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Prices are what we paid in September 2026, converted to Australian dollars at AUD 1 ≈ ¥110 ≈ IDR 12,580 and rounded. Always check current prices before you go.
I’ve been to Bali several times. Besides the main AYANA hotel, I’ve stayed at two other luxury hotels, a Four Seasons villa, and a Bulgari villa. Outside Bali, I’ve stayed at the Four Seasons on the Big Island of Hawaii and at Hana on Maui.
With all of that behind me: AYANA Villas is the one I’d recommend above the rest.
In September 2026 my husband and I, both in our fifties, spent a week there. Here is all of it — what was wonderful, what disappointed me, and exactly what we spent.
What this guide covers
- The villa and private pool, as they really are
- How we paced a week without rushing
- Food, drinks, the Thalasso pool, and Rock Bar
- What a week cost the two of us
- What I wish I’d known before going
Why AYANA Villas
After luxury villas in Bali and Hawaii, this one comes out on top
Every place I listed above was wonderful in its own way. Still, taking everything together, AYANA Villas is my overall winner so far. There are three reasons.
1. You never need to leave. Restaurants, bars, a gym, pools — it’s all there, so you never have to go out into the traffic and noise, and the sense of being somewhere else is never broken. The estate has around 30 restaurants, cafés and bars, according to AYANA, and in a week we didn’t get close to trying them all.
2. The service in the villa area. The butlers, the cleaners, the buggy drivers, the pool staff — there’s a quiet attentiveness that felt very familiar to me as someone from Japan, and every single interaction was a pleasure. Compared with the other luxury villas I’ve stayed in, the difference was clear.
3. The food is good everywhere. DAVA for breakfast and dinner, Karang, Rock Bar, Luna, Orchid Lounge — there wasn’t a miss. Resort restaurants often come with a “good for a resort” caveat. I didn’t feel that here.
Put those together and it’s a place where the stay itself is the holiday. It isn’t a base for sightseeing; being there is the point.
The only thing that made me hesitate was the price
Honestly, price was the only thing I thought twice about. Whether it was worth it, I’ll come to at the end.
We booked a package through a Japanese travel agency: return economy flights from Japan plus the villa, breakfast included, for ¥620,000 per person — about AUD 5,600, or around AUD 11,200 for the two of us. Flights from Australia are priced very differently, so the fairer comparison for you is the villa rate on its own for your dates.
Three things that saved the flights
We flew Garuda Indonesia in economy. The seats barely reclined, and what really saved me was a compact, foldable neck pillow.
The cabin was also very cold. A light packable down jacket and a cashmere scarf were both lifesavers. One tip on the scarf: “cashmere-touch” isn’t the same thing — it’s 100% cashmere that’s genuinely warm.
The villa, with its private pool
We booked an Ocean View Villa and were upgraded to a Cliff Villa
We had booked an Ocean View Villa, but on arrival we found we’d been upgraded to a Cliff Villa.
I’d stayed in an Ocean View Villa before, so I thought I knew roughly what to expect. The Cliff Villa was on another level — it genuinely took me by surprise. The bedroom, bathroom and pool were all more generous. I hadn’t realised two “villas” could differ so much.
Our plot was over 400 square metres, with the private pool and the villa itself inside it. Upgrades are never guaranteed, but it’s worth knowing the Cliff Villa exists. If space matters to you, it’s worth booking it outright.
- Water temperature: the pool feels cold in the morning. I swam in the afternoons
- Always clean: leaves that fall in are cleared by the staff, so it was spotless the whole week
- Toiletries: shampoo, conditioner and body wash are provided — beautifully scented ESPA products
- But bring a body brush that lathers, your own face wash, and a foaming net. These aren’t supplied
- The view: the Indian Ocean, from the bedroom and from the pool
- No bottled water for sale to carry around — more on that below
- No bag for after check-out — also below
The villa-only perks — this is where the difference is
Even within AYANA, choosing a villa over the resort rooms brings extras. After staying, I felt that most of the price difference is right here.
A 24-hour butler
You have a butler on call around the clock. Restaurant bookings, anything you need — you message them in the app — I could even type in Japanese — and the reply came quickly and warmly.
