Belmond hotels have a charming Old World feel that captures the style and culture of each destination. This is especially true of the Belmond Jimbaran Puri Bali which offers a 5-star experience that reflects the authentic style and culture of Bali at Jimbaran Bay. If you are trying to decide between a Bali hotel or villa, this resort offers the best of both worlds. Whether you are travelling as a couple or with a group of friends, there will almost certainly be some accommodation at this hotel to suit.

Our family is checking into the Belmond Jimbaran Puri Bali for a special birthday celebration, and our stay begins with a gong. It is a tradition on entering the hotel that you get to bang on a large wooden gong to announce your arrival. This unique experience announces your arrival and gives reception time to prepare a welcome drink and the paperwork which has us whisked to our villa in moments. Our first impression is a resounding ‘Wow!’. With the stunning pool area, and immaculate grounds of the Belmond presented with a shimmering backdrop of the waters of Jimbaran Bay, this Bali hotel on the beach is impressing us and we’ve only just arrived. We are soon loaded aboard a golf cart, given a tour of the resort and taken to our villa.

The Belmond Jimbaran Puri Bali has a total of 38 cottage suites, four pool cottages and 21 luxury pool villas with a variety of configurations of one and two bedrooms. We have been allocated a one bedroom deluxe pool villa with a large private plunge pool and two separate bungalows that house a master bedroom and bathroom in one bungalow and lounge room with a desk and sitting area in the other.

This also doubles as a separate ‘bedroom’ for our 15 year old son with a couch that flips down into a large double bed. When you are travelling with an older child, finding a hotel which offers some extra space like this without breaking the bank is great. The villa lounge area also has a small dining table and Nespresso coffee machine which we make good use of during our stay. There is so much storage throughout both villas that we run out of things to unpack long before we run out of space.

The villa has a beautifully manicured garden and standalone outdoor cabana daybed overlooking the pool, which we are looking at and dreaming of jumping into right away. The resort and each villa has a traditional Asian design with many historical photos of Balinese life, dark wood furnishings and a vaulted thatched roof. If you love modern and/or trendy hotels, the Belmond Jimbaran Puri Bali may not be for you. However, we enjoyed the way our accommodation embraced the history and culture of Bali and created a space that reflected the destination we were staying in.

Another way the Belmond Jimbaran Puri Bali embraces the culture of ‘the island of the Gods’ is with its musical entertainment program. On some mornings, a gamelan duo played at breakfast and on some evenings at Nelayan Restaurant there were dancing and musical performances. We watched a performance featuring classic Balinese dances such as the Baris, Cendrawasih, and Legong accompanied by a gamelan orchestra. Unlike at some resorts, we did not have to buy an overpriced ‘buffet dinner and show’ package to enjoy the entertainment. We simply ordered whatever we wanted off the regular menu at Nelayan and enjoyed the show which was enhanced by the gentle sound of waves breaking on the beach.

The Belmond Jimbaran Bali Puri has the feel of a much larger property but it is very boutique. This means getting around the resort is easy and walking to where you need to go only takes a few minutes, no matter where your villa is located. This makes the resort ideal for those who are less mobile or don’t enjoy walking long distances in the heat.

Dining is available at two venues, the very popular beachfront Nelayan Resturant or the slightly more formal Tunjung Resturant which also serves the inclusive buffet breakfast in the morning. All food is of very high quality and there is an abundant choice of dishes ranging from an extensive seafood selection to traditional Balinese cuisine and some European options, all served with impressive beach and bay views.

If you want to head out for dinner, there is an abundance of choices including local fish grills about 500 meters along the beach, or two excellent fine dining options available 200 meters up the street at either Kayumanis Resto Jimbaran or the trendy Cuca. This was a bonus for us as we could mix up our dining without having to stray far from the resort. Happy hour from 4.30pm to 5.30pm at the indoor/outdoor Puri Bar is also a highlight.

The Belmond Jimbaran Puri Bali also offers an extensive assortment of pampering options at its onsite spa which is located in a series of attractive open sided bales. This is a bit of a double-edged sword as the location of the spa is close enough to the beach to make use of the calming sounds of rolling waves but unfortunately it is also fully exposed to the sometimes oppressive heat during the day.

The open design wouldn’t be a problem during the cooler months but it wasn’t ideal for our steamy, wet season stay which had the humidity hitting 100% on some days. We passed on the spa for this reason but the weather was perfect for the plunge pool in our villa and the main resort pool. The main resort pool is enormous for such a boutique resort and very, very deep. There weren’t many spots where you could touch the bottom, even for me at 6ft 3″ tall. Life jackets are available poolside for those who aren’t strong swimmers or want something to float on.

Overall, the Belmond Jimbaran Puri Bali would have to be one of the best value 5 star villa resorts in Bali. If you are looking for a Bali hotel near the airport, this hotel is ideal as it is near (but not too near) the main airport at Denpasar. We must have set a record for our hotel arrival as we collected our luggage from the baggage carousel and arrived at reception less than 45 minutes after touchdown. Lucky for us as the Belmond Jimbaran Puri Bali is definitely somewhere you want to rush to. 

Disclosure: The writer loves visiting Bali and his favourite part of this beautiful island is Jimbaran Bay.

We’ve got plenty of hints and tips for travelling in Bali and also some great hotel and resort suggestions. If you’re looking for somewhere to stay, we’ve reviewed the Ritz-Carlton Bali Resort, Peppers Seminyak Resort, Apurva Kempinski Bali, Bulgari Resort Bali, Aria Villas Ubud, Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort, The Mulia Bali, Merusaka Nusa Dua, Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort, Anantara Seminyak Bali, the InterContinental Bali for couples and those travelling with kids. We’ve compared the Singaraja and Club rooms at the InterContinental Bali and found the best luxury family hotels in Bali and the best honeymoon hotels in Bali.