Bali, Beloved & Beyond
Amankila, Indonesia
Bali is not a place you simply visit. It is a feeling you enter.
The minute you arrive, the island feels chaotic, spiritual, glamorous, and completely unexplainable all at once. There are no boulevards lined with supercars, no obvious displays of luxury, no sterile sense of polish. That is exactly what makes it chic. Bali’s beauty is not trying too hard. It hides behind crazy streets, temple offerings, jungle roads, and alleys you would never think to turn down until suddenly, you arrive at a hotel that feels like another world.
Amandari, Ubud
After more than a month in Indonesia, our advice is simple: give yourself two weeks. Start in Bali, split your time between the coast and Ubud, and then continue to Lombok or somewhere even more remote. Bali is the beginning, but the magic of Indonesia is what happens when you keep going.
The Aman properties are the natural place to start. Indonesia is home to four of them: Amandari and Amankila in Bali, Amanjiwo in Java, and Amanwana on Moyo Island. Each has its own world, but in Bali, Amankila and Amandari are the ones that stay with you.
Amankila is the dream. Set near Manggis, above the Lombok Strait, it is not a hotel you book for nightlife or a scene. You go for the stillness, the tiered pools, the black-sand beach, the beach club tucked into the palms, and the feeling that you have entered a private kingdom. At night, there are cultural performances, and during the day, the entire property seems to move at a slower rhythm. It is secluded without feeling empty, grand without feeling loud, and peaceful in a way that is hard to describe until you are there.
What makes Amankila even more special is its connection to the surrounding village. So many of the staff are local to Manggis, and that sense of pride is felt everywhere. The service is not performative. It feels personal, rooted, and deeply graceful.
Amandari, in Ubud, is softer and more intimate. It feels less like a resort and more like someone’s serene Balinese home. The property is built around the spirit of the Ayung River and the village of Kedewatan, where local ceremonies and traditions are still part of the landscape. There is a sacredness to Amandari that does not feel manufactured. The pool, the quiet breakfasts, the dance performances, the river below, the small temple details — everything feels intentional.
We talk about Aman often at Suite & Supper, and honestly, there is a reason. Aman has a way of making luxury feel less like performance and more like permission. Permission to be quiet. To slow down. To have no agenda and still feel like something happened.
Capella Ubud is another favorite. Designed by Bill Bensley, it is theatrical, jungle-covered, and full of eccentric detail. It is not minimalist, and it is not trying to be. The tents feel cinematic and collected, as if someone with very good taste and a sense of humor built a camp for people who never wanted to camp.
Lodge in the Woods is more intimate and almost surreal. It has the feeling of a private estate, with white horses walking by the pool, white chickens wandering the grounds, and a villa-style setup that makes the whole experience feel personal. It books out months in advance because it does not feel like just another hotel. It feels like being let in on something.
Four Seasons Sayan is the standout between the two Four Seasons properties in Bali. It has the river, the double infinity pool, the Sacred River Spa, and a sense of drama that still manages to feel peaceful. Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay is more classic beach escape: easy, sun-drenched, and perfect at the beginning or end of a trip.
Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, is also an excellent choice, especially if you want more to do on property. It sits along the Ayung River with its own rice terraces, beautiful rooms, a strong gym, Ambar for drinks, Sawah Terrace for Indonesian food, and Kubu for a romantic dinner by the river.
Then there is Bulgari Resort Bali in Uluwatu, which is all cliffs, yoga, sunsets, villas, and privacy. Uluwatu has a different energy from Ubud. It is less spiritual valley, more dramatic ocean edge. Bulgari captures that perfectly.
Pictures: Mandapa, A Ritz Carlton Reserve.
A quick note on moving around: have your hotel arrange a driver. Bali traffic is serious, and while Grab or Gojek can work for short rides, a trusted driver is the smoothest way to see the island without losing your mind.
For food, Bali is much better than people expect, but you have to be selective. This is not the place to be casual about where you eat just for the sake of being adventurous. Bali belly is real, and the chicest move is knowing where not to go.
In Ubud, Locavore NXT is the reservation to make if you want something thoughtful and elevated, with a real sense of place rather than another pretty restaurant built for Instagram. Room4Dessert is also worth planning around — part dessert, part theater, part garden fantasy. It is playful without feeling unserious.
For something easier, Alchemy is vegan but genuinely good, even if vegan restaurants are usually not your thing. Milk & Madu is reliable for a casual breakfast or lunch, and Shichirin is a good break when you want Japanese. Nusantara is polished Indonesian food in a beautiful setting, while Merah Putih in Seminyak is still one of the more elegant rooms for dinner. Shelter is the one to book when you want something lively, chic, and not too precious.
The best meals in Bali are not necessarily the most formal ones. They are the ones that feel transportive: dinner by the river at Kubu, cocktails at Ambar, dessert in a garden, lunch somewhere breezy after the beach. Keep the food edit tight, book ahead, and skip anything that feels too random.
Innit Lombok, A Member of Design Hotels
After Bali, continue to Lombok. It feels quieter, more open, and less touched.
Innit Lombok is the kind of place that makes you exhale immediately. There are only 7 villas, with outdoor living spaces, sand floors, a long infinity pool, a white beach that almost blends into the water, and massages arranged in your villa. It is modern, secluded, and not overdone. One of the most memorable parts is how specific the experience feels. You can go out by boat with the team, visit their lobster farm, swim, read, and do very little else. It is the kind of place that does not need to entertain you every second because the quiet is the point.
From Lombok, Amanwana on Moyo Island is the natural next move if you want the trip to become even more remote. It is not technically Lombok, but it belongs in the same “beyond Bali” conversation: jungle, sea, tents, boats, diving, silence, and the kind of privacy that feels impossible to find anywhere else.