One moment showed me what that’s worth. A strap on my sandals snapped. They were old and I’d planned to throw them out at the end of the trip, but we still had days to go. I messaged the butler without much hope — and a little later a technician arrived with superglue and fixed them on the spot.
You might imagine a butler is for dinner bookings and luggage. For me, the real value was having someone act immediately on a small, unexpected problem.
Call a buggy from the app — the most useful perk of all
You can call a buggy from the app, and it will take you anywhere on the estate. To DAVA for breakfast, to the pools, to Rock Bar, back to the villa — we used it for everything.
AYANA is enormous, and having this makes a huge difference to how tired you feel by evening. At our age, it was a deciding factor.
The River Pool is villa guests only after 10am
The River Pool is AYANA’s most popular pool, and who can use it depends on the time:
- 6:30am to 10am — open to all AYANA guests
- After 10am — villa guests only
So for most of the day the famous pool is close to empty. It was quiet and peaceful — nothing like the crowded River Pool you see in photos. That alone made the villa worth it.
The minibar is free once
Once during your stay, everything in the minibar is free. Even if you clear it out, that round costs nothing.
Welcome fruit, Balinese sweets — and a flower bath
On arrival, there was fruit and traditional Balinese sweets waiting on the table, and a flower bath had been drawn. It was the perfect first breath of the trip.
One meal plus a drink each at a bar
- One lunch or dinner at a restaurant
- One drink each at a bar
You choose from a list of venues, with a set menu. It isn’t a free-for-all, but it was more than enough. One catch: drinks are extra — only the food is covered.
We chose Karang at AYANA Segara, an Indonesian restaurant, for dinner, and Luna Bar at Segara for the drinks. Both were perfect. Everything at Karang was delicious, and the atmosphere at both was wonderful — don’t let the set menu put you off.
At Karang we only paid for drinks: about AUD 55 for two. At Luna, one drink each wasn’t enough — we ordered small plates and more drinks, about AUD 70 for two, and it turned into dinner.
Rock Bar priority booking, plus the DJ-area seats
Villa guests get priority Rock Bar bookings and seats in the popular DJ area, with no queue. I’ve covered it in detail in my Rock Bar guide.
Things that surprised me
The pool is cleaned without you asking
A small thing, but it stuck with me. Leaves in the private pool were cleared every day without a word from us. At the Bulgari villa I stayed in before, the pool was only cleaned if you asked. It was more pleasant than I’d expected.
A mother monkey and her baby opened my basket bag
This genuinely shocked me. A tree on our villa’s grounds seemed to have fruit on it, and a mother monkey with her baby came to eat it. They were very used to people — the mother opened the basket bag I’d left out and went through it. Don’t leave food or bags outside.
The staff are exceptional, all of them
The cleaners, the person who brought ice, the buggy drivers, the DAVA breakfast staff, the River Pool team — every one of them was lovely. Not just a few standouts: everyone, in every role. That has to be how the place is run.
Getting around the estate
- About 15 minutes on foot to Segara, and 20–30 minutes to RIMBA, the furthest
- Villa guests call a buggy from the app — no booking needed, it just comes
- Everything is walkable, and the paths are lovely. We walked it every morning
- In the heat, or after a meal, the buggy is bliss. Walk there, buggy back worked for us
Food
Breakfast: DAVA, every single morning
If you stay in a villa, breakfast at DAVA is the one. We went every morning for a week.
It’s an à la carte buffet: you order and everything is brought to your table. The portions are small, which is clever — you can try lots of things. And it’s all cooked fresh, which tastes nothing like a buffet you serve yourself. With no one walking around except staff, it’s calm and quiet.
What I ordered every day
- DAVA Signature steak — steak for breakfast? I ordered it every day anyway
- Nasi uduk — Indonesian rice with beef, lightly curry-spiced. Excellent
- Crispy tortilla
- The fruit plate
- Mango or pineapple juice
Honestly, there are hits and misses: the Japanese grilled salted salmon was good; the Chinese and Korean dishes were ordinary — I’d skip them.
