The Hotel After staying at the Hoshinoya Fuji last November, I am in love with the Japanese hotel brand, and I am glad I had the chance to check out Hoshinoya’s first overseas resort this month at Hoshinoya Bali located in Ubud. I checked in to Hoshinoya Bali after my stay at Capella Ubud, and this resort exudes a very different vibe from Capella Ubud. Hoshinoya Bali is located in eastern Ubud, on a flat tract of land that dips suddenly towards a river valley. 

Designed by Azuma Architect & Associates, the design of the resort is a harmonious blend of Japanese spatial with Balinese culture. This is evident from the moment I arrived at the property when I was greeted by the staff as soon as my car arrived, before I was ushered through a Balinese-style entrance gate which quite literally opened up to a world of zen for me.    

In terms of the design and layout of the resort, there are two distinctive zones where the villas are all located on the flat part of the premises, while the public spaces blended well into nature and are located at the edge of the valley. 

Another distinct feature of the resort’s design is the beautiful boardwalk which has been built along an ancient canal which is a key feature of the traditional Balinese irrigation system known as a subak. I walked along the boardwalk upon exiting the reception building, and it was nice to immediately be able to take in the vast landscape of the resort and the surrounding nature. 

If you were to ask me what is the most distinctive of all from a design perspective, it has to be the series of birdcage-like cafe gazebos which hover above the boardwalk and look out onto the valley. 

The Room There are only 30 villas in Hoshinoya Bali, and I checked into the Jalak (Garden Pool Villa with Terrace), single-floor villa which is approximately 198m². Jalak is the highest category one bedroom villa as it occupies a corner space which overlooks the jungle that carpets the Pakerisan River Valley. They are also located nearest to the restaurant, spa, and other public areas. 

My villa number was 207, and I had to walk through a small garden courtyard, before it opens up to the vast villa space which includes a gazebo with a roof made of alang-alang, a sacred grass. 

The unique layout of the Jalak villa is the wide, winding L-shaped balcony, which can be opened up to combine seamlessly with the interior of the villa.

This design pays respect to the Balinese philosophy of balancing humans with the natural and the supernatural. It is a nice design aspect for me as it brings nature even closer. 

The layout of the interior of the villa is split into the living area which has a dining table and a huge comfortable sofa with a coffee table.

I love that the interior is decked in wooden furniture, which exudes a strong Japanese element to the design.

The minibar has coffee and tea bags should you wish to make some hand drip coffee, which I did. 

Connecting seamlessly with the living area is the bedroom, which comes in the form of a platform bed which overlooks the balcony and greenery. There are also charging points at each side of the bed. 

One standout feature of the bedroom design is the huge feature wall, a representation of Ubud culture in the form of woodcarvings. It is beautiful.   

The bathroom area is very spacious, where there is a bathtub and standing shower with a stool, just like how it is in Japanese onsens.

Double vanity sinks, as well as a separate toilet cubicle with sink.

I also appreciate the heated toilet bowl seat and Japanese technology! 

The storage area for luggage is huge too, with spacious wardrobes and ample drawers to store belongings. 

For the outdoor terrace area, there is also a huge poolside lounge bed to chill, where you can literally walk straight into the pool. 

The only downside for me is that the blinds within the villa are not auto, so I had to roll them down and up in the evening and in the morning.

It is also noteworthy that the lighting at night throughout the villa is dim orange light, which might not be conducive if you want to read or watch videos on your phone. That said, this also ties in with the Hoshinoya brand philosophy of wanting their guests to feel well-rested. On the same note, there are also no TVs in all Hoshinoya properties. 

Other villa categories are Bulan (Garden Pool Villa) where the bedroom is on the second floor; and Soka (Garden Pool Villa, Maisonette) where the combined bedroom and study area is located on the second floor and is good for up to four guests. 

The Facilities The most distinct facility in the resort for me are the three long canal-like swimming Pools which surround each villa. 

The pools are dotted with carefully arranged water gardens where each villa has a slice of its own private section, as well as a canal-like public area in the center of each pool. 

It is nice that I was able to walk out of my villa directly into the pool, where the garden design also takes inspiration from the river streams of Bali. 

If you are in for a Spa, the spa rooms are located halfway down the hill from the resort nearer to the jungle, as well as the Pakerisan River below. 

For a quiet space, there is The Library which is a quiet retreat room to read books and do work (but why though?).

The Hoshinoya brand is also big on activities for guests within the resort, where I signed up for the complimentary Afternoon Matcha held in Café Gazebo; Afternoon Tape Mojito where I had Mojito served with Tape Ketan, a fermented sticky rice that has a sweet and sour taste; and there are also other complimentary cultural activities for guests such as Batik Saya where you get your hands on making batik, a technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to the white cloth using “Canting” and pattern stamp.  

Unfortunately, all Hoshinoya properties have no fitness centre which I am still not used to since I am used to hitting the gym even on vacations.   

The Restaurants For dining, there is only one restaurant in the resort, where the Dining Hall is located close to the reception area, with a dining view of the lush forest.  

I managed to have dinner here where there is a choice of ala carte or a tasting menu (Rp 1,200,000++ per person). The cuisine for the tasting menu I had is a mix of French and Balinese with Japanese elements. 

In terms of breakfast, you can choose to have it at the Dining Hall where you get to choose from Indonesian or Japanese bento-style options, though a better experience I would recommend is the Air Gazebo Breakfast (Rp 350,000++ per person) which takes place in one of the “Café Gazebo”.  

Lean back and relax on the comfortable sofas where the staff will set up the picnic-style breakfast for you.

It is also one of the best experiences to go for in Hoshinoya Bali in my opinion, where the picnic basket is a 3-tier selection of fruits and Indonesian delights infused with Japanese elements. Coffee and tea are also served. 

I stayed fully in the resort during my one night stay and I also enjoyed the in-room dining service which is quite prompt (less than 30 minutes of wait time) where I ordered lunch in my villa. The lunch menu is quite varied with a mix of Indonesian and Japanese options like Nasi Goreng and Chicken Karaage. 

Rants The location of Hoshinoya Bali is quite a distance from Ubud town centre if you are planning to head out. Dining options within the resort are also just limited to one main restaurant. 

Overall Experience This is no doubt a beautiful resort in Ubud where the design aesthetics are on point. Ground service of staff is attentive and good, and if you enjoy nature with a strong Japanese element in terms of design, Hoshinoya Bali is definitely worth checking out. 

Hoshinoya Bali 
Br. Pengembungan, Pejeng Kangin, Tampaksiring, Pejeng Kangin, Kec. Tampaksiring, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80552, Indonesia 

For more information, check out the Hoshinoya Bali Website.

Ranted by The Ranter