ANANTARA UBUD Bali, Indonesia ❰ Resort Tour & Review ❱ Brand New Ubud Luxury?
This new Anantara is a testament to how a mid sized resort in and around Ubud should be done. It’s thoughtful and personal in a gorgeous lush setting. Let me welcome any of you that may be new to the channel, my name is Kevin. I’m here to give you a self-funded and honest look at some of the best- and some of the not so best- airlines and hotels in the world, which I’ve been bringing to you full time for the past four years. Check out
my hundreds of videos, scan the QR code or click the link in the description to learn more about the channel. This secluded retreat, begins now. I’ll get into the map in but it’s worth noting from the jump here that it is quite a drive to this Anantara. While it’s marketed as the Anantara Ubud, it’s actually a 40 minute drive north of the town- around a three hour drive from the airport. But, I have the feeling for many visiting the region and looking to do more exploring, it will be worth it. This Anantara has been a long time coming.
Originally announced in 2016, it was supposed to open in 2019 but then due to factors related to Covid and others, it just finally opened in October 2024. Throughout the property there are design cues incorporated from Balinese, Hindu and Javanese heritage with some modern Japanese vibes as well, but unlike some other resorts that do that same and feel like a bit of a hodgepodge, everything here feels balanced and organic. Walking into the open air lobby, I need to call out one of my favorite things that I’ve ever seen in any hotel in Bali, a custom Balinese gamelan incorporated into a kinetic sculpture by artist Aaron Taylor Kuffner which plays throughout the day and serves as a welcome to all guests. I genuinely wish I could buy a smaller version of this. The music
since the start of the tour was recorded from it. On the right side of the lobby is the reception area with louvered panels that can open to bring the valley views inside. It’s hard to tell from here, but the location is ideal on top of a hill with valleys on three sides.
On the other side is the arrival pavilion which also serves as the all day bar and lounge. Upon arrival staff will perform a welcome ritual and you will be given what is genuinely my favorite ever welcome drink. A mix of passion fruit, lemon, coconut water and fresh coconut. Anantara is a hotel brand with 55 other locations around the world and is part of the Minor Hotel Group. The group opened it’s first hotel in Pattaya in 1978 with the first Anantara opening in Hua Hin in 2001. It is of course, a Thai company. If you’re enjoying the video and would like to
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As we look around a bit on a day that feels equally gloomy and cozy, let me just read to you what they market themselves to be, becuase I think they’re pretty spot on, “Conveying a profound sense of peace, travellers venturing north of Bali’s Ubud to the traditional hillside village of Banjar Puhu in Payangan are rewarded with true seclusion and a slower pace of life as Anantara’s brand new resort opens on the ‘Island of Gods’. Overlooking untouched hinterland as it unfurls in every direction, the resort’s many vantage points from its terraced villas and swimming pools offer a graceful jungle retreat like no other.” The resort has 85 rooms and suites, which is by no means a large hotel, but for this part of the island, it is. Up until this point I have largely tried to avoid larger hotels in the area simply
becuase I couldn’t imagine how the vibe would be appropriate, but here they’ve done really well making the property- with no actual grounds to walk around, feel equally intimate and sprawling. Cantilevered to one side of the resort is the family pool. Let’s take a look at where we are before exploring more. Bali is a deceptively large island with the vast majority of tourist activity happening within 10 miles of the airport despite the island being 2200 square miles or 5800 square km.
Today’s resort is bringing me as far north as I’ve ever been in Bali. There are a couple of small towns near by but by and large it is an isolated location, but of course that’s part of the appeal up here. While the graphic looks a bit odd, you can sort of see how the resort is situated with valleys on three sides.
A key point for a secluded resort like this to be successful though is the food. If you’re isolated and the food sucks, it’s no bueno. Luckily, the food here in all regards was phenomenal. I had lunch at Kirana which is on the balcony just above the pool. This is their all day venus serving indonesian and international foods. I really appreciate that they separate the Balinese and Indonesian dishes on the menu. As many times as I’ve been to Bali,
I can’t necessarily pick out the local dishes just by seeing them on the menu. I started out with a shredded chicken and betel leaf dish with a delicious tamarind sauce. These were delicious, 8.5/10. For the main I had Babi Kirana, crispy suckling pig served with young jackfruit lawar, Balinese pork sausage, bumbu guling, and kaffir lime. It was better than I could have imagined and if I’m honest, even if it wasn’t
good I would have appreciated how committed to the Balinese flavors they were. 9.5/10. Next up we have Sulang Lounge and Bar. Just in front of this bar is the adults only pool. If you’re planning a trip to Bali or Lombok, I’ve got you covered. My playlist of the islands is linked in the description with around 20 videos there now and around 25 by the end of the year. It’s wonderful that such a new hotel like this has everything beautifully setup for guests, even though it’s a gloomy and rainy day. IYKYK.