Breakfast is included, so a week of daily visits cost nothing extra. You can’t book, so timing matters:
- 7am, at opening — quiet
- 8am to 10:30am — busy the whole time
- Last orders 10:30am, closes 11am
At busy times the window tables were always taken, and a few times we couldn’t sit where we wanted. If you want a view table in peak season, go before 8. An early walk gets you there at the right time naturally.
Our last night: seafood at DAVA
On our final evening we chose DAVA again, this time for dinner. We ordered mostly seafood and it was excellent. As at breakfast, portions are small but the quality is high, which suits anyone who likes to try a bit of everything. It came to about AUD 225 for two.
We never left the resort
No Jimbaran seafood on the beach, no Ubud. We’d decided from the start that every meal would be at the resort. Step outside, and reality comes rushing back. We’d come to another world, so we stayed in it. AYANA is one of the few places where that’s genuinely possible without getting bored.
Rock Bar
I’ve written a separate Rock Bar guide — booking, the villa guest lane, what we paid, what to wear. Here’s just how it fitted into our week:
- We went three days after arriving — once we’d settled in, which felt right
- We used the villa priority booking and sat on the villa guests’ round deck
The Thalasso pool — honestly, a disappointment
This is the hardest part to write, but I want to be honest. The Thalasso pool is one of AYANA’s signatures. I’d been about ten years ago and was so moved by the view, the calm and how immaculate it was that I booked the two-hour session again.
I was disappointed:
- The locker area had lost its elegance
- Some groups were very loud
- It was simply packed
The cleanliness and care I remembered weren’t there. Having gone looking for peace, the gap was large. I won’t go again. If you’re staying mainly for the Thalasso pool, lower your expectations — for calm, the River Pool after 10am is far better now.
It cost just under AUD 45 for two hours. Not expensive in itself — but Orchid Lounge was about AUD 18 for tea and sweets, and by that measure the Thalasso pool wasn’t good value.
The spa: not this time
AYANA has a spa, but I didn’t use it this time, so I won’t judge it. Next time.
Next time: 6:30am yoga
On one morning walk I came across a group yoga class on a lawn overlooking the sea at 6:30am. It looked wonderful — soft morning air, hardly anyone around. I hadn’t packed anything to wear, so I couldn’t join, but next time I will. Note: it needs booking in advance. Tell your butler early in your stay.
A solo afternoon at Orchid Lounge
One afternoon my husband went to the gym, so I went alone to Orchid Lounge. It became one of the moments I remember most.
At 4pm, I nearly had it to myself
There was only one other couple. The room is beautiful: orchids everywhere, greenery, elegant furniture — somewhere you can sit alone comfortably.
Blend your own tea
- Choose a base — green tea, black tea and so on
- Choose a flavour — hibiscus, for example
- Choose a flower
A tea specialist sits with you and explains what each combination will taste like, so you don’t need to know anything.
Tea and sweets came to about AUD 18 — remarkably reasonable for the setting and the service. Afternoon tea needs booking, but for tea and dessert at around 4pm, after the afternoon tea sitting, you can just walk in.
How we spent the week
Mornings: an early walk
Every day started with a walk before the heat: down the hill towards Rock Bar, up the steps, through the AYANA lobby to Segara, then along the garden path to RIMBA. Bougainvillea and frangipani everywhere, early light coming through. At the RIMBA lobby we called a buggy back to the villa — walk there, ride back — then straight to DAVA for breakfast.
Days: reading by the pool
After breakfast, nothing planned. I’d brought several books I’d been wanting to read, and read them looking out over the Indian Ocean — into the pool when it got hot, back to the book when I’d cooled down. Bringing books was the best preparation I made.
Evenings: sunset, then a buggy to dinner
At sunset we’d go to a spot on the estate with a good view — a different one each day — then call a buggy to dinner. Walk in the morning, read and swim by day, sunset, dinner. That was the whole week, and I didn’t miss sightseeing at all.
