I stopped at three resorts in Jimbaran on my recent trip to Bali. Jamahal, Kayumanis, and Jimbaran Puri Bali were all lovely places that I feel I can recommend to my clients. All of them are approximately 30 minutes drive from the airport and fairly close together.
First stop was Jamahal, which is located off the main road in Jimbaran away from the beach. It’s about ten minutes’ walk to the beach down a pretty lane; you go right past Kayumanis and Jimbaran Puri on the way. Jamahal has a small beach club and the beach itself is widely considered the best in Bali, with a large bay, white sand, and a fisherman’s village at one end. There are lots of local fish restaurants.
Jamahal itself is a small boutique property with only 13 rooms, a lovely spa, and a meandering main pool. The resort is done in Balinese style with rich dark wood and batik print details. It also smells amazing! There is no restaurant but a daily varied menu is offered and served in-villa. You can have breakfast either in your villa or in a ‘bale’ by the pool. The 2-3 bedroom villas are very spacious and have lead-in rooms without a pool themselves but with easy pool access. No kids under 16 are allowed, so this is perfectly suited to honeymoons and romantic escapes. Jamahal is intimate and tropical with really lovely service; its only fault is that it is further from the beach.
Next stop was Kayumanis. It’s only a two minute walk to the beach and is set in a huge coconut grove, which makes for lovely grounds. The rooms are called Estates and boast contemporary Balinese living with a separate, air-conditioned bedroom, an open air living area with a kitchenette and large outdoor bathrooms. The private pools are large with dark tiles. There is also a small restaurant on-site, which was obviously originally an Estate as it has a pool – currently, they’re removing a wall to make the restaurant more welcoming. Kids are allowed at Kayumanis. The resort is very spacious and beautifully furnished, but I’d hesitate to recommend it to mozzie phobes because of the amount of open air living space.
Jimbaran Puri Bali was my last stop, and is located directly on the beach. It’s a spacious, spread out resort with a lovely feel as soon as you enter. The property is by Orient Express, with Balinese style accommodation. The villas themselves look as though they will be cosy from the outside but are actually very spacious on the inside. Each has a large bedroom and large bathroom with sunken bathtubs and an outdoor shower. The sea view villas are well worth the extra. The Deluxe One Bedroom Villas are to die for – each has a huge garden with ‘bale’, lawn, deck, and a large pool. They’re made up of either a longhouse with bedroom and living room attached (perfect for families with young children) or with two houses and a separate living room. There are also family villas, but the Deluxe One Bed Villas are a better value for little kids.
The resort has a huge main pool overlooking the beach. Obviously, they do allow kids, but there isn’t a kids’ club. There is a beach bar and a beach restaurant – there is no other way to eat! Jimbaran Puri Bali is a really good property, with an excellent beachfront location and beautiful rooms. The only downside is that there is no kids’ club, so for couples and groups, this is perfect.
I’ll return next week with the next leg of the trip – Seminyak!
