Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia — May 2017

YOU KNOW BALI’S ICONIC ROCK BAR, RIGHT?

It’s the it place to be at sunset, perched over Jimbaran Bay

with good tunes, a chill crowd... Well, I’ll let you in on a little

secret: If you stay at The Villas at Ayana Resort, you’ll get an

exclusive invite to breakfast at Rock Bar. Which is how I found

myself sipping a latte on the edge of the isle, waves crashing

against the cliffs, with only a few other tables for company. It

was a serene start to the day, and an auspicious one too, for,

as I quickly learned, Ayana Resort and Spa is all about access.

Rolling across 90 lush hectares just 20 minutes from the

airport, the estate that includes Ayana Resort and Rimba

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are primed for all guests to discover. Whether you stay at one

of the 771 well cared-for guest rooms, including 120 brand

new ones and the blinged-out Rimba suites, or in a palatial

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Unique, the secluded patch of sand 197 steps down from

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outlet in Southeast Asia of the famed Japanese teahouse,

to name just three of the 18 restaurants and bars here. To

ensure you get back to Rock Bar before sunset for your priority

entrance, there’s a trolley that runs the circuit of the property

every 10 minutes, allowing you to make this land your own.

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hidden nooks like the Orchid Tea Lounge, a lovely greenhouse

tucked in a valley, and my two favorite pools (there are a

whopping 12!): the Pamukkale, Turkey–inspired Villas pool,

and the cliff-hugging Ocean Beach pool—from which photos

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the waters, allot yourself a couple of hours in the all-curing,

60-jet watercourse Aquatonic Seawater Therapy Pool, and

then rub out the rest of your kinks at one of the two spas.

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on Ah Yat Abalone’s delish all-you-can-eat dim sum lest you

have no space for a classic steakhouse feast of Wagyu cuts,

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staying at The Villas, just summon your charming butler to

roll you home in his golf cart. Sleep tight, for he’ll be back in

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pool—or, indeed, to escort you to Breakfast on the Rocks. Both

are outstanding spots from which to survey your lush lands as

you prep for another day in paradise.

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ON THIS LUSH AND LUXE CORNER

OF BALI, YOU REALLY CAN HAVE IT ALL

Your Own

Island Empire