Today’s session is about the promised Bali! It’s a 2+2 package consisting of the famous Ayana Resort Bali and Padma Resort Legian.
To prepare for this, we specifically traveled to Bali, staying 3 nights at Ayana and 2 nights at Padma. The following pictures and text are the freshest and most up-to-date.
When promoting overseas hotels, regardless of how well-known they are, it’s essential to have personally experienced them to avoid pitfalls.
Let me first share the product details:
The package includes 2 nights in a luxurious room with breakfast at Padma Resort Legian + 2 nights in a garden view room with breakfast at Ayana Rimba + a double afternoon tea at either Ayana UNIQUE Rooftop Bar or Damar Terrace restaurant, starting from 2,799 yuan per person (minimum booking for two).
The package must be used in the specified order and cannot be changed.
Valid until December 20, 2024. Additional charges and exclusions are detailed on the page. Due to varying prices for overseas packages, please refer to the page for details. Redemption must be completed by May 30; otherwise, it will be automatically refunded.
Ayana, renowned and well-known!
Ayana is the only integrated resort complex on the island of Bali, which is called the Island of Paradise. It is incredibly vast with exceptionally comprehensive facilities!
A few days ago, we stayed at Ayana for three nights while collecting information, but we still might not have captured all of Ayana’s public areas, as it is just too massive.
Ayana is part of a local Indonesian hotel group with properties not only in Bali but also in Komodo and Jakarta. Importantly, Ayana even has a sailboat operating in Indonesian waters. I was quite taken with this boat and felt an urge to go. The primary sailing destinations are appealing, and other sailboats are too expensive (like Aman and Relais & Châteaux), so I thought of starting my first sailing journey on Ayana’s sailboat.
Back to Ayana, it’s probably the most recognized brand among Chinese travelers in Bali. This is mainly because they have continuously refined their efforts in the Chinese market and have done quite well.
Ayana has four hotels, sharing one resort:
1. RIMBA,
2. Segara,
3. Villas,
4. AYANA Resort.
These four hotels are located in three areas:
– The Ayana Resort is at the center, with the villas on both sides, which are the closest hotels to the sea.
– Segara is in the central area of the resort, located at a higher elevation, so guests can see both the forest and the ocean view.
– Finally, the Rimba hotel is surrounded by the forest.
Therefore, Ayana Rimba Hotel offers excellent value for money. However, there’s no need to worry, as 99% of the public areas in the hotel can be used interchangeably across all four hotels. Here is a picture of Ayana Rimba Hotel.
So, how large are Ayana’s public areas? The entire resort boasts a 1.3-kilometer private coast and beach, with 28 restaurants and bars, numerous stunning swimming pools, two seaside wedding chapels, and numerous pavilions that can be used for weddings. There’s also the SAKA Museum, a private farm, and the world’s largest seawater spa pool measuring 650 meters in width… It’s truly a colossal resort.
Let me add a map. When uploaded to WeChat, the image gets compressed. If you need a clearer version, you can contact my assistant (xiyoutravel5) for a high-definition copy. Ayana Rimba is located in the lower left corner.
When checking in, you can scan the QR code on your phone to access Ayana’s official guide, which includes shuttle bus schedules, hotel maps, dining options, daily activities, and allows direct communication with staff. Just scan the QR code below to download.
Ayana’s public areas are truly remarkable, and I’ll highlight a few for you.
The Rock Bar is famous; if you know anything about Bali, you must know about Ayana’s Rock Bar. Situated on rocks overlooking the Indian Ocean, it’s acclaimed as one of the world’s most popular sunset, afternoon tea, and cocktail bars.
During the day, you can listen to the waves, watch the sunset in the evening, and enjoy live DJ music at night, creating a lively atmosphere.
The Rock Bar also has some seating in a cave, providing a unique ambiance.
Ayana’s seawater bathing area is well-known, featuring the world’s largest seawater spa pool filled with 70,000 liters of natural seawater. Upon entering, guests need to shower first, and the staff will explain the route. There is a specific order, with a total of 12 water massage lines, each containing multiple massage points targeted at different body parts.
There are various floating jets and currents providing massages from the feet to the shoulders, with significant water pressure. Going through all 12 points can be quite tiring. However, it is incredibly refreshing and relieves fatigue.
Ayana also has the Saka Museum, which is enormous. It showcases Balinese culture with a particular focus on the Day of Silence, which also happens to be Bali’s New Year. Interestingly, the short film about the Day of Silence shown in the museum is available in Chinese.
Every year on the Day of Silence, people carry “ogoh-ogoh” through the streets, and this museum features numerous ogoh-ogoh representing different stories, showcasing the Balinese people’s reverence for nature and the supernatural. The details are incredibly well-preserved. You may not encounter their New Year celebrations during each visit to Bali, but here you can feel the local cultural essence.
Moreover, the Saka Museum houses a beautifully designed café.
Ayana’s farm spans 2.1 hectares, cultivating more than 130 varieties of organic plants, including fennel, butterfly pea flowers, rosemary, hibiscus, and ginger. It’s mainly an educational experience where staff will guide you through the farm’s entrances, explaining and allowing you to taste various plants. It offers an educational and fun experience for families visiting with children.
