During a recent trip to Bali with some friends, YS and I decided to break away from the group for a night’s stay at Ayana Resort. I’ve been wanting to stay at Ayana since I saw that Super Junior’s Eunhyuk And Donghae stayed there for a program; I’m a huge fan ok! Yes it’s quite a shallow reason but here’s my honest Ayana Resort Bali review.

Ayana Resort Bali is located in Jimbaran, within a large complex, which houses a few Ayana properties, including Ayana Villas, Ayana Rimba and its latest addition — Ayana Segara. Rooms in Ayana Resort, Ayana Rimba and Ayana Segara starts around IDR 4,500,000 per night, while a 1-bedroom villa in Ayana Villas starts at IDR 14,900,000 per night.

P.S. I apologies in advance for some blurry pics. I was too excited and forgot to take pics, hence had to use screenshots of my videos.

Getting to Ayana Resort Bali

The easiest way to get to Ayana Resort is via taxi as the resort is far off the main road; and this is also because public transport is almost non-existent in Bali.

Location

Ayana Resort is located in a relatively quiet corner of Jimbaran. Our Grab driver had difficulty locating the entrance and it was also quiet a drive from the main road to get to the resort lobby. However, the located also made it feel like we’re in an enclosed enclave, somewhat like a getaway from Bali if that makes sense. This also comes with its drawbacks as it means that if you want to head out for sightseeing or activities, it will take longer for the driver to get to you.

Checking In

We got to the resort at check-in time and were promptly served. Once check-in procedures were done, we were shown a map to help get our bearings right, followed by being shown to our room by a staff member.

The Room

We got the Ocean View Room and my first impressions of the room was that the decor looked slightly dated, as the fixtures were mostly made of wood. The layout of the room is such that the toilet is right by the entrance, followed by the large king-sized bed that sits in between the toilet and balcony, which gave us a great sea view.

The room walls were pretty thin, or rather, the ceilings and flooring were thin. I say this because we were able to hear children in the room upstairs running around. It was bugging us so much that we requested for a room change, which the staff promptly helped with.

However, the new room didn’t have a good view and almost had no view of the ocean despite it being an Ocean View Room as well, so it was disappointing as the ocean view rooms are more expensive.

The Bed

The bed is the most important part of a hotel room in my opinion, as we spend the most time on it. Please get your head out of the gutter. The bed was firm yet not too firm for my liking, though the pillows could have put in some extra work in terms of holding their shape (and my neck) together. But overall, we did have a really good sleep, so much so that I slept in an extra hour.

The Toilet

The toilet came with a tub, as well as a separate stall each for the shower and toilet bowl. This was a huge plus for me as I don’t like standing in a tub to shower thus hated tubs and showers being combined into 1. All the basic amenities like toothbrush, soap and hairdryer were also provided

A thing to note though, you can look into the toilet from the bedroom and vice versa due to the glass panels which may not be great if you’re staying with family or friends, but can be fantastic for couples 😉

The Facilities

Ayana Resort has a large number of facilities, like a golf putting range, a private beach and even work stations with a view!

The Pools

There are quite a number of swimming pools in Ayana Resort, but we only managed to visit the Ayana Main Pool and River Pool. The main pool is just down the stairs from the reception area, which is also where a number of restaurants are located. The main pool is right above the Ayana Lower Pool, just separated by a flight of stairs.

My favourite pool, has got to be the River Pool. The River Pool is located at Ayana Villas, so you’ll have to take the shuttle service over as it is quite a walk from Ayana Resort. As this pool is further from the main area of the resort, it is slightly quieter but since it’s open to all guests, is still subjected to crowds during the peak hours. So if you want an Instagram photo, I suggest you head there before 10am.

Dining

You’ll never go hungry at Ayana Resorts, as there are over 10 restaurants. Unfortunately, we only got to try 2 during out stay, namely Sami Sami and Rock Bar. One regret we have is that we didn’t get to visit Kisik as we did not plan our timings properly and did not know they only operate in the evening.

Sami Sami

Sami Sami is an open-air Italian restaurant with overlooking the ocean. The ambience is great but the mains was a tad disappointing. We ordered the Spaghetti alle vongole (IDR 220,000) and Tagliolini all’aragosta (IDR 400,000). The pastas were slightly undercooked, but we loved the appetisers, which were bread, served with 2 dipping sauces. The spicy tomato dipping sauce was sour, tangy and not too spicy; perfect as a starter.

Ambience: 4/5
Taste: 2.5/5
Value: 2/5

Rock Bar

Rock Bar is one of the most renowned bars in the area. Getting to the bar is also an experience in itself as you’re required to take a funicular down the cliff to the bar. Rock bar only serves finger food and drinks so don’t expect to get a full meal here! The dreamy atmosphere was made better with a saxophone playing staff, who even interacted with the camera when he noticed me filming him!

However, the bar is fully open-air which means it can get very hot in the day time and is affected by the rain as well. There were mosquitoes too and I got bitten quite a bit.

Tip: Get a reservation for the evening to watch the sunset! We caught one of the most beautiful sunsets we’ve seen; definitely a great date spot if you’re here at the resort with your significant other.

Ambience: 4/5
Taste: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Boutiques

Forgot your swimsuit? No problem! There are quite a number of boutiques, mostly selling resort wear and swimwear.

The Service

The service at all parts of the resort was great, including staff at the restaurants. Staff were quick to help and always had a smile on their faces!

Connectivity (Internet)

Wifi was available and I didn’t have problems with my mobile data either.

Final Rating

We paid a total of SGD 406.36 (≈ IDR 4,593,685) for a 1-night stay in the Ocean View room.

The resort is pretty old and dated looking, understandably so as it has been around for many years already. If you’re looking for something newer and shinier, try Ayana Segara, which opened in November 2022.

If you’re a couple looking for more privacy, maybe opt for the villas instead of the resort rooms like we did. The villas are tucked away in a quieter corner of the complex, as compared to the resort rooms.

Overall, I think Ayana is a very good option if you want to stay in a full-service resort. Ayana Resorts really has everything you need; food, shops, massage and entertainment, quite different from my experience at Montigo and Pantai Indah.

Cleanliness: 4/5
Price: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Value: 3.5/5
Remote workability: 5/5