The Kayumanis Jimbaran Private Estate is part of the small Indonesian Kayumanis chain of resorts that operates several properties in Bali and China. Kayumanis itself seems to focus on operating intimate all-villa properties with personalised service. Opened in 2006, their Jimbaran property is their fourth and latest to open on the island. Designed by the Indonesian architect Tan Tik Lam, the resort only has 20 villas each with a starting size of no less than 500 sqm.

Location

The resort is located in the Jimbaran neighbourhood, famed for its seaside grilled seafood restaurants. Despite all the development in the past decades, Jimbaran remains classified as a village. The area is reachable within a 15-minute drive from the island’s airport, Ngurah Rai International. Despite the proximity, there were no problems with aeroplane noise pollution.

The resort is located right next to the Belmond-operated Jimbaran Puri Resort, and nearby Four Seasons Jimbaran. The resort does not have access to a beach, let alone a private one, although is physically located 5 minutes away from Jimbaran Beach by foot. In spite of that, the hotel is located only a 5-minute walk away from the public entrance of the beach. The beach is located within a bay and so there aren’t really any big waves.

There are no beach chairs or day bed facilities provided by the hotel (or at least as far as I know). Prior to the pandemic, the resort had some sort of an arrangement with the Belmond next door, allowing Kayumanis guests to use Belmond’s beach facilities. However, that arrangement appears to have been suspended (understandably). 

Complimentary Airport Transfer

Upon arrival at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport from our Batik Air flight, we were met by a friendly representative from Kayumanis, who is to drive us to the resort. After a long walk to the airport’s parking lot area to the car, it was a 15-minute drive to Kayumanis in the resort’s Toyota Innova. In the car were two bottles of water, along with a hand sanitiser dispenser. Traditional Balinese music was playing in the stereo.

Arrival and Check-in

We had an effortless arrival at the Kayumanis. Following a brief vehicle security check, we drove straight to the resort’s small but beautiful reception, where the resort’s ‘butlers’ were waiting for us. After exchanging a few pleasantries, it wasn’t long before we were brought to our villa, as the rest of the check-in formalities are done there. 

The walk to the villas was also a treat since the resort’s manicured garden walkway was absolutely beautiful.

Our One-Bedroom Private Pool Villa

We were assigned a villa called ‘Sambok’ which belongs in the One-Bedroom Private Pool Villa category. This is an ‘entry level’ category, though it was anything but entry-level. At 500 square meters or 5400 sqft, the space is much more spacious compared to the villa offerings at the Jimbaran Puri next door and the Four Seasons down the road. The villa itself was very elegantly appointed.

Upon entering the villa, we were met by soft Balinese music playing in the background, as well as two refreshing guava drinks.

Living Area

The villa comprised three pavilions and a private pool. The first and largest pavilion is the combined living and dining area, where a typical living room is set up, along with a dining table seating four and a kitchenette. The pavilion is built with beautiful timber, clad in cool volcanic basalt flooring, and topped with thatched roofing. I thought that all of these are very local yet elegant touches. There is also a television in the living area.

Right behind this is an awkward indoor space housing two lounge chairs, that apparently can be repurposed to accommodate spa treatments. I was told that this space can also be converted into a second bedroom should the need arise. Next to this room is a guest bathroom of sorts which includes a wash closet, bidet, and an outdoor shower. 

Bedroom

The bedroom itself is of good size, and has a four-poster bed, along with a day bed by the window and a desk. along with a closet. The room is tastefully furnished, in my opinion, and I appreciate the sense of place brought about by the thatched roofing. The bed is rather hard, as is common in Asia, but that didn’t prevent me from getting good nights of sleep. Interestingly, the pens provided are actual cinnamon sticks, a great reflection of the name Kayumanis, which means cinnamon in Indonesian.

There is a sizeable open-air bathroom behind the bedroom, which features double sinks, a sizeable terrazzo bathtub, and an outdoor shower. The soap and shampoo are placed in reusable stone containers and are unbranded like at many high-end resorts (presumably sourced from a local producer).

Dining

Although we had all our meals in the villa, the resort’s restaurants, Kayumanis and Cuca are well-rated online. Whilst I occasionally doubt the integrity of reviews on such websites, I can attest that the food at the Kayumanis is indeed very good and of great quality.

For breakfast, the meal can be taken either in the villa or at the Kayumanis restaurant, which is housed in a traditional Joglo house (like Plataran Canggu). We had a selection of different local dishes for breakfast over our three-night stay, and they were all very delicious. The fruits and bread were all fresh as well, to our delight. Additionally, orders of Green Tea or Balinese Coffee are served with fresh-cut lime and honey.

We also had dinner in the villa on one of the nights we couldn’t be fussed to go out to find food. We ordered an Indonesian chicken dish called ‘Ayam Intuk’ and some satay, both of which were excellent in terms of quality and taste. Both dishes are priced at around IDR150,000 to IDR160,000 before taxes.

The Ayam Intuk was especially fragrant, probably from the amalgamation of being cooked with many spices. It came with a Thai basil and chilli sambal sauce, which was hot but refreshing. The chicken was physically small, but it was explained that the meat comes from an indigenous variety of smaller chicken called ‘Ayam Kampong’. Very good! 

Service

The resort’s staff are very warm, friendly and courteous. No matter where you walk within the hotel grounds, each staff member, from gardener to butler would stop whatever they’re doing to greet you ‘Good Morning’ or otherwise – a pattern I also witnessed at the Four Seasons down the road a few years back. A very nice and welcoming touch. Note that all staff members at reception are interestingly referred to as butlers, and call themselves such as well. In particular, ibu Yukari at the reception is always a delight.

Every morning, as breakfast is delivered to the villa, the two people bringing the food would set the table very carefully to ensure everything is placed correctly on the table. I thought this reflected a polished standard of service, and of course, very good attention to detail. 

Overall

Overall, I can’t recommend Kayumanis Jimbaran enough. Despite its (little) shortcomings, the resort itself is ultimately an excellent choice in the Jimbaran area, as well as the south of the Island. The villas, service, food, and location are excellent. The small size of the hotel makes the service a lot more personalised compared to the likes of Belmond and Four Seasons, both of which are larger villa resorts.

I would not hesitate to stay here again in the future.

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