What a week cost the two of us
- Package — flights from Japan, villa, breakfast, airport transfers: ¥1,240,000 for two, about AUD 11,200
- DAVA seafood dinner: about AUD 225
- Luna Bar, small plates with extra drinks: about AUD 70
- Rock Bar, drinks with a light bite: about AUD 65
- Karang dinner: about AUD 55 — drinks only, the food was a villa perk
- Thalasso pool, 2 hours, one person: just under AUD 45
- Orchid Lounge, tea with sweets, one person: about AUD 18
- Visa on arrival, e-VOA: IDR 500,000 each, about AUD 40
- Bali tourist levy: IDR 150,000 each, about AUD 12
- Total: about ¥1,300,000 for two, about AUD 11,750
Almost all of that was the package. Once there — including the visa and levy — we spent only about AUD 590. Breakfast was included, everything was charged to the room, and we never left the resort, which made the budget very easy to predict.
Staying at AYANA gets you the priority lane
Rates change a lot by season, so it is worth pricing your dates directly. ZenHotels lists AYANA Villas alongside the other Jimbaran hotels.
What I wish I’d known before going
Sort out the visa, levy and arrival card before you fly
- Visa on arrival, e-VOA: IDR 500,000 per person, about AUD 40, applied for online at the official Indonesian immigration site, evisa.imigrasi.go.id. It allows a 30-day stay. Card payments carry a fee
- Bali tourist levy: IDR 150,000 per person, about AUD 12, paid online at lovebali.baliprov.go.id. Save the QR code on your phone
- Arrival card: free, submitted online on the official All Indonesia site within 72 hours before you land. You can apply for the e-VOA on the same site
Australian passport holders need the visa on arrival too, so it’s easiest to do all three together.
Watch out for copycat sites. Some charge a fee for the free arrival card. The official Indonesian government sites all end in go.id. Rules change, so check Smartraveller before you go.
An eSIM
AYANA has Wi-Fi throughout, but for the airport transfer and emergencies it’s worth having your own data. Setting up an eSIM before leaving was much easier than sorting it out at the airport.
Travel insurance
Even for a short trip from Australia, it’s worth being covered for medical costs and cancellations. World Nomads began in Australia and is easy to compare.
We receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.
A water bottle
The one thing I most wished I’d packed. There’s always bottled water in the villa, but AYANA doesn’t sell bottled water, so on morning walks or at the pool I had nothing to carry. The estate is big and you walk a lot — a light refillable bottle makes a real difference.
A tote bag — for check-out day
Villa guests are lent a lovely basket bag during the stay, but it belongs to the villa. The catch: you can still use the pools after check-out, including the River Pool, and shower at the gym for free. With an evening flight, the last day is a full day — but you’ll be carrying swimmers, a towel and a change of clothes. A foldable tote solves it.
Buy souvenirs at the airport
The airport has a good range of Balinese things. Yes, at airport prices — probably two or three times more. I’d still rather pay the difference than spend precious resort time on a taxi into town.
Other small things
- Pack something for yoga if you want to join the 6:30am class
- No cash needed. Everything was charged to the room and paid by card at check-out. We didn’t exchange any money
- No tipping. A service charge is included throughout
- September was almost all sunshine — one light shower in a week
- Bring a layer for cooler mornings and evenings. Summer dresses by day, a cardigan at night
- Sun protection: you’ll spend a lot of time by the pool. I packed three sunscreens and a proper sun hat
The verdict
It isn’t cheap. But I felt the service and the experience were worth the price, or more. A large villa with its own pool, a River Pool that’s almost private after 10am, a buggy at the tap of an app, a butler who solves small problems at once, and lovely staff everywhere. Each is small, but after a week they add up to “we have to come back”. We’re hoping to return as soon as next year.
I’d even call it good value
Over 400 square metres with a private pool looking out to sea, outstanding service, an excellent breakfast and more — taken together, it felt like good value. Try booking a comparable villa in Hawaii or the Maldives for the same money.
An example: at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on the Big Island, the villas and specialty suites have no prices online at all — they can only be booked through a dedicated reservations team by phone. That alone tells you the category — and those are three-bedroom villas, much larger than ours. Having stayed in the Hualalai hotel wing and at Hana on Maui, I think what we got in Bali for the price was a very good deal.
It isn’t for everyone, though. Our week was walks, books, the pool, sunsets and dinner — no sightseeing. If you want to see things, you’d probably be bored. But if you value paying for time to do nothing at all, I can’t think of anywhere better.