indonesia · April — October
Uluwatu for the cliffs, Ubud for the long stay, Canggu for the morning surf. Aman Villas, Bulgari Resort, Como Shambhala for the proper reset. Bali, the place we send guests when the European summer was too loud.
Hotels
Book the room — handled personally.
Villa estate · 5★The Aman villa-only estate on the Nusa Dua peninsula — up to six bedrooms, two butlers, private chef, complimentary airport transfer.
Cliff resort · 5★The Bulgari clifftop at Uluwatu — sixty-four villas, Il Ristorante by Niko Romito, the Serpenti Pool Club.
Wellness retreat · 5★The COMO wellness estate in the riverine forest above Ubud — twenty-two acres, the multi-day programmes, the proper reset.
Tented camp · 5★Bill Bensley's tented camp in the Keliki rainforest — twenty-two one-bedroom tents, no tree felled, the suspension-bridge layout.
Resort · 5★The Four Seasons over the Ayung River near Ubud — the lotus-pond rooftop arrival, the seven-suite refresh launching July 2026.
Cliff villa estateThe 530-foot Uluwatu cliff villa estate — eight private villas, the glass-bottom sky pool, the wedding-buyout property.
Festive · clubs, line-ups, long lunches
Reserve the table for the night out — handled personally.
Tasting kitchen · SeminyakThe thirty-seat upstairs tasting room at Ku De Ta — five- or twelve-course degustation, the technical kitchen the beach club hides.
Cliff bar · UluwatuThe cliffside surf bar above the Uluwatu break — multi-level cliffside seating, the Sunday session, the most committed sunset in Bali.
Authentic · the quiet rooms
Reserve the quiet dinner — handled personally.
Casual fine dining · JimbaranKevin Cherkas's Jimbaran kitchen — El Bulli and Arzak training, globally inspired tapas with Indonesian sourcing.
Beaches & beach clubs
Reserve the cabana — handled personally.
Beach club · Batu BeligChris Salans's beachfront club on Batu Belig — private gazebos, the Mozaic kitchen on the sand, the most considered sundowner in Seminyak.
Beach club · Echo BeachThe reclaimed-wood Canggu beach club on Echo Beach — built from 500 fisherman boats, sustainable seafood, the Bali sunset that the Instagram set settled on.
Sport · tennis, padel, polo, golf
Book the court · the green · the chukkers — handled personally.
Surf · private lessonPrivate surf instruction on the Bukit reefs — Uluwatu, Padang Padang, Bingin — the local instructor who reads the day.
Spas & wellness
Book the treatment — handled personally.
Spa · 22-acre estateThe COMO spa at the Shambhala Estate above Ubud — the multi-day wellness programmes, the riverside treatment rooms, the city's reference reset.
Yoga · UbudThe Ubud yoga complex — six shalas, 100+ classes weekly, the most active yoga community in Southeast Asia.