The Best Spa Hotels to Book in Bali

Whether you opt for chocolate body treatments, couples’ massage lessons or Tibetan bowl meditation sessions, wellness is multifaceted at the Amala. Villas include outdoor kitchenettes, jet pools and stone waterfalls, while foodie choices feature poached mahi-mahi at Bamboo, the open-air, detox-focused diner. You can even join a chef-guided cooking class and shop for papaya seafood soup ingredients at nearby Jimbaran market. The tranquillity here is enhanced by a library space, a veto on under-12s, and sculptures by Singapore’s Sun Yu-Li.

Butting up against the Indian Ocean, these suites enjoy quite the waterfront address. A triple-tier pool makes the most of it, providing gasp-worthy panoramas out over the deep blue. Fill up on banana leaf and spinach chilli with red snapper hoisted from the shoreline, contemporary French cuisine, or champagne and caviar. The spa here is noteworthy – try the heat circuit, complete with steam rooms, saunas and hot/cold plunge pools, or book a Java Sea Wave massage.

Infinity pools are as commonplace in Bali as a cup of good kopi (coffee), but the Viceroy’s looks like you could float right into the jungle ravine below. This family-operated, five-star hotel is a secluded spot for slowing down. Try a pilates class or indulge in a hair cream bath to promote a glossier mane at the state-of-the-art spa. Alternatively, meet with the renowned Ubud shaman. A bathtub soak among a sea of pink petals never goes amiss either. It’s no wonder this resort has won a host of hotel awards – it’s has a claim to being the best spa in Bali.

High above a river, you’ll spot Alila’s villas on stilts among treetops, laid out like a village on the valley banks. Wellbeing is key in terms of local community as well as paying guests, as the hotel strives to minimise environmental impact and create economic opportunity in the area. This includes the spa, where you can unwind with a therapeutic massage in the open-air treatment room. There’s also organic cookery and tai chi to try, poolside afternoon tea and farm-to-table tasting menus for memorable suppers. Need a moment? Sip a tangerine margarita and admire mountain ranges from the sculpture garden.

Anyone wound tight will struggle to stay so at this hillside-carved bolthole overlooking Tjampuhan Ridge. A thatched garden villa is among 24 options for bedding down, and dance is taught daily. See 11th-century Hindu and Buddhist relics in Goa Gajah cave or get the lowdown on indigenous spices used in dishes around the archipelago from the exec chef. Finish a fine afternoon with a floating high tea. Alternatively, book a full day of pampering at the spa with a Balinese massage, lulur (body scrub), facial and outdoor flower bath, filled with Balinese spring water.

Kanyon Resort is an adults-only, five-star favourite for honeymooners. Surrounded by revered holy waterway, the Petanu River, this boutique valley retreat has an array of jungle-view villas, a rooftop yoga pavilion, chapel and gardens brimming with ylang-ylang flowers. Press pause with a purity bath in the moss-lined local healing spring, or a pedicure and latte scrub in the spa. Stick around for the satay nights and acoustic performances on the “floating” stage.

Imagine a dozen pool villas alongside balcony suites with tropical gardens. This is Royal Kamuela’s corner of Ubud, replete with wellness centre, a private butler per villa, and a chic restaurant. The small but perfectly formed Aum Spa offers facials, manicures and pedicures alongside in-room foot massage. There’s also a tranquil lap pool outside for your morning swim. Branch out from the Monkey Forest with a trip out to the elephant safari park in Taro’s cool jungles, around half an hour’s drive north.

Sometimes wellbeing isn’t so much about corporeal pampering as seeing what makes the soul happy. Mandapa is a five-star forum for inner exploration, with wraparound rainforest scenery and villas with spa facilities. Want to tour villages in a VW convertible, use the cooking studio, make a gebogan flower tower or farmer’s hat? They’ll make it happen. At the temple, learn how to wear a spiritual Balinese costume or try candle-gazing. We rate sunrise cycling, gourmet paddy picnicking and wine-pairing in Mandapa’s bamboo pods.