Combining comfort and style with cultural excursions, the Ritz-Carlton is the perfect place to relax on the beach while immersing yourself in the beauty of Bali.
What I love about Bali – apart from the food, and the culture, and the people (ok, I love almost everything about Bali!) - is the variety of landscapes it packs onto a relatively small island. Dramatic mountain tops peek around all over, the interior is stunning, with its thick green jungle and lush rice paddie fields as the edges are tropical and give the perfect beach environment. Needless to say Bali has a special place in my heart. After spending some time in the jungles of Ubud, we were ready to head to the beaches of Nusa Dua.
Nusa Dua sits at the top of the Bukit Peninsula (an area famed for its beaches), meaning that it possesses the perfect combination of picturesque coastline and easy accessibility. As a result, it is home to some of the island’s most prestigious hotels with five-star ratings being the norm. It is very much a resort destination, and as most offer a complete experience, you need to find a hotel that matches your wants. We were looking to relax on the beach with the kids, eat Balinese food and take in some local experiences. We found the Ritz-Carlton Bali in Nusa Dua, to be the perfect place to for this, especially as it caters to families with its array of kid-friendly amenities.
The first thing that you notice is that this hotel is huge. It is a sprawling complex with villas, rooms, multiple pools and plenty of beachfront space. When we walked into the lobby, our breath was taken away by the incredible view. The hotel slopes down a hillside to the sea, with the entrance at the top, and the rooms, villas and restaurants on the slope. A well-planned central boulevard leads down to the pools, restaurants, and beach, and looking down its length is what provides the lobby’s wonderful view. All the buildings are elegant and modern, and connected by open air paths.
There are an intimidating array of room options to choose from, and after some consideration, we stayed in one of the suites with access to a semi-private pool area. This gave us access to a pool from our terrace and lovely outdoor seating, as well as a generously sized bedroom and living area. We had a rollaway bed brought into the living room and our two young kids (ages 3 and 5) were able to comfortably sleep on the bed and the sofa. The bedroom had doors that we could close to separate the space from the living room, making it feel as if we had 2 bedrooms.
The majority of our meals were at the hotel, and we never got bored! There are five different places to eat with options including a beachfront grill, a lounge area complete with delicious tapas, and a Indonesian restaurant. The hotel also organizes special dining events throughout the week and you can always opt for private dining…do not miss the nightly, sunset smore making on the beach :)
Our favorite restaurant was Bejana which specializes in local Balinese cuisine. We feasted on so many different Indonesian dishes, and it was truly an experience to remember. Definitely go for the “Rijsttafel” set menu, which translates to “rice table.” The experience will take you on a journey of Indonesia through small and very flavorful dishes. We had everything from gado-gado (a local salad of steamed veggies and peanut sauce) and Betawi spiced coconut soup, to minced tuna skewers and Sumatran style braised beef.
Dining with children at the Ritz-Carlton was a breeze. The team was incredibly accommodating and great with kids, offering kids' menu items at every restaurant and going above and beyond to ensure the little ones were happy. The morning breakfast buffet was a highlight for the kids, with seemingly limitless options. Sometimes, the chef would even bring by special pancakes made to look like different animals, adding an extra touch of delight to the dining experience.
There is no doubt that the hotel’s main attraction is the beach. With plenty of lounge chairs and cabanas dotting the white sand, this was the perfect place to get in our beach time. But of course, if you’re like us and get antsy after a few hours, there is still plenty to do on property or off. The Ritz-Carlton has a huge selection of amenities on site, ranging from perfume making to cooking classes. There are the pools, of course, as well as the bars and restaurants, but there are also a couple of boutique shops, programs to keep the children busy, and even a business center if you feel the need to get on with some work.
Before kids, we had visted this property and partook in their “Market to Table” culinary journey, where we joined the Chef from Behana for a market visit in the morning. We learned all about Balinese fresh produce and ingredients, while walking through a locals market. It was an authentic experience, and really great to see where the locals shop, rather than just another tourist trap market. We then returned to the resort, and learned how to prepare Indonesian dishes at Culinary Cave - our cooking station located in Bejana. We learned how to make tuna sates, minced tuna wrapped in banana leaf and Indonesian rice. It was a great day and I can’t recommend it enough! It was nice to see that they still offered cooking courses…hopefully next time we’ll do it again with kids!
Speaking of keeping the children busy, the Ritz-Carlton in Nusa Dua offers a fantastic kids club known as “Ritz Kids.” The designated kids' pool is located within this club, providing a safe and enjoyable space for children to splash around. Inside the club, are several large play zones for kids, a library, a TV room), and computers are set up for older kids. The staff are exceptionally friendly and great with kids, organizing various activities throughout the day, from cupcake decorating to hands-on demonstrations like ketupat decorations, where children learn to make little figurines out of palm leaves.
You can enter the club with kids of any age but there is a minimum age to leave your kids in the kids club without you – which is 4. If your child is under 4 you can always hire a babysitter through the resort to stay with your kids in the kids club while you do adventurous or kid-free relaxing activities…we definitely took advantage of this service a few times ;)
“One of our favorite areas at the Ritz-Carlton Bali was a long garden that ran through the center of the property, complete with koi ponds, and small seating areas. ”
The best facility however, is the spa. Coupled with a fitness center, this is a beautifully tranquil spot surrounded by Balinese gardens. “Blending the finest qualities of indigenous natural ingredients from the Indian Ocean with ancient Balinese methods and modern techniques” everything feels authentic and is utterly relaxing. There is greenery everywhere which is very calming, as well as an indoor pool, if you want to relax before or after your treatments. We decided to treat ourselves and spent a day relaxing in their special hydro-vital pool followed by a couples massage. It was heaven.
Our treatments started with some alone time at Hydro-Vital pool, which is fitted with various stations that all have a range of jets and water features that massage the entire body. Benefits include improving blood circulation, stimulating the lymphatic system and removing toxins. Im not sure if all my toxins were actually removed but wow it felt good, to just sit in the water in silence with strong jets pounding against our muscles.
We were soon led to our couples massage room, where we recieved a relaxing full body massage. The lights were set low, the ambiance was quiet and soothing and Im pretty sure we both might have fallen asleep for a few minutes during our treatment.
“For several wonderful hours, our bodies were massaged and rubbed and made to feel rejuvenated and relaxed. Afterwards, we spent some time in the lounge area, sipping hot tea and nibbling on Balinese chocolates...”
Even though the hotel is kid-friendly, we never felt overwhelmed with children or too much "kids stuff" around. It provided us with the beach time we were looking for while giving us a cultural look into Bali. It was a romantic few days, with all the comfort and service you hope for in a resort like this. The great food and the humbling cultural experiences just made things even better, and made a great time, unforgettable.
