Resorts. Throughout the board, it lived as much as its intent of spreading the inspiring message of Tri Hita Karana, significantly when it got here to the enthusiastic employees that discovered our names and made us really feel like honored friends.
There is no such thing as a scarcity of resort rooms and opulent villas on the Bukit Peninsula, however finally I felt Umana overdelivered on worth and significant experiences, to not point out Bali’s signature beneficiant hospitality that retains vacationers flocking to the island.
