The Best Beach Hotels in Nusa Dua

This family-friendly resort backs onto a prime stretch of Nusa Dua beach just south of Peninsula Island. All 636 rooms feature Javanese marble floors and teak furniture. The best suites and villas have ocean views, while others overlook the tropical gardens, where you’ll also find five swimming pools. Top off a day of beach relaxation with an ocean-inspired Balinese seaweed body wrap at Kriya Spa.

Mulia Resort is a destination in itself, with large sparkling pools lined with Balinese sculptures and private cabanas; a state-of-the-art spa featuring hi-tech ice rooms and chromotherapy (colour therapy) stations; and nine distinct restaurants and bars serving the tastes of Asia and beyond. The rooms are some of the largest in Bali, and feature generous balconies and swish marble bathrooms.

The deluxe rooms at Inaya Putri are a little smaller than those at similar resorts, but they still squeeze in lounge areas and large bathrooms with designer tubs and separate rain showers – and from some of them you can step straight from your terrace into a shared lagoon pool. Meander around the manicured grounds to find more swimming spots and open-air bars, or make a beeline for the Indian Ocean, just steps away.

Luxury knows no bounds at the St Regis. Vast suites feature 400-thread-count Egyptian sheets, standalone tubs and balconies (some with ocean views) while the most opulent villas have private pools and direct pathways to the white-sand beach. Kayaking and windsurfing are possible at the watersports centre. Don’t miss the champagne treatment at Iridium Spa – you’ll be pampered with a grapeseed scrub, a face mask made from real champagne and, of course, a glass of the good stuff.

The grand decor at Ayodya Resort pays homage to the ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana, with intricate Balinese carvings, textiles and statues. Deluxe rooms overlook a lush tropical garden and lagoon. It’s unlikely, but if you tire of lounging by the numerous pools (the oceanfront infinity pool is particularly glorious) why not join a yoga class, try a traditional Balinese dance lesson or play a round at the neighbouring Bali National Golf Club?

Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa is positively palatial, especially in the double-height lobby, adorned with Balinese wood carvings and a grand split staircase. Neutral textiles and dark herringbone hardwood floors lend the rooms an air of elegance and simplicity, while the thatch-roofed bamboo beach bar is more casual – the ideal spot to watch the sunset after a scuba lesson or spa treatment (the coconut and turmeric scrub is a winner).

With oceanfront massage gazebos, extensive tropical gardens and seven meandering pools – not to mention a prime spot by Nusa Dua beach – the Laguna is all about chilling. Eat under the stars at the beachfront hotel restaurant, Arwana (you can even visit Kedonganan Fish Market with the chef to pick your lobster), or dive into local culture at nearby Museum Pasifika, home to an art collection from Bali and beyond.

Beachfront yoga, hot tubs galore, swim-up bars and an epic spa: Sofitel Bali is the ultimate place to unwind and indulge. Join locals and travellers from across Nusa Dua, and beyond, for Sunday brunch, where you can enjoy French-inspired delights such as charcuterie, seafood and pastel-pink macarons by the poolside – as well as bottomless champagne, of course.

Grand Whiz may not be as large or flashy as the five-star resorts of Nusa Dua, but it offers low-key luxury at a great price. Standard rooms are pretty basic, but others have direct access to the lagoon-style pool which wraps around the building. The hotel isn’t right on the beach, but it’s only a few minutes’ walk along a paved trail, and you’ll still be able to nab a Grand Whiz sunlounger on the sand.