My room is located in the primary building which is six stories, but the lobby area where we entered is actually the 6th floor- all of the property is below it. For the villas there is a funicular which is manned by staff around the clock for you to use- though you could also walk up and down if you wanted to, but it’s quite a ways. I have one other Anantara on the channel, also from Bali, in Uluwatu and I wasn’t nearly as impressed there. It had fantastic service but the facilities and food weren’t up to par. So far everything here is the polar opposite… except, those awful artificial green roofs.
Ok, let’s go head to my room, which is referred to as a suite, but alas, is not. We really gotta reign in the terms. When booking you may be confused by a category call Payangan Suites which look the same but are more expensive. They are these over here with that extended terrace garden area. Not worth the extra money if you ask me.
The rooms have a very fresh neutral feel to them without feeling generic or bland. As we look around, I’ll put up the extra bits. The bathroom was to the side and ran the full depth of the room, with open closet space dividing the wet room, double vanity with beautiful copper sinks and toilet room. Near the entrance to the room is a hallway behind that carved wooden headboard. A bit awkward to film but this is where you’ll find the mini bar. Can you tell what I always ask for extra of? Finally we have the balcony, which isn’t massive but is wonderfully peaceful and lush. My room is
facing the opposite side as the adult pool was. As you’re driving towards the resort, my view is to the right, the family pool is straight ahead and the adults pool is to the left. For dinner, I get to show you a bit extra since I had family join me who were staying at another resort in the area. We went to Amerta which
is there higher end restaurant serving a full range of cuisine with Asian roots. Starters on offer were Tomato & Watermelon salad with thai basil, local feta and sumac. Under the salad on top is a slab of what I think was compressed watermelon which was insanely juicy and delicious. 8.2/10. We also had the Cured Coral Trout with calamansi, jicima, cucumber and black tea. It was slightly too fishy for my liking in this kind of dish, but that was the fish, not the preparation. The black tea saved it for me and it was enjoyed by everyone else. 7.9/10. Mains included Duck breast cooked over the
embers with carrot, red cabbage, calamansi and pumpkin. This was top notch at 8.9/10. Next up the fire roasted chicken lacquered in mahogany glaze with sesame and jus. A very nice twist on a traditional roast chicken dish. 8.5/10. Last up the Grouper with lime butter, roasted corn ragu, winged beans, red onion and tarragon oil. An 8/10. Dinner was wrapped up with some delicious petit fours.
For a resort like this, I would say the prices are coming close to be a bit over priced, but in the end, it was all worth it with fantastic service throughout the meal as well. The next morning I headed back to Kirana for breakfast. Since the resort is new and they didn’t have a large number of guest they had a full a la carte menu instead of what will be a buffet in the future. But with a menu like this, I’d much rather keep the a la carte.
I’m just going to keep that menu up there for a few seconds, it really does have everything and it was all prepared very well. A fruit plate was brought out and a basket of pastries were passed. I started out with the Eggs Benedict which was near perfect at a 9/10. The bircher muesli was wonderfully tangy and full of fresh and roasted apple, almond and cashew. Another 9/10. Last up the French Toast. I mean, can we say night and day from my last resort review? I’ll go for an 8/10 for this one, it could have done with a bit more of the coconut mousseline and perhaps a touch of maple on the side. After I finished the chef came around with a french pressed filled with 15 hour chicken bone broth. Definitly a first for me to see broth passed at breakfast, but it was rich
and flavorful and I suppose fit’s the vibe. Overall breakfast here is coming in at an 8. As we take a look at the fitness center and wrap this up, let me talk about the service. The service at the Uluwatu was incredible. I think I remember saying something in the video like,
it felt like they were welcoming you into the family, a level of corniness I generally don’t visit. Here was a different style but just as in touch with guest needs and I need to give them a huge shout out for one specific thing. Asking guests to use whatsapp to communicate with staff, but then lagging to respond every time is a pet peeve of mine. This is literally the first place I’ve been to in as long as I can remember that replies were fast, informative and thoughtful. I reserved a car for after dinner to take my family back to their resort. Simple things like getting a message, 10 minutes before the time I requested, “I just want to inform you that the driver is already standing by for you at the lobby.
Please take your time and enjoy your dinner, he will be ready when you are finished.” It’s just, sometimes resorts just get it. Hard to explain. So, Anantara is back on my list of brands that I definitely want to explore more. I really do hope you enjoyed this video today. If you did, please be sure to click the like button and subscribe with notifications on so you don’t miss out on my twice weekly videos. I’ll see you next time on United for, I can’t believe I’m saying this, a really pleasant flight in Economy. As always, thanks for watching until the end.
2025-03-08 18:14