The farm also offers paid tours; for instance, you can select fresh ingredients from the farm to create cocktails, with prices around 310 RMB for two people.
Many hotels boast having a cliff elevator, and Ayana has two—one diagonal and one vertical. Ayana doesn’t advertise this extensively, perhaps because it has so many other highlights.
Of course, the hotel has its own beach, and despite being a cliff hotel, a private beach is essential.
The resort features a total of 13 swimming pools of various sizes that you can enjoy. I’ll highlight a few notable ones.
The h2o pool is perfect for photos. To enhance everyone’s photography experience, the hotel has designated a specific time exclusively for taking pictures, which is from 6:30 AM to 9:00 AM. At other times, taking photos by the pool can be somewhat sensitive since it’s not very polite to capture others in your shots.
Another lovely spot is the Ocean Beach Pool, located next to the Rock Bar, offering a cliffside infinity pool with ocean views.
The Luna rooftop pool is also quite stunning, offering great views from the top floor.
This location is ideal for enjoying a floating breakfast, promising some fantastic photo opportunities.
The main pool at Ayana is the largest and offers stunning views as well.
Additionally, there’s a pool at Rimba with a slide for kids.
I didn’t get a chance to photograph the wedding chapel this time, so I’ll use an online image instead. Ayana is just too large, and the times I visited the chapel, it was closed due to no weddings.
Ayana has two seaside wedding chapels and countless pavilions available for weddings.
Now, let’s talk about dining.
There are a total of 28 restaurants, cafes, and bars, with cuisine ranging from Chinese, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, to Mexican flavors. Many people mention not enjoying the food in Bali or being unable to get used to it, but that is not the case at Ayana.
The Chinese restaurant specializes in Cantonese dim sums and seafood prepared in traditional Chinese styles, ensuring that you’ll find familiar flavors.
The Kampung Bali Traditional Restaurant offers a feast for the senses. It features Indonesian-style buffet dinners accompanied by various Balinese performances. Around 8 PM, expect a fire dance show on the lawn outside the restaurant.
Kisik Seafood Grill is a cliffside seafood barbeque restaurant. It’s best to visit before sunset to enjoy the beautiful sunset views while dining (we arrived too late). The chef grills the seafood on-site.
The Padi restaurant is adorned with flowers and specializes in local Indonesian flavors. They also cater to vegetarian options.
Scusa restaurant offers Mediterranean flavors and has a lovely evening ambiance suitable for dining in the courtyard.
Seminyak is an Italian restaurant with cliff views, and they offer delicious pasta.
There are just so many options that it’s impossible to try them all!
One standout is Ayana’s breakfast, which can be taken at Karang, Padi, or Toge restaurants. This means unless you stay for four nights, you won’t encounter the same breakfast more than once. During our three-night stay, we enjoyed three different breakfasts.
The hotel offers numerous activities; good weather in the morning usually means there will be yoga sessions.
Should the weather be favorable, every day there is a Balinese sunset ceremony hosted by the hotel.
For golf enthusiasts, the hotel has its own golf course.
There are two children’s play areas at both Rimba and Ayana Resort, each featuring a kids club. The kids club caters to children aged 4-12 with free supervision provided from 9 AM to 5 PM. Parents bringing kids are likely to be very pleased with this service.
Here’s a look at the kids club at Rimba.
Ayana also has its own kids club.
We’ve also captured the daily activity schedule for the kids, which we’ll share with you.
You needn’t worry about the resort being too large; there is a free shuttle bus service (a small forest train) running every 10-15 minutes. Stops are located at the RIMBA lobby, AYANA lobby, SPA center, THE VILLAS lobby, and KUBU beach.
From our experience, this service is quite convenient.
Additionally, Ayana is friendly towards Chinese travelers, with many staff members speaking Chinese. During our visit, we inquired how this came to be and learned that the hotel offers Chinese language courses for employees so that communication issues aren’t a problem. Of course, not every employee speaks Chinese, but there are staff in key positions who do.
Now, let’s discuss the hotels.
Among the four hotels in the Ayana resort, Rimba offers the best value for money. It also has the largest capacity, with a total of 403 rooms.
This package includes a garden view room of 42 square meters, with a relatively modern design. Here’s an actual photo of the room.
The package also includes a double afternoon tea at Ayana UNIQUE Rooftop Bar or Damar Terrace restaurant. We’ve documented our experience as well. I recommend Ayana UNIQUE Rooftop Bar, thanks to its high visual appeal and pool.
Damar Terrace restaurant embodies a Balinese style.
Bali’s weather is crucial (as is the case with many islands). On the day we left Ayana, the sea was exceptionally blue. It was far bluer than in most of the photos shared in this article, which is unfortunate since it was our last day there.
Next, let’s talk about Padma Resort Legian.
This hotel is located on Legian Beach in Bali, which is connected to Kuta Beach. Although Kuta Beach is busy and crowded, the experience at Legian Beach is much more pleasant with fewer people and less noise. I’ll show you pictures of the beach, which is directly adjacent to the hotel.
