The Mulia Bali: Biggest & Best Luxury Hotel in Nusa Dua

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One of my greatest joys is being unexpectedly blown away by something on my travels. It doesn’t happen often, since I’m an ardent researcher and planner and can generally gauge when a place or experience is going to be amazing before I get there.

But when it does happen, ooooh boy.

To put it mildly: the Mulia Bali in Nusa Dua, Bali BLEW ME AWAY when we stayed there last month.

For whatever reason, I wasn’t expecting to be that wowed by it. Then we arrived and I immediately understood that I had underestimated this luxury hotel in Nusa Dua.

Walking through the resort complex feels very much like wandering through a palace: everything looks shiny and new, ceilings are sky high, and there’s always some sort of water element in sight no matter where you are.

In a word, it feels luxe.

The Mulia is one of the largest hotels in Bali, and one of the most award-winning. Travel+Leisure has named it the #20 best resort IN THE WORLD, and #2 best resort in Indonesia (outranking the super-luxe Nihi Sumba, a very impressive feat!).

Recognized as one of Asia’s finest luxury resorts by Conde Nast Traveler and TripAdvisor, Mulia Resort offers 526 beautifully designed guest rooms, from intimate 59 sqm rooms to lavish 140 sqm suites. Each room boasts a spacious balcony with views of lush landscapes and the pristine beach. Experience Mulia Resort’s exceptional service and genuine Balinese hospitality.

Whatever you see on The Mulia’s website, social media, or review platforms (or even this blog post)… I promise you it’s at least 10x better in person.

My only regret is scheduling our stay to coincide with the wedding we had to attend in Uluwatu. We lost half a day to the wedding, which was a big chunk of the limited time we had at the resort. Next time, we want to stay for a full week!

Pete and I are still talking about our stay at the Mulia Resort 4 weeks later, and constantly asking each other when we can go back.

For now, I’ll just reminisce on the incredible 2-night stay we had there through this blog post 🙂

The Mulia Bali: 3 Resorts In One

First, it’s important to note that the Mulia Bali is actually comprised of 3 different resorts that share the same facilities (though some have additional private facilties):

• Mulia Resort (where we stayed) – The larger resort, with two long wings of rooms set back from the beach which run up to the main building (where reception, the gym, and most of the dining venues and shops are located). The main and most central resort of The Mulia.
• The Mulia – The small resort right on the beach, next to Mulia Resort. It’s home to the exclusive Oasis Pool (the extra-photogenic one lined with statues carrying plates on their heads), which is available for guests of The Mulia and Mulia Villas only.
• Mulia Villas – Located away from the beach in an expansive private area with standalone villas (great for families and groups). The spa and tennis court are nearby, and the Aqua Pool is available exclusively for guests staying at the villas.

We stayed at the Mulia Resort, so that will be the focus of this blog post 🙂

Rooms at the Mulia Resort

Our socks were knocked off before we even reached our courtyard view room at the Mulia Resort. The walk there was via a long open air corridor with rooms on one side and a very aesthetic terraced garden on the other. I love when buildings blend nature into their design, and The Mulia is one of the finest examples of this that I’ve witnessed.

My first thought upon entering our Royal Suite was how SPACIOUS it was (83 sqm, about 40% larger than the signature room). The door opens into a small waiting room before entering the main suite: a combined work/sleep/living space, with dedicated areas for a desk, bed, and sofa. There’s plenty of space for two people to spread out, and I always love being able to separate my workspace from my sleep space.

Speaking of sleep… this bed was one of THE COMFIEST beds I have ever had the privilege of sleeping in. The kind of bed you just melt into as you drift off to sleep.

And then we laid eyes on the bathroom and my goodness, it may have been the most impressive aspect of the whole suite. Mainly because of the large freestanding bath tub on one side of it. Trust that Pete made very good use of it during our stay.

I appreciated that the two windows next to the tub had shades you could pull down for privacy. I don’t think it would’ve been possible for anyone to spot us using the tub from 3 stories down on a walkway right next to our building, but for suites looking out over the courtyard pools, those shades are absolutely necessary. From my lounge chair at the Ladies Courtyard pool, I could very clearly see several bathtubs in the windows of the suites overlooking the pool.

So if being able to enjoy a bath with a view is important to you, I recommend requesting a room *away* from the pools, so you can keep the shades open while you bathe.

Aside from the tub, the bathroom itself is stunning: think all-marble everything, 2 sinks, a large shower with the most delicious-smelling shampoo and soap, and a “smart” toilet that senses when you enter the stall and opens the lid and warms the seat for you a few seconds before you need it (and yes, it flushes for you afterwards, too). This is a life luxury I never knew I wanted.

Worth noting: one of our sinks wasn’t draining properly and we didn’t have time to ask if someone could come and fix it, but when we returned to our room later that day, it was all fixed without us even having to mention it. Now THAT is the level of service every hotel should aim for!

Our Royal Suite was also equipped with a walk-in wardrobe room which fit all our suitcases quite nicely, and a balcony overlooking the walkway where I enjoyed my morning coffee.

We couldn’t find an iron or ironing board in the room, so we called reception and ended up borrowing a steamer to steam our wedding attire. A staff member brought it to our room within minutes and it was super simple to use. Too easy!

If you’re booking a stay at Mulia Resort, Nusa Dua Bali, I recommend springing for the Royal Lagoon Suite if possible: it’s essentially the same as the Royal Suite we had, but on the bottom floor with the lagoon pool literally right off its patio (very similar to the lagoon access room we stayed in at the Sheraton Grand Mirage in Port Douglas).

And if you’re really looking to splurge, go for the Royal Beachfront Suite at Mulia Resort (you get a view of the sea from both the balcony and the bath tub!), or a Beachfront View room at The Mulia.

Dining at Mulia Bali

As longtime readers and friends of mine know, I am certainly NOT a foodie. Food drives neither my daily nor travel decisions in any way, and the vast majority of my blog posts don’t even mention it.

However, everything we ate at The Mulia was INCREDIBLE and more than deserving of not just a mention, but a feature in this article.

The Mulia complex boasts about a dozen dining/drinking venues (see the list here), so you’re spoiled (if not overwhelmed) for choice. We got to sample a handful of them during our 2-night stay:

• The Cafe – Serves a buffet breakfast and dinner, as well as Sunday lunch. This is where most if not all guests go for their included daily breakfast, so it’s always very busy in the morning. The buffet includes virtually any breakfast dish you can think of, a wide array of fresh juices, and several Asian cuisine stations. Their french toast is so good that you don’t even need honey or syrup with it!
• Soleil – Open daily for lunch and dinner. Not just the best hotel restaurant I’ve ever dined at, but one of the best restaurants I’ve ever dined at, period. They have a very extensive menu (it took us ages to figure out what to order!), which includes handmade pastas, grilled meats, and dozens of other Mediterranean and Pan-Asian dishes. Their pad thai was the best I’ve had outside of Thailand, their ravioli the best I’ve had outside of Italy. Basically, you can’t go wrong no matter what you order – every single thing we ate there was incredible (and very generous portions). Plus, you get to dine while looking out at the picturesque Ocean Pool.

• Table8 – Open daily for lunch and dinner. We enjoyed a buffet dinner at this Chinese restaurant one night and stuffed ourselves with pork buns (OMG THE BEST) and other delicious dim sum dishes. There are also stations where you can have noodles and stir fries custom made for you.
• Cannelé – An upscale French patisserie with the most beautiful displays of pastries and cakes (have you ever seen a pastry in the shape of a handbag or a rose?), most of which can be had for $4-5 AUD apiece. I deeply regret not grabbing a babka while they were still available – that’s what I get for being disciplined and waiting to have dessert!

• The Bar – We didn’t dine or drink here, but we lingered one evening to catch a glimpse of the nightly musical performance (from 8pm Tues-Sun). How often do you see singers performing on platforms over the water?! If we were staying longer, we’d have aimed to sit on one of the comfy couches at The Bar to watch the show with a beverage or two.

Coffee at Mulia Bali

Mulia Bali is damn near perfect, but I *do* have one teeny-tiny complaint: the lack of good coffee. Granted, I didn’t check ALL of the dining venues, so it’s possible I missed the good coffee – but then in that case, it should really be made clear where the go-to spot for coffee is at the hotel.

They serve coffee at the buffet breakfast at The Cafe, but I’m pretty sure it’s quickly made with one of those press-and-go coffee machines and not a barista (which is fair, because there are way too many guests at breakfast for a barista or five to accommodate).

I thought my best chance at good coffee would be the bakery (Cannelé), but my flat white there was ridiculously overpriced (nearly $10 AUD for a not-so-great cup). If there’s anything I hate, it’s paying way too much for a coffee that’s way too mediocre (lookin’ at you, USA!). But really, in what world is a simple coffee twice as expensive as a croissant?! I could maybe understand it if everything at the bakery was marked up, but it just doesn’t make sense to me that their very high quality artisanal pastries were so much cheaper than a cup of coffee (pretty much everything you see in the photos here goes for under $10 AUD, which is INCREDIBLE value).

To be fair, Bali in general doesn’t have great coffee, so my expectations are never high; but I’ve found several cafes across my Bali travels that do it nearly as good as the Aussies. There’s no reason a hotel of Mulia Bali’s caliber can’t offer great coffee at at least one of its outposts. Alternatively, I would LOVE to see them set up a coffee kiosk near the lobby for guests to grab and go as they head out on excursions.

Mulia Bali Spa & Wellness

One thing that really attracted me to Mulia Bali is their focus on holistic wellbeing. In addition to the typical array of spa treatments, they offer massages that incorporate Ayurveda, tapping, and rose quartz crystals. Guests can make use of the extensive spa facilities when they go for a treatment, as well as book private yoga sessions, sound healings, and customized fitness programs.

We experienced the Balinese massage, spa facilities, and a private yoga/sound healing session during our stay at the Mulia Resort.

Spa Treatments

Walking into the Mulia Bali Spa will have you feeling like royalty before you even begin your treatment. The spa embraces a luxe beige aesthetic and feels very high end.

We were handed a fruity welcome drink and a lemongrass-infused wash cloth before our treatment while we sat on a plush white sofa, filled out our intake forms, and wondered how on earth we got to be so lucky.

We both took a one-hour Balinese massage in separate rooms. In typical Traveller Tale and Pete fashion, we had opposite experiences: mine was pretty average, while Pete LOVED his massage.

Mulia Spa Facilities

What I was most looking forward to wasn’t the massage, but the spa facilities – and they did not disappoint!

When you book a spa treatment, you’re given access to the spa facilities – private access. This I wasn’t expecting, but gosh did it make the experience so much more special!

We were told we could spend up to an hour making use of the facilities before drying off, donning our robes, and heading to our massage rooms. We started off in the Finnish sauna (my usual fave), then braved a couple minutes in the ice room – yep, you read that right. A freezing-cold room with a tub of ice in the middle (which you can rub all over your body if you’re clinically insane – I mean, wanting to really drop that body temperature).

Fun fact: this is Asia Pacific’s first ice room, and it features chromatherapy (the light in the room changes colors to coincide with the chakras).

There’s also an aroma steam room, but we didn’t have time to use it, unfortunately. Instead, we spent most of our hour enjoying the hydrotherapy pools outside.

The hydrotherapy pools are divided into two sections: heated on the right, unheated on the left. Within both pools are different stations with bubbling hydro jets targeting a different muscle group. The idea is to spend a couple minutes at one station before moving on to the next, as you make your way all around the pool letting the jets massage your entire body.

Between the jet massages and the sound of trickling water around the pools, we were so incredibly blissed out. We easily could have spent several hours relaxing at the Hydrotonic Pool and Wellness Suite.

By the way, it’s possible to book time to use the spa facilities without getting any other treatment. According to their Express Treatment menu, you can book a private 30 or 60 minute session in the Hydrotonic Pool or Wellness Suite. Next time, we’ll definitely ask to add extra time for the spa facilities when we go for a massage there!

Sound Therapy

On our last morning at the Mulia Bali, we hopped on a golf cart and got dropped off at Eden Garden, right by the spa. Here, we had a one-hour private yoga and sound healing session.

The yoga shala overlooks the garden and was decorated with vibrant flowers when we arrived. Our mats were equipped with towels and bottled water to use during our session.

We began the session with some gentle stretches and poses, which felt so good since we had essentially rolled out of bed and come straight here without properly “waking up”. The session then transitioned into sound healing, and we lay on our backs as the practitioner played a few different instruments, including a lovely-sounding string instrument.

Pete is famously not at all into yoga (or any sort of fitness class for that matter), and the only reason he agreed to join me was the promise of sound healing with it. He ended up really enjoying the whole thing, even the yoga portion! I loved the whole session as well: it was an amazing way to start the day, and I think it’d be equally great around sunset to wind down the day.

Activities & Facilities at Mulia Bali

Pools

There are 6 stunning pools at Mulia Bali:

• Oasis Pool and Aqua Pool are exclusively for guests of The Mulia and Mulia Villas.
• Courtyard Pool and Splash Pool are ideal for families, as they’re shallow and have floaties, fountains, slides, etc to entertain the kids.
• Ladies Courtyard Pool is a peaceful pool set in the center of the resort, just in front of the gym.
• Oceanfront Pool is the most popular and vibey pool, located right on the beach with views of the sea.

If you’re staying at the Mulia Resort like we were, you’ll likely spend your time at the Ladies Courtyard Pool and Oceanfront Pool. They both have swim up bars and recliners set along the pool edge shallows as well as away from the pool in the shade of the trees. Their most unique feature, though, is the presence of towering Balinese statues along the sides of the pools. They’re such a joy for the eyes at every angle.

Beach

Technically a beach isn’t a hotel facility, but it simply MUST be mentioned that Mulia Bali is located right on Geger Beach, a gorgeous kilometer-long stretch of sand. You might not believe it, but most of the beaches in Bali are not that nice (and many are littered with trash that washes up on the sand). The beach at The Mulia, however, is one of the nicer beaches in Bali: it’s clean, has beautiful turquoise water, and is bordered on the south end by a temple.

Mulia’s complimentary water sports include kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding at the beach. You can even book a private picnic, bonfire, or outdoor movie night on the beach, which we are DEFINITELY doing on our next visit!

Gym

There are hotel gyms, and then there’s the Mulia Resort’s gym.

I am not exaggerating when I say that this gym is bigger and better than my gym back in Sydney (and it’s not even close). We were blown away when we walked in and glimpsed dozens of machines that looked brand new. They have leg stretching stations! And fruit-infused water! And a locker room that’s as luxurious as the resort suites!

Mulia Bali also offers several complimentary fitness classes every day (there’s a schedule on display just outside of the gym entrance), ranging from yoga and pilates to boxing and zumba.

Cultural Activities

If you want to immerse yourself in Balinese culture, you can do so at The Mulia: cultural activities include learning how to make an offering and a Tridatu bracelet (red/black/white striped string bracelets), dressing up in traditional clothing, and a Balinese script writing workshop.

Thank you to Mulia Bali for gifting me with a 2-night stay. Note that all opinions expressed here and elsewhere on this blog are my unbiased own, and are uninfluenced by any gifts or incentives I may receive.