The 117-room Le Meridien Bali Jimbaran opened in 2012 as Bali’s second ever Le Meridien property. This Jimbaran property essentially replaces Tabanan Regency’s Le Meridien Nirwana Golf Resort, which was reflagged to a Pan Pacific before being demolished entirely in 2017. Covering a mere 1.5-hectare plot, the resort is one of the smallest in the area – especially compared to the behemoth 14-hectare InterContinental Bali next door. Designed by Indonesian firm Studio TonTon – who were also behind The Bale Nusa Dua – the resort cleverly maximised space by enveloping every room and facility