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One of the best things about Bali is its wide array of luxury accommodation options available at a very affordable price point. It can actually be quite overwhelming, and I always find myself going deep down research rabbit holes with every Bali trip I plan, meticulously debating between numerous Bali hotels before ultimately choosing which to book.
If you happen to be doing the same right now in your search for the best hotel in Jimbaran, Bali… congrats, you’ve found it!
Introducing: the InterContinental Bali Resort!
Just a 15 minute drive south from Bali airport in Denpasar, the InterContinental Bali Resort makes for a very convenient base from which to explore the island… though trust me, you’re probably not going to want to leave the resort at all.
From its picturesque pools to its stunning beachfront location, this is a hotel you’ll want to linger at.
Here are 7 things I think every guest absolutely MUST do while staying at the InterContinental Bali in Jimbaran (tried and tested by me on our recent stay in May 2025):
Planning a trip to Bali?
These are the sites I use and recommend for booking travel:
ACCOMMODATION IN BALI: I always search on Booking.com for accommodation, as their Genius loyalty program offers 10-20% discounts and free breakfast/upgrades for certain hotels. Or in this case, you can skip the search and book the InterContinental Bali Resort, where I stayed.
FLIGHTS TO BALI: When researching flights, I always check Skyscanner first because it pulls in flight options across all airlines and saves you the trouble of searching each airline individually. When booking flights via Skyscanner, I always book directly with the airline rather than one of the third party options.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN BALI: 12Go is the best site to book transport (buses, trains, ferries) from A to B in a lot of Asian countries.
ACTIVITIES IN BALI: If you’re looking to book tours or other organized activities on your travels, GetYourGuide and Viator both offer myriad options for fun things to do all around the world (think: sailing trips, cooking classes, city walking tours, and more).
TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR INDONESIA: Unless you can easily afford to pay for huge unexpected medical bills, DON’T TRAVEL WITHOUT TRAVEL INSURANCE! These days, I usually buy the Safety Wing nomad insurance, as it’s very affordable and caters to digital nomads with a monthly subscription option. I’ve also been a longtime World Nomads user, and will still use them if I need more comprehensive insurance (e.g. for adventure activities) or if I am visiting the US (Americans aren’t eligible for Safety Wing’s US add-on option).
ESIM / SIM CARD FOR INDONESIA: When traveling overseas, I always purchase an eSIM from Sims Direct for the country I’m going to, activate it before I depart, and as soon as I arrive I am automatically connected to the local network and can easily find my way to my accommodation. No need to to buy a local SIM card at the airport; eSIMs are fully electronic and don’t require you to take out your old SIM.
LUGGAGE: I am currently a July luggage girl (July Australia / July US). They offer a lifetime warranty, which I have used multiple times now – and every time, they have sent me a brand new replacement suitcase without hassle. I recommend their Checked Plus if traveling with 32kg/70lb of luggage (note: many airlines do not allow bags this heavy!), the Checked if traveling with 23kg/50lb of luggage, and the Carry On Light (Expanded) which is super lightweight and really helps you stay within the 7kg carry-on limit that many Aussie airlines enforce. Click to read my full review of July luggage.
Go Pool Hopping
It won’t take you long after arrival to note that the pools are the focal point of the resort.
Most specifically, the Nirwana Pool, which is the main pool that overlooks Jimbaran Bay and hosts a swim-up bar and the Jimbaran Gardens restaurant (one dining section actually cuts *into* the pool, making it feel as if you’re dining in water!). It is exceedingly gorgeous, particularly on a sunny day where you have blue pool + blue sea + blue sky stretching out before you. Really, if you spent your entire time at the InterContinental Bali Resort sitting by this glorious pool, I’d call it a holiday very well spent.
But don’t forget about all the other pools at the resort! They’re all very nice to look at as well, with their statues and water fixtures. For many guests, they’re just decorative, marking the pathway to the main pool. But they also make for a peaceful and semi-private swimming experience, since most people gravitate towards the Nirwana Pool. Some of them are quite shallow and thus ideal for kids.
I had the Fountain Pool all to myself on our last morning!
Enjoy A Drink At The Sunset Beach Bar
What’s better than catching the sunset from the beach? Catching the sunset from the Sunset Beach Bar & Grill, the InterContinental Bali Resort’s vibey bar set right next to the beach.
We booked in for sunset cocktails one evening at 6pm, just in time to watch the sunset over the beach with a margarita in hand and a live band playing. I loved watching the sky change colors and turn dark while the bar’s aesthetic lanterns lit up the venue around us.
Honestly, I would have been perfectly content spending the whole evening here, enjoying the view and live music and ordering food to eat whenever I got hungry (the Sunset Beach Bar & Grill has a variety of dishes and grilled items on the menu that would make for a satisfying dinner). The only reason we left was because we had a dinner reservation elsewhere.
Our second night at the hotel, we had a wedding welcome party to attend which happened to take place at the Sunset Bar. They blocked off one side of the venue for the party, while hotel guests could still sit by the band stage to enjoy food and drinks.
Throughout the event, servers came around with trays of a few signature drinks and finger foods for partygoers to grab. I don’t know if it was a different bartender, or different recipe, but the margarita served at this wedding welcome party was one of the best I’ve EVER had (and much better than the one I had there on our first night). And they were happy to humor my request for margaritas without any salt on the rim (yes, I’m a weirdo).
Overall, it was a really lovely event – mostly, I was thrilled just to be able to spend two evenings at the Sunset Bar! It’s a must-do when you stay at the InterContinental Bali.
Book A Room With Club Lounge Access
If you take just ONE thing from this blog post, let it be this: choose a room with club lounge access when booking your stay at the InterContinental Bali Resort.
You don’t need any special InterContinental membership in order to book the club rooms; all you need to do is make sure the room type says “club lounge access” when you select it from the list of available rooms. When I searched for a variety of date ranges while writing this post, these club rooms were on average about double the price of the equivalent room without club lounge access.
Ok but what does “club lounge access” even mean?!, you’re probably wondering right about now.
According to the InterContinental website, Club InterContinental is a “resort within a resort”. More specifically:
Ideal for those seeking Bali hotels with Premium rooms, Club InterContinental is a celebration of classic style where guests are treated to an elevated level of hospitality defined by a distinguished collection of luxurious guest rooms, suites and villas, an unprecedented level of personalized service, opulent in-room amenities and elegant facilities.
Basically, when you book a room at the InterContinental Bali with club lounge access, you’re getting a bunch of extra perks including:
- Private check-in/check-out in the club lounge (instead of the hotel reception desk)
- Access to the club lounge and club pool
- Free non-alcoholic drinks all day at the club pool
- Daily breakfast in the club lounge
- Daily afternoon tea in the club lounge
- Daily evening cocktails and canapes in the club lounge
- Dedicated concierge and 24/7 on-call butler service
These club perks were everything I didn’t know I wanted, and totally took our stay to the next level. You can’t help but feel fancy when stepping into the club lounge, full of velvet furniture, framed paintings, and chandeliers.
Breakfast at the club lounge is excellent, and includes a small but extremely delicious selection of breads, cheeses, tropical fruits, pastries, and other breakfast bites. There’s also a breakfast menu you can order barista coffee and hot dishes from, like eggs, waffles, and pancakes. I couldn’t pass up a chance to enjoy truffle eggs (ugh so good!).
We also stopped in for afternoon tea one day, which was very much English-style with a multi-tier tray of pastries and mini sandwiches (I think this was my first-ever proper tea, actually!). We would’ve dropped by for evening cocktails and canapes as well, but unfortunately didn’t have time to. There’s usually a live piano performance during this time as well.
Our club room at the InterContinental Bali opened up right to the club pool, which was a lovely surprise. The club pool is probably the least aesthetic of all the resort pools, but it’s very peaceful and offers free non-alcoholic beverages on tap (literally: you tap the button at your sunbed and someone will come around to take your drink order). There’s a myriad of smoothies, juices, and mocktails available, in addition to coffee, water, and soft drinks.
In all honesty, I never would have considered booking a club room before. But after experiencing it for the first time, I can confirm it’s much like flying first/business class for the first time: you just can’t go back to a regular room (or an economy flight) next time!
Having club lounge access took our stay at the InterContinental Bali Resort to the next level and made our experience so much more special. If you have the means, I HIGHLY recommend booking a club room when you stay at this Jimbaran hotel.
Unwind At The Spa
The InterContinental Bali’s onsite spa, Spa Uluwatu, offers spa treatments, beauty services, and a bathhouse – a one-stop shop for anyone looking to fully relax, unwind, and pamper themselves on their Bali holiday.
While massages are always on the docket when we visit Bali (more on that shortly!), I was most eager to take advantage of the spa facilities. It’s not often that you have a sauna, steam room, jacuzzis, *and* cold plunge at a hotel spa!
We visited late morning one day and had the whole bathhouse to ourselves. Note that men and women have separate entrances, locker rooms, and facilities; a very aesthetic unisex whirlpool in the center of the spa is where the two sections meet. So Pete and I did most of our spa-ing separately and tried to time our meetup at the center, which worked pretty well.
I was especially impressed with how clean the bathhouse was: there always seemed to be fresh towels in place and no puddles on the floor (and goodness knows I left a LOT of both around when I was there).
I’d assumed that booking a spa treatment gave you access to the spa facilities, but it seems that the bathhouse is available to all resort guests because a few of Pete’s friends who were also staying there for the wedding were able to get in without booking anything. We weren’t asked about booking any treatments when we went to use the bathhouse either. So that’s a pretty amazing perk to have when staying at the InterContinental Bali Resort, which I’m guessing a lot of guests don’t know about since it wasn’t busy at all during our stay. Be sure to take advantage while you’re there!
Get A Massage Outdoors
Getting a massage at your Bali hotel is one thing, but getting a massage outdoors, right by the beach, at your Bali hotel? That’s a whole other thing entirely.
The InterContinental Bali spa gives you both options: you can either have your massage in a private, air conditioned room inside… or you can have it in the spa bale, an elevated open air platform just next to the main pool, facing the sea.
We went with the outdoor 60 minute Balinese massage and it was INCREDIBLE. The sound of the waves lapping on the shore combined with the firm, rhythmic strokes of the massage had me dozing off multiple times during the treatment. I was a little concerned that it would be too hot to do it outdoors, but there was a glorious sea breeze that kept us cool the whole time. It also felt very private, due to the spa bale being well above the ground.
This was the best massage I had during our 10 day trip (and I had them almost daily). Pete didn’t rate his quite as high, but that’s usually how it is with us: one of us loves their massage while the other says it’s nothing to write home about.
Book A Purification Ritual
If you’re looking for unique things to do in Bali, or some kind of cultural activity to immerse yourself in, I can recommend the purification ritual at the InterContinental Bali Resort.
Our ritual took place late afternoon at a small temple on the beach at the resort (note: this is NOT the large temple at the front of the property!). Pete and I were wrapped in sarongs and told to stand facing the entrance of the temple. A Balinese priest conducted the ritual, going between us with various hand motions and chants, often doing things in threes. We had a lot of fresh coconut water poured on our heads and rice dabbed on our foreheads. We drank out of our own hands a few times as well.
In short, we had absolutely no idea what was happening or what would come next at any given moment, but it was a really beautiful experience and something unique to Bali that you can’t do anywhere else.
We also opted for a palm reading, which was done just after the ritual, on the grass right next to the temple. I’ve had a few palm readings in recent years, so I didn’t learn anything new (but did have some things confirmed, which is always reassuring!).
If you can only do one, I’d say go for the purification ritual; and if you’ve never gotten your palm read before, it’s worth adding the palm reading to your experience.
Check For Special Offers
Lastly (and this is something I recommend when booking any hotel) – be sure to check the special offers on the hotel’s website.
I find that many luxury hotels in Bali are always offering some sort of package deal to entice visitors to book a stay, especially during the low season (which is October-April, excluding Dec/Jan around Aussie school holidays).
The InterContinental Bali has an Offers page that currently includes a Jimbaran Bliss Package, which is similar to what we experienced during our stay. With this package, you get daily half board, a 60-minute Balinese massage for two, a daily cocktail for two at the Sunset Bar, and a Rip Curl stand-up paddleboarding lesson for two.
Planning a trip to Bali?
These are the sites I use and recommend for booking travel:
ACCOMMODATION IN BALI: I always search on Booking.com for accommodation, as their Genius loyalty program offers 10-20% discounts and free breakfast/upgrades for certain hotels. Or in this case, you can skip the search and book the InterContinental Bali Resort, where I stayed.
FLIGHTS TO BALI: When researching flights, I always check Skyscanner first because it pulls in flight options across all airlines and saves you the trouble of searching each airline individually. When booking flights via Skyscanner, I always book directly with the airline rather than one of the third party options.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN BALI: 12Go is the best site to book transport (buses, trains, ferries) from A to B in a lot of Asian countries.
ACTIVITIES IN BALI: If you’re looking to book tours or other organized activities on your travels, GetYourGuide and Viator both offer myriad options for fun things to do all around the world (think: sailing trips, cooking classes, city walking tours, and more).
TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR INDONESIA: Unless you can easily afford to pay for huge unexpected medical bills, DON’T TRAVEL WITHOUT TRAVEL INSURANCE! These days, I usually buy the Safety Wing nomad insurance, as it’s very affordable and caters to digital nomads with a monthly subscription option. I’ve also been a longtime World Nomads user, and will still use them if I need more comprehensive insurance (e.g. for adventure activities) or if I am visiting the US (Americans aren’t eligible for Safety Wing’s US add-on option).
ESIM / SIM CARD FOR INDONESIA: When traveling overseas, I always purchase an eSIM from Sims Direct for the country I’m going to, activate it before I depart, and as soon as I arrive I am automatically connected to the local network and can easily find my way to my accommodation. No need to to buy a local SIM card at the airport; eSIMs are fully electronic and don’t require you to take out your old SIM.
LUGGAGE: I am currently a July luggage girl (July Australia / July US). They offer a lifetime warranty, which I have used multiple times now – and every time, they have sent me a brand new replacement suitcase without hassle. I recommend their Checked Plus if traveling with 32kg/70lb of luggage (note: many airlines do not allow bags this heavy!), the Checked if traveling with 23kg/50lb of luggage, and the Carry On Light (Expanded) which is super lightweight and really helps you stay within the 7kg carry-on limit that many Aussie airlines enforce. Click to read my full review of July luggage.
