Editor’s note: Umana Bali, LXR Hotels and Resorts provided a complimentary stay so TPG could get an inside look at the hotel and its amenities. The opinions expressed below are entirely those of the author and weren’t subject to review by the hotel or any external entity.
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With the debut of Umana Bali, LXR Hotels & Resorts in November 2023, Bali’s southern Bukit Peninsula — famous for destinations including Uluwatu, Jimbaran Bay and Nusa Dua — now boasts one more gorgeous clifftop resort.
One aspect that helps this hotel stand out from the rest is the fact that all the accommodations are villas with private pools. And not just plunge pools, but large infinity pools complete with jetted hot tubs.
The resort is actually a total revamp of what first opened in 2011 as Banyan Tree Ungasan. In late 2020 it dropped the Banyan Tree flag and began a thorough transformation into the very first property in Southeast Asia for Hilton’s luxurious LXR brand.
I live in Bali with my family, and we chose this close-to-home resort as our very first staycation with the newest member of our brood, who was just 6 weeks old when we drove 30 minutes east from our home to check in.
Here’s all you need to know about what it’s like staying at this exciting luxury resort in one of Bali’s most picturesque hot spots.
What is Umana Bali, LXR Hotels & Resorts?
With 72 pool villas, Umana Bali is the first property in this region from Hilton’s growing LXR brand, which is focused on personalized service and memorable experiences that celebrate the surrounding destination.
Based on the other guests we encountered, Hilton Honors loyalists and well-traveled globe-trotters already seem drawn to the resort, which appears to be a significant upgrade from its Banyan Tree days with the added benefit of having mature vegetation that resembles the jungles of Bali’s interior.
The new design by WATG and Wimberly Interiors is heavily influenced by the Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, described to me as the secret for happiness derived from having balanced relationships with the celestial, human and natural realms.
Upon arrival (to the sounding of a gong, no less), a young man asked permission to tuck a fragrant frangipani blossom behind my ear and slip a symbolic red, white and black string bracelet onto my wrist.
Carved stone dragons, sculptures depicting Balinese dancers, a ponderous banyan tree and a soothing water feature set the tone straightaway as I gazed past a pair of sunken lounge areas to the blue ocean beyond.
The clifftop perch, 230 feet above sea level, makes for awe-inspiring views from nearly any point at the terraced resort (“umana” means “rice paddy” in the Balinese language), from the villas to the restaurants and lobby.
During our stay, I observed a fairly even split between couples — including some honeymooners — and families relaxing into the expansive villas with their daydream views, the diverse dining outlets, the comprehensive spa and the menu of interesting experiences available, such as Balinese cooking classes.
How to book Umana Bali, LXR Hotels & Resorts
For the best rates and points redemptions, book through hilton.com, where the cost per night — including a delicious and generous breakfast — begins at a reasonable $588 or 90,000 Hilton Honors points.
When booking Umana Bali, you’ll want to use one of the credit cards that earn the most points for Hilton stays, as well as one that offers automatic Hilton Honors elite status for value-added benefits. These include:
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: Earn 12 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels, automatic Gold elite status, and the ability to upgrade to Diamond status by spending $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year.
- Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Earn 12 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels, automatic Gold elite status, and the ability to upgrade to Diamond status by spending $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year.
- Hilton Honors American Express Card: Earn 7 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels and automatic Silver elite status (with an upgrade to Gold when you spend $20,000 in a calendar year).
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Earn 14 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels and automatic Diamond elite status.
The information for the Hilton Aspire Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Umana’s location is quintessential southern Bali
Umana Bali, LXR Hotels & Resorts sits just above Pantai Melasti (aka Melasti Beach), which happens to be our favorite sandy spot to visit as a family since its turquoise waters tend to be extremely kid-friendly, with easy areas for swimming and tide pools to explore. The location near the village of Ungasan also has the title of the southernmost point of Bali — if you had a magical telescope, you’d spot Australia due south.
From the airport, the 14-mile trip could take anywhere from 30-60 minutes, depending on traffic and the time of day. The many excellent restaurants, cafes, stores and surfer-thronged beaches of Uluwatu are approximately 30 minutes west by car or motorbike.
Umana Bali’s pool villas are some of the largest accommodations in the area
Hugging the contours of the clifftop, the pitched-roof villas are terraced to optimize panoramic ocean and garden views.
Available in one-, two- and three-bedroom configurations, the villas feel massive, with the one-bedrooms sprawling across a whopping 4,300-plus square feet and the three-bedrooms clocking in at nearly 13,000 square feet, including entertainment rooms and rooms for private spa treatments.
That real estate is spread across light-filled living and dining rooms with high ceilings to create an airy ambience, giant bedroom suites and vast bathrooms with gargantuan bathtubs, Toto robot toilets (as my daughter calls them), long closet areas, and indoor and outdoor showers.
Outdoors, meanwhile, each villa has a private pool, jetted hot tub, loungers and a large open-air pavilion. The latter, I learned, is called a “begong” in Balinese, which loosely translates to “blank mind” or “thinking nothing,” and we enjoyed watching sunrises from its daybed.
Our ocean-view one-bedroom’s 33-foot infinity pool with a curvy edge (it’s 82 feet long in the three-bedroom) mimics the rice terraces of northern Bali, while textiles, wood accents, books and tchotchkes that decorate the interior play off indigenous motifs and themes.
The villa felt residential in the plushest way possible — think silky, sage-colored bathrobes, a wine fridge with a couple of bottles from New Zealand, tote bags and straw hats for guests to use, a Sonos Bluetooth speaker, yoga mats, and a natural loofah and incense by the tub. It was like visiting a friend’s very well-provisioned beach house.
Having a powder room with an extra commode was convenient, and while there were electronic blackout shades, we slept with just the sheers drawn so we could wake up with the sun.
My few gripes were relatively minor: The TV wasn’t a smart TV, the bed pillows were overwhelmingly large and dense to the point of being uncomfortable to sleep on, and we had trouble lowering the finicky air conditioning to a temperature where it was comfortable to sleep.
International outlets, along with USB-A and USB-C ports, available on both sides of the bed made it easy to keep our multitudinous devices charged. The lighting controls, which I typically find a major pain point, were happily well labeled and responsive, though the room at night was either quite bright or totally dark, with no settings in between. One day, despite activating the “make up room” light in the morning, housekeeping didn’t arrive until 4 p.m. On the other hand, any time I WhatsApp-ed about needing additional bottled water (complimentary) or a buggy ride, they came quickly.
A handful of dining and drinking destinations offer much-appreciated variety
Umana will eventually have six restaurants and bars, and during my stay, I experienced three of them, plus in-villa dining. Families, take note: Kids under 5 eat free throughout the property.
The resort’s all-day restaurant is Commune; its name refers to the Tri Hita Karana concept of relationship to community. The large, cheerful eatery highlights Southeast Asian cuisine, with an emphasis on Indonesia and Bali especially evident in the mornings over breakfast (included with all rates), when the sizable buffet features specialties from not only the region but the local village. My husband loved the Ungasan-style bubur ayam, which is like a turmeric-tinged porridge with shredded chicken and egg. The ayam betutu, roasted spiced chicken, was the best I’ve had while living on the island off and on for several years.
Beyond the displays of Indonesian sweets, locally made coconut yogurt, classic Western staples, charcuterie, fruits, salads and more, guests may order unlimited a la carte dishes. They include smoothie bowls, eggs Benedict and the Umana breakfast with baby lobster, truffle scrambled eggs and caviar, as well as coffee drinks, teas and jamu served in lovely custom Bali-made Kevala Ceramics cups.
For dinner, Oliverra’s loftlike upstairs bar hints at nights in Morocco, and is where we enjoyed a charred rosemary- and grapefruit-tinged Oliverra Spritz ($11) and a classic negroni ($16) from the succinct drink menu before moving to a table downstairs by a dramatic wall of glass. There, we had a bird’s-eye view of the coastline as the meal kicked off with a delicious amuse-bouche of tuna belly on a black rice cracker.
Our server described the mountain landscape of the part of Java where the creamy burrata ($14) I savored was sourced and mentioned that my husband’s burnt barramundi with braised fennel and mandarin confit ($16) and my bamboo lobster medallions in velvety bisque ($22) were from Jimbaran.
The Balinese chefs, Agung and Ngurah, seemed to love visiting their guests, and the staff was equally friendly. I would return in a heartbeat for the fluffy Grand Marnier souffle ($13).
To the side of the pool, the Pad Pool Bar’s square shape is derived from ubiquitous Balinese rice baskets, and it offers fantastic cocktails like the foamy tiki-like Tandusan ($14) featuring coconut oil-washed rum, delivered with a selection of sticky-sweet, savory and spicy bar snacks. We found the international fare to be solid, particularly the Angus beef burger ($15) and grilled salmon with lemon butter sauce ($29).
Unfortunately, we found an in-villa barbecue dinner ($254 for two, including a bottle of wine) to be our least compelling meal, partially because of the heat and flies — nothing the hotel could control, of course, but perhaps it should have been set up indoors, and also the too-quick pacing of the cooking and serving of a half-dozen proteins.
The pool is spectacular, and hopefully the beach club will be
This is a resort that goes all-in on its water features. The substantial private pools at each villa are actually dwarfed by the behemoth main one in front of Commune, which is flanked by sun beds and umbrellas.
The infinity edge melts seamlessly into the horizon, and the pool is long enough to get some serious laps in, or just to lounge in the vast shallow section.
Umana’s dedicated beach club on Melasti Beach is still in the works, and I was told it should open this summer. In the meantime, guests can request a shuttle car drop-off at the beach, where the hotel has some gratis loungers and umbrellas on one end.
When I went down one morning with my daughter, however, there was a digger moving massive limestone chunks about 15 feet from the resort’s chairs, which did not make for the most peaceful experience. Fortunately, any other construction that’s been happening seemed to have been completed before my late February stay — I didn’t see any on the property itself.
The must-visit spa and fitness center cover all the bases
In Balinese, the spa’s name, Lohma, means “sweet medicine for your soul,” which struck me as quite apt. The steam room, sauna, hot and cold plunge pools, and relaxation area were still being renovated.
So when I visited, I was simply led to one of the eight spacious treatment rooms for a 90-minute brightening facial ($153), which utilized Kerstin Florian products, and got a brief scalp and foot massage as part of the experience. Some offerings, such as the signature Lohma massage, involve gemstones.
In the same building is a large fitness center, comprehensively equipped and beautifully lit, and an outdoor spa pool seemed like the perfect place to cool off post-workout.
The resort offers a complimentary daily yoga class each morning inside a separate wellness studio — where guests can book meditation sessions, stretching sessions and more. A particularly high point for me was a sublimely soothing sound healing session with a Balinese woman named Wayan, who played the crystal sound bowls and wind chimes so beautifully that it made my body tingle.
Activities highlight Balinese culture in authentic ways
In a private wing of Commune, we took a family Balinese cooking class ($191 per couple), during which we learned from Chef Eddy to make wonderfully spicy sate lilit ayam (chicken skewers), barramundi basted with a stalk of lemongrass and crunchy long bean salad.
Other intriguing options included a 3 1/2-mile, 90-minute walk through a local village with stories about Balinese history, a wooden egg painting class, and excursions to the iconic Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple or to watch Melasti’s kecak dance show. In the lobby’s Mer Lounge, where coffee, beer and wine are served alongside prepared snacks and sweets, guests can book an Indonesian coffee tasting or Balinese wine tasting accompanied by charcuterie.
The brand-new kids club is one of the best kids clubs we’ve visited since having a family, at least according to my 3-year-old, who immediately ran up to the slide spiraling into a ball pit and loved taking part in cookie decorating and canvas painting. The weekly schedule of activities, quite a few of which delve into Balinese culture, music and art, was quite impressive. Even better, most of them were free.
A few reasons Umana Bali might not be for you
While Umana Bali is in a prime location and has all the trappings of a luxury all-villa resort, there are some aspects that might not appeal to every traveler.
The nearest beach, Melasti, is gorgeous but gets quite busy during the day, with buses full of tourists, so the vibe is not exactly that of a secluded island getaway.
The butler service wasn’t as comprehensive or present as at some other Bali resorts. At check-in I was told I’d have a personal “curator,” but I never actually met or was contacted by them during my three-night stay.
If you’re not into local wildlife — i.e., monkeys — this resort might not be for you. Their presence certainly isn’t guaranteed, but it’s a possibility, and guests are asked to keep their doors closed and food indoors. (I only glimpsed monkeys at the spa.)
Accessibility
Generally speaking, Bali is not the most accessible destination in Asia. Many hotels on the island have lots of steps and elevation changes, yet aids such as elevators and chairlifts into pools are not typically standard.
This resort has one accessible villa with a pool chairlift, plus roll-in showers, wide doors, Braille room numbers and a handful of other accessible amenities, and there are ramps into the lobby, Commune restaurant and other outlets. If you require this room, the best thing to do is to call the hotel and book it directly so you can guarantee its availability for your stay. The paths winding around the resort were mostly used for buggy service — which can transport guests in wheelchairs — but we found them good when pushing our baby stroller.
Alternatives to Umana Bali
On the dreamy southern coast of Bali, other nearby points properties include Alila Villas Uluwatu, where rooms start at $743 or 35,000 World of Hyatt points per night, and Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali, where a 1,160-square-foot Sky Suite (sans pool) goes for around $844 or 126,000 IHG One Rewards points per night.
Checking out
The warmth we — and especially my daughters — felt throughout our stay continued through the very last minute on property at Umana Bali, LXR Hotels & Resorts. Across the board, it lived up to its intent of spreading the inspiring message of Tri Hita Karana, particularly when it came to the enthusiastic staff that learned our names and made us feel like honored guests.
There is no shortage of hotel rooms and luxurious villas on the Bukit Peninsula, but ultimately I felt Umana overdelivered on value and meaningful experiences, not to mention Bali’s signature generous hospitality that keeps travelers flocking to the island.
