If you had 4 or 5 days in Bali and all you wanted to do was stay in an ultra luxerious resort and hang out at the beach, which city and which resort?

Thanks

P.S. Assume that money is no object (although it is, I want to know what the best of the best is).

Just make sure you get off the hotel grounds a lot so you experience more than fake Bali!

Combination of ultra luxurious and a good beach is hard to find as many of the best beaches were built up before the high end came to Bali.

My favorite is the Legian on Seminyak beach. They have both a regular resort on the beach and villas across the road.

The Oberoi is nearby on the same beach, but it's a bit rundown and I don't think the rooms are as nice as the Legian.

The Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton are both very nice properties, but the beach at Jimbaran is somewhat limited. It's rocky and truncated. Plus that view of the airport is somewhat off-putting. The Ritz is on a cliff and doesn't have direct beach access.

The Aman has two beach properties. Amanusa at Nusa Dua, where there are many, many resorts and Amankila on the east coast. Both beaches are passable but not great. The resorts themselves are very luxurious.

In the past year Bali has experienced an explosion of villas, both on the beach and inland. Some are affiliated with resorts -- like the Legian and the Ritz -- some are independently owned in private complexes. There are many, many choices and they are really a nice option EXCEPT that they are seldom actually ON the beach and they are very isolated. The service level is also variable. The Balinese are extremely hospitable, but there are just more new properties than there are trained workers. So if you go for a villa, get a personal recommendation from someone who's stayed there.

So for my money a beach front room at the Legian is the best combination of good service, wonderful view, beautiful surrounding, access to restaurants, shops and a beach that goes on for miles. The downside is that the surf is quite rough in this area. You can swim in it, but only if you're hearty. The beaches at Nusa Dua and Jimbaran are better swimming beaches.

Best combination of resort / beach Grand Hyatt should be one of the tops. Beautiful property with a great beach!

The number of luxury hotels in Bali makes it hard to choose, but also hard to go wrong. Having seen your other posts, I think you would be happy at any hotel you have mentioned (FS, Ritz-Carltons, Amans, etc.) For my money, I prefer the less populated areas of the north east coast, so I would choose the Amankila. Also, as noted in another of your posts, the scuba diving and snorkelling are also much better in these areas, esp Mangiss. A great trip IMO would be a few days at the Amandari in Ubud, a few days at the Amankila, and then head over by the Aman’s boat to the Amanjiwo for a different island experience and great diving.

Just to throw a new spanner into your works, bear in mind that Bulgari is opening its first resort in Bali, and they should be open by July. You might want to check these out. The smaller villas are 3,000 square feet, the largest ones over 5,000. Having stayed in their Milan property, IMO, their Bali resort would be the ultimate experience. Go to bulgarihotels.com

I know from your other posts that you are on your honeymoon for this trip which is in July.
Much as I love Bali, it is a LONG way to go to sit on a pretty but not spectacular beach. If you are truly only interested in a great beach, azure waters, etc IMO you are better off in Hawaii, Tahiti /Bora Bora or along the east coast of Malaysia (perfect in July). The Amanpuolo in the Philippines is also spectacular, but would be very rainy in July.

Finally, having been lucky to have seen a lot of beautiful beaches in my life, I have to say that St John USVI is among my personal top three places in the world for gorgeous beaches.

give the new conrad a try