This may be the best hotel in Bali

With an estimated 3500 registered hotels in Bali, it’s practically impossible to say which is the best on the island until you’ve seen them all. I certainly haven’t, though I have reviewed at least 100, possibly more than 200, including many of the most luxurious ones. With this curriculum vitae, I’m going to put my name . . . well . . . not my name, but my alias, on the line and say the Bali Regent Canggu, a five-star beachfront resort with 152 guestrooms, six restaurants and 19 swimming pools that took eight years to build and opened a little more than than a year ago, is probably the best hotel in Bali right now.

THE GROUNDS

There are dozens of five-star and five-star-plus hotels in Bali, with grounds seemingly cut out of a palace in ancient Greece or Rome: the Kepinski, Bvlgari and Ayana, just to name a few. But the Regent is the only one in Canggu, Bali’s hipster haven, a part of the island better known for nightclubs and beach clubs than top-end luxury. Every inch of its 15-acre grounds is immaculate. Everywhere you look is something beautiful: pools, fountains, carvings, statues, paintings, gardens, custom furniture, lighting design, etc. But why in Canggu?

“What we’ve created is an oasis in the middle of chaos, but also in a place undergoing change,” says resort manager Clement Cerda.

“Canggu is evolving into something a bit more refined. Sure, you have the crazy nightlife but you also have the more sophisticated restaurants and concept stores. We fit right into that.”

THE ROOMS

There isn’t an inch of floor space in any of the Regent’s guest rooms that hasn’t been carefully considered and designed, or a single object that hasn’t been curated or customised. The bathrooms are stunning, featuring a combination of green, honed, and flamed stone on the floor and walls, plus bathtubs handmade from ironwood — one of the strongest, rarest, and most beautiful natural fibres on the planet. Each tub costs more than $40,000 to make.

The Regent’s entry-level rooms, studio suites, are 76sqm — 21 per cent larger than the average room size in the category in Bali. The most expensive, the two-bedroom penthouse, is a whopping 618sqm, has an infinity beachfront balcony swimming pool, a butler’s kitchen, and room for six people.

THE FOOD

Michelin doesn’t operate in Indonesia. But if I had a dollar every time I heard a restaurant in Bali cited because one of its chefs once worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant, I’d have enough money to eat at one.

Andrew Walsh, the executive chef at the Regent, not only worked at several Michelin-rated restaurants but earned a star of of his own in 2021 for CURE, a modern Irish restaurant he founded in Singapore, which is temporarily closed while he gets ready to open a second CURE at the Regent in Bali.

Until then, you can taste his food at Sazon, a Spanish soul food brasserie positioned above the road at the entrance of the hotel. Standout selections include crispy patatas bravas, house citrus green salad with pomegranate and almond brittle, striploin with chimichurri, and sangria gelato.

But it’s not just Andrew’s food that stands out at the Regent. While having a drink at the Regent Club, a waiter brought out, without being asked, a dip made of bechamel sauce with cracked pepper and a poached egg, plus hot, crispy homemade crackers that just blew me away.

THE SERVICE

While I’m not a typical guest of five-star hotels, I’m no stranger to the royal treatment given my line of work. The staff at the Regent ticked all the boxes, though they also did something more.

The WhatsApp concierge never missed a beat; they were on-call 24-seven and always had a good suggestion or something nice to say. When I got a little sick during my stay, the attention the staff gave me was mum-like. They were genuinely concerned, or masters at faking it.

The masseuses at the day spa are world-class, while Ibu Ayu, the Regent’s “balian” or spiritual healer, could be an angel here on Earth.

“We have so many guests who say that their experience with her is life-changing,” Clement says. “She stays in touch with all the guests she sees, takes their number and randomly messages them with advice whenever she gets a download from the spirit world.”

fact file

Rooms at the Regent Bali Canggu start at $1050 per night, including a la carte breakfast for two plus a fully stocked minibar with cocktail ingredients and cocktail snacks. Expect to pay about $100 per head plus alcohol at Sazón. hg.com/regent/hotels/us/en/bali/dpscr/hoteldetail Dave Smith was a guest of Regent Bali Canggu. They have not influenced this story, or read it before publication.