Read at your own peril: This review may make the prospect of continuing your day without immediately booking flights to Bali unbearable.

Checking-in

Formidably located high atop the cliffs of Bali’s Bukit peninsula, is the 207-room Renaissance Bali Uluwatu resort and spa.

Recently opened in May this year, the Renaissance Bali Uluwatu resort is the brand’s first hotel in Indonesia. Thoughtfully designed, the resort takes architectural cues from its picturesque surrounds with its distinctive roof design inspired by Bukit’s leatherback turtle, which allows sea breeze off the Indian Ocean to flow freely through the lobby and entire resort.

The hotel’s contemporary interiors blend traditional Balinese accents into its design by bringing together wooden floors and bamboo with sculptural water features to create a relaxed yet resolutely luxurious retreat.

Location

The Renaissance Bali Uluwatu resort and spa is located in southern Bali, with expansive views spanning the hills of Bukit to the Indian Ocean.

Guests will find themselves a short drive from Uluwatu Temple, the 18-hole New Kuta Golf course, and Balangan Beach. Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport is 30 minutes away by car.

The Rooms

The resort’s sleekly designed 207 rooms and suites combine natural wood and earth tones with Ikat patterns on tiles and textiles. The rooms range from 43 to 130 square metres and all feature a private balcony, oversized bathrooms with freestanding tubs and views of the Indian Ocean or the lush Bukit hills.

The room reviewed was a 59-square metre junior suite with a king-sized bed, separate living area, a balcony and views over the garden and surrounding hillside.

The room featured a kitchen island bench decked out with a coffee machine, cutlery and a separate sink. The spacious marble bathroom had double vanity sinks, a separate bathtub and shower and supplied bathrobes, slippers, as well as a generous selection of Tokyo Milk toiletries.

Modern in-room conveniences include USB outlets to recharge devices; a 140cm LED television with international cable and premium movies channels, free high-speed WiFi and a decent supply of complimentary bottled water.

Drinking & Dining

The culinary offerings at the resort include two restaurants influenced by traditional Balinese flavours and the abundance of fresh seafood easily sourced on the island.

The Clay Craft Restaurant serves an impressive buffet breakfast spread that includes several made-to-order food stations such as a crêperie, noodle bar and freshly pressed juices.

Later in the day Clay Craft, transitions into a lunch and dinner restaurant serving café-casual meals, and also incorporates an interactive Balinese pottery school into its space.

The hotel’s flagship evening restaurant, Double Ikat, offers tasty indigenous cuisine featuring authentic dishes from different regions of Indonesia based on family recipes from the culinary team. The restaurant houses a cooking studio for those guests keen to learn the techniques of Indonesian cookery, taught by the chef in the restaurant‘s open-plan kitchen.

Sybarites seeking a tipple can satisfy their thirst at one of the resort’s two bars. The Pool Bar located by the hotel’s multiple pools overlooking the ocean provides the perfect backdrop for guests to soak in the sunset with a cocktail in hand.

While the R Bar located in the hotel’s lobby is the place to gather in the evening for live music and a great selection of craft beers.

Hotel Features

In addition to sparkling pools, an eleven-treatment room spa, and a fully equipped fitness centre; guests can enjoy the hotel’s beach club, Roosterfish Beach Club. Located nearby on Pandawa beach, guests can access the beach club by a complimentary hourly shuttle service.

The Roosterfish Beach Club is a great place to enjoy the day at the swim up pool bar or playing beach volleyball and serves casual bites such wood-fired pizzas, tacos and barbequed seafood. Guests wanting to explore the local area will find the hotel’s Navigator on hand to help them discover the best restaurants, sight-seeing and shopping in Bali.

The hotel is also home to outstanding meeting and event facilities that are the largest on Bali’s southern peninsula, which includes a 680-square metre ballroom with six meeting studios that can accommodate between 10 to 800 people.

Verdict

The Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort offers travellers excellent resort facilities, laid-back comfort, well-appointed stylish rooms, and a fantastic location on Bali’s Bukit peninsula — a long sought-after destination — at an affordable price point.

This hotel will suit families and young couples wanting a relaxed vacation in Bali’s Uluwatu area at a resort with a distinctly upmarket feel without a hefty price tag. This resort and its event facilities will also impress planners in the MICE market.