Jimbaran Puri, A Belmond Hotel, Bali

We spent the last six days of a longish trip to Southeast Asia at the Jimbaran Puri, hoping to get a chance to relax and kick back after a very stressful two years - we were certainly not disappointed! Check in was a calming experience after a very long drive from Ubud, beset with traffic jams, and, after a cooling drink and cool towels, we were escorted to our villa. Sadly, it did not have a sea view as we booked too late to secure one of those, but it was, none the less, charming and extremely comfortable. The bedroom was cool and shady with a high ceiling and ample ceiling fans and the beds were comfortable with beautiful high-quality linen. As I tend to read late into the night while my husband sleeps, I was grateful for the very effective reading lamps. The beds were protected by ample mosquito nets, although we did not find them necessary. There was an indoor seating area, as well as an outdoor table and chairs, shower and small 'front garden' with loungers. The bathroom was huge with wonderful local toiletries and a highly effective shower. The villas are laid out in a village formation which is charming and interesting as they are interspersed with lily ponds and a genuine temple complex - however they are quite close together - we did not find this very conducive to spending time on our loungers as they felt somewhat overlooked by passers by! The hotel's facilities were superb and for us, the most outstanding was the huge and beautiful swimming pool beside which we spent many happy hours! A small section is shallow and divided off as a children's pool and the rest is immaculately clean, a perfect temperature and nearly two meters deep - so rare these days to find hotel swimming pools of a decent depth for real swimming. Pool side loungers and lounge beds were of a high standard and each had a 'bell' so that ordering drinks and snacks poolside was easy. We also spent time on the beach although, not being strong swimmers, we merely paddled rather than swam. However, 5 pm every day found us at one of the beach tables, cocktails or Bintangs in hand, to spend an hour and a half watching the sunset - as the hotel faces virtually due west, the sunsets are magnificent (as are the hotel's cocktails!) Breakfast is served in a large open fronted pavilion overlooking an equally large lily pond and is composed of a very comprehensive buffet with a wide selection of fruits, juices, yoghurts, breads and patisserie and local pandan and coconut infused delights, as well as hot dishes to order. Coffee was wonderful as elsewhere in Bali! This pavilion was a delightful, relaxing space and although I'm sure one could have used it as a seating area later in the day, it seemed a bit of a waste not to use it as a supplementary coffee shop - I would certainly have spend a few quiet hours there with a book and an iced coffee or two, had that been an option! Snacks and light lunches were served from the beach side facility throughout the day and the menu was varied. On the two occasions when we had lunch we particularly enjoyed the vegetable wraps which were extremely fresh and stuffed with delicious raw vegetables. Dinner at the restaurant - tables either on a wooden deck or actually on the sand - was a wonderful experience - on two nights there were themed meals - one featuring the seafood for which the area is famous and one which was a barbeque buffet. Each evening there was some sort of live entertainment - the highlight being the display of Balinese dancing of a very high standard, which accompanied the barbeque meal. Generally, the food was, if quite expensive, delicious and very well presented - but then no one expects a Belmond hotel to be cheap! The hotel is to be congratulated on the quality of the staff who were, without exception, efficient, charming and extremely helpful. It was pleasing to witness one of the ladies at reception calmly dealing with a guest who had just come off an extremely long flight and realised she had left some vital meds at home - within minutes she had been seated and provided with a cold drink and assured that a pharmacist in Jimbaran would dispense an emergency supply which the hotel would collect a few hours later. The ratio of staff to guests is obviously quite high and all staff seem to be committed to looking after clients so that their stay is a memorable one. Thank you so much, Jimbaran Puri - we were very sad to leave and will be back just as soon as we can! Magda and David Biran-Taylor

Our One Bedroom Deluxe Villa with pool was stunning—authentic, peaceful, and truly Balinese. The beachfront location is unbeatable, the food and drinks were excellent, but the warm, attentive staff made our stay truly unforgettable.

White sand and clean beach with a huge beachfront (not the norm in Bali these days). Green grass. Large pool villas. Outdoor dining under a thatched roof. Good staff Small m, understated and elegant. No wonder LVMH bought this place! We loved it.

This is a really lovely hotel. Beautiful gardens and absolute beach front with lots of lounges. We had a pool villa which has two separate buildings in a compound. The bedroom has the bathroom and dressing room and the living room also has a dining room. Both rooms have Netflix, for your own subscription. We became addicted to ‘Designated Survivor’ and watched all 52 episodes. We laughed about going to Bali and spending hour after hour watching telly in bed. The staff are wonderful especially the butlers. My favourites were the incomparable Jay, Ogi ( who chatted to us about his dog - we are missing ours) and Segertaka. They came on a minutes notice to drive me everywhere in the buggy as I have a disability. Food was ok - nothing startling - and after six days started to become a bit repetitive. I have only one real issue. The pool in the villa has no steps or hand rails so I was unable to use it. I just felt it was too dangerous. The butlers said this is also true of the main pool. We rarely used the living room so in future I’d choose a cottage. I am a lawyer and would like to advise the management of the risk of severe injury to guests trying to enter the pool. There is even a sign prohibiting diving so how can you get in? The hotel is generally disabled friendly except for this. One other thing - the food was very expensive for average food and the cost of car hire was really over the odds. The butlers said many guests complain about the transport costs. I got a car to take me literally 5 minutes to a local hairdressers and the return trip in the hotel car was $AUD36! The wash and blow dry was $8. We booked a car for shopping but found no good areas - Jalan Legian is all changed now - so returned an hour early. The staff said it was a minimum of 3 hours for Rp1m or $AUD100. Incredible. Anyway, I’d stay here again but in a cottage. The staff are their best asset.

I will definitely be returning here. It was one of the most memorable experiences. The hotel was utterly amazing. The accommodation, staff members, with special thanks to Robby, Chinta and Satya to name just a few, could not do enough for us. Every member of staff we had the pleasure of meeting where kind, professional and could not do enough for us. The whole hotel areal was immaculately clean, gardens well manicured, exactly what one would expect for such a Hotel.