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Country
Indonesia
City
Nusa Dua (Bali)
Hotel
The Ritz-Carlton Nusa Dua
Notes
The Good
- Stunning private location
- Huge range of amenities and activities
The Bad
- A little isolated from Bali's main hubs
X-Factor
- Perfect place to unwind and relax
Introduction
Located at the southern tip of Bali Island, the Ritz-Carlton Nusa Dua resort is an ideal place to unwind and relax on the island – close enough to Denpasar for any business you may have in Bali’s main city, but also far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the more crowded popular areas.
Join Australian Business Traveller at the Ritz-Carlton Bali on a recent trip to Indonesia to put it through its paces.
Location & Impressions
Situated 30 minutes’ drive from Denpasar’s Ngurah Rai airport, the Ritz-Carlton Nusa Dua is located near other popular luxury resorts in the Nusa Dua district.
While most accommodation at the Ritz-Carlton is cliff-top, the sprawling property extends all the way to the beach where there are restaurants and a gorgeous wedding chapel.
The setting of the resort is stunning, with sweeping views of the ocean and perfectly manicured gardens surrounding luxury villas and a range of amenities to help you relax and unwind.
The size of the property can be intimidating at first, but it doesn’t take long to get to know your way around - and staff are also more than happy to ferry you around in golf carts if you prefer.
With a picturesque location and first class facilities, the Ritz Carlton Nusa Dua is the type of property where you can easily switch off from the outside world and spend your entire stay within the resort grounds. However, if you do want to venture out, Uluwatu and Seminyak are both under an hour away by car, making it easy to enjoy day trips outside of the resort.
Room
I’m booked into a Pavilion Villa with Pool Access – my large one-bedroom villa offers up 120sqm of space, but there are a range of larger villas and smaller suites available.
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The room also has optional club-lounge access (in fact, all rooms can be upgraded to have club access), which means that check-in takes place within the room.
As one of the entry level villas, there isn’t a private pool included but there is direct access to a shared pool that one of the other Pavilion Villas also opens on to.
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Inside, the décor is modern and stylish with Indonesian accents.
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Direct access between the terrace and pool, and sliding glass doors give a great balance between indoor-outdoor living, with a comfortably sized lounge room to relax in while overlooking the pool.
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The veranda offers a daybed and dining table for leisurely breakfasts outdoors.
There’s also a semi open-air bathroom, with a large soaking tub and both indoor/outdoor rainshowers.
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A double vanity sink and powder area...
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... with Asprey bath amenities to round out the offering.
Inside the room you’ll also find a Bluetooth stereo, a DVD player, and an espresso machine.
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Double-daily housekeeping means the room is well maintained, and there’s also a daily fruit basket delivery which is a nice touch.
Work
There’s complimentary wired and WiFi internet available but with speeds hovering between 6 – 8 Mbps throughout the stay, it’s adequate for work but not exactly lightning-fast. The connection stability could also do with some improvement, as I would get occasional dropouts.
My Pavilion Villa is certainly not a bad place to get some work done - there’s plenty of comfortable seating and room to spread out – but I instead opt to head for the club lounge area.
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The Ritz-Carlton Club is one of the most comprehensive club experiences I’ve ever seen at a resort. The club puts on five dining offerings a day, including:
- Breakfast
- Light Buffet Lunch
- Afternoon Tea
- Evening Hors d’Oeuvres
- Cordials and Desserts
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On top of that, there are also cocktails by the Club Lounge Pool for sunset, 2 pieces of complimentary laundry per day, and 2 pieces of pressing when you check-in.
It’s possible to spend your entire day at the club lounge and be fully satisfied for dining and beverages if you need to, which makes it perfect for relaxing or even getting some work done. There are also live chefs in the lounge, rather than just self-serve buffets, making for a more lively atmosphere.
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Eat
The Ritz-Carlton Nusa Dua has a number of dining options focused on Indonesian, Japanese and international cuisines.
Cliff-top restaurant Bejana serves up Indonesian fare with a range of influences, including dishes from Bali, Sumatra, Lombok and Kalimantan.
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I tried Bejana's fish satay, which was tender and well-flavoured...
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...as well as their Balinese-style grilled pork ribs.
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The Beach Grill focuses on fresh seafood with international flavours, while Spanish-influenced Breezes creates Tapas dishes in a relaxed beachfront setting.
Raku Japanese Lounge & Bar offers freshly prepared sushi, sashimi and other Japanese specialties.
The Ritz-Carlton Club also has a la carte options for breakfast, including these delicious lobster scrambled eggs.
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If you'd rather relax by the pool when dining, you can also order an impressive floating breakfast.
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Relax
With a number of pool areas and resort activities, the Ritz-Carlton is a great place to relax after a hectic trip. For those that like to venture out, there are attractions, temples and beach-based activities nearby.
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The resort also has everything you need to wind down within its grounds.
There is a strong focus on wellness and plenty of complimentary activities to support this - including morning power walks around the stunning grounds with a trainer, an incredible yoga studio with optional aerial yoga facilities, and a staffed gym with trainers on hand. If you're the less active type, there are also five hydrotherapy stations in the tropical greenhouse spa.
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If that’s not quite your speed, nearby golf clubs are just a short drive away and tee times can be organised by the concierge.
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Otherwise, head out for a daytrip to Uluwatu to soak in a sunset, or head inland to Ubud where there’s plenty of more adventurous activities and some of the island’s best restaurants.
Overall
The Ritz-Carlton Nusa Dua resort is an idyllic place to get away, unwind and disconnect from the world thanks to its huge range of activities, attentive and caring resort staff, and close proximity to Australia. Ritz-Carlton Club lounge access is highly recommended, and can be purchased on a daily individual basis in case you want to try it first, or just have it as an option for part of your trip.
James has been interested in aviation ever since his first flight. When he’s not travelling, he’s still on the road indulging his motoring hobby, or trying a new whisky.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
01 Aug 2013
Total posts 24
Nice review and amazing hotel. Where the reference is to the club experience should it be cocktails and deserts instead of cordials and deserts
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Jan 2012
Total posts 172
I stayed at this hotel 2 years ago and it was lovely.
16 Oct 2012
Total posts 53
I lovely hotel, but sadly the beach is not good. Teams of locals are employed each day to try and clean the plastic rubbish that washes up there. Also during the school holiday periods it can be over run by noisy kids – not ideal for couples
10 Jul 2017
Total posts 32
Would you recommend this hotel for families with young kids?
26 Jul 2018
Total posts 1
We stayed at the resort last August with our 2 and 4 year old boys. The 4 year old was well entertained by the kids club activities that were educational such as crafts and wildlife interactions. The kids club itself had a solid range of toys for kids around our age range to keep them going for a few hours. The staff were extremely pleasant and attentive, we did not leave our kids there alone but I believe they are able to accommodate if required. There are pools within the main pool complex that are kid friendly as well. We stayed for a week and would definitely recommend this resort for families with young kids.
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