Ulu Cliffhouse

It’s been a long time since Bali, as a whole, felt like an undiscovered paradise. But when a hotel manages to stake out a little bit of privacy, it’s not hard to remember why this island became such a popular escape in the first place. The Ulu Cliffhouse is just such a hotel. Set not on a busy beach but on a cliffside in Uluwatu, perched above its own little stretch of sand, it’s is just about as small as it gets: a mere seven suites, each one named for one of Indonesia’s famous surf breaks, from Playgrounds to Dreamlands to the nearby Impossibles.

This small size and relative seclusion doesn’t mean dead calm — the hotel is a spinoff of the successful (though exclusive) Ulu Cliffhouse beach club, which pre-dates the opening of the hotel. This means the best of both worlds: stylish, spacious, and luxe suites, plus a built-in social life revolving around a 25-meter infinity pool, an open-air restaurant and bar, and the occasional big-name DJ in a relatively intimate setting. All this, and you’ve got access to some phenomenal surfing, diving, and snorkeling, and a standard of service that’s at once highly personal and exceedingly professional.