A hotel room in Bali that's bigger than the average Aussie home
In the 1980s, two different forms of luxury accommodation surfaced in Bali: internationally branded five-star resorts; and villas — private walled homes with tropical gardens, private pools and in-house staff. About 20 years ago, investors began combining the two in super-luxury estates where every guest stays in a private villa while also having at their fingertips all the amenities of a five-star resort. Well-known examples include the Four Seasons on the beachfront at Jimbaran Bay and Aman Nusa, now called Aman Villas, which overlooks an 18-hole golf course in Nusa Dua. However, relatively few know of Umana Bali on the Bukit Peninsula on Bali's south coast. Originally a Banyan Tree Hotel, the Umana was acquired and renovated in 2023 by LXR Hotels & Resorts, a 'soft brand' of the Hilton group. In hotel speak, this refers to a brand that does not conform to specific decor or operations and is independent in form, function and spirit.
Set on a 70m high clifftop overlooking the Pacific Ocean and a white-sand beach, Umana Bali, a villa-only resort, ticks all the boxes that make LXR properties unique. Plus, it has one of the largest standard hotel room sizes in the world.
Umana Bali has 72 one, two and three-bedroom villas. The smallest, which I stayed in, is set on a 403sqm walled plot. Most hotel villas only have plunge pools, but here you get a 41sqm ocean-facing infinity-edge pool big enough to do laps in. There is also a jet pool adjoining the day pavilion with an outdoor sofa, reflective ponds and tropical plants.
The indoor space measures 288sqm — 13 per cent more floor space than the national average for new detached houses in Australia. T
he bathroom is bigger than most hotel rooms; a vast marble chamber with a two-person bathtub set in a glass enclosure edged by a rock garden with a bas-relief on the wall. The main bedroom has sliding glass doors that open directly into the pool. Waking up in the morning and drawing the curtains to Pacific Ocean views is a rock-star experience.
But what I appreciated most was the combined living and dining room with an L-shaped sofa, coffee table, matching armchairs and a big, beautiful rug. In 25 years of travel writing, I have never seen a full-size living room in the standard room category of a hotel. Still, it pales in comparison to what awaits guests at the 1200sqm three-bedroom Umana Pool Villa. The living room is so big they had to put in a baby grand piano to consume some negative space.
All five-star hotels in Bali put on breakfast buffets fit for kings, and Commune, Umana's breakfast venue, is no exception. Set inside a traditional Balinese building with floor-to-ceiling windows that bring in 180-degree ocean views, it is an Asian-themed restaurant, and the menu reflects that, with ramen, bakso (an Indonesian soup) and sushi stations. But it also has all your standard Western or American breakfast staples and a few extravagant options, like baby lobster on sourdough toast with caviar. The French toast is thick, layered in maple syrup, and comes with two scoops of mascarpone cream on the side.
Commune is one of five F&B venues in the hotel. The signature is Olivera, a fine-dining Mediterranean restaurant. You can sit inside, in a big white modern space, or grab a table on the balcony. I had the set four-course meal but they served me seven courses, including four different kinds of amuse bouches, a world-class lobster bisque, a perfectly grilled striploin steak with red wine jus, finished with a slice of baked cream cheesecake. Normally, when I try a set menu at hotel restaurants in Bali, it's hit-and-miss. Most dishes are good but there are always one or two I don't eat. Not here. Everything was spot on. Kudos to the chef.
+ Ian Neubauer was a guest of LXR Hotels & Resorts. They have not influenced this story, or read it before publication.
+ Umana Bali is on the clifftops of the Bukit Peninsula, overlooking Melasti Beach on Bali's south coast, a 35-minute drive from the international airport. At the time of writing in May, rates at hotel booking sites for a one-bedroom villa with breakfast started at $1140 per night and climbed to $6600 for the three-bedroom villa. Discounts are offered if you book directly with the hotel. Hilton.com
+ The most current Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that in 2021-22, the average floor area of new houses in Australia was 232.3sqm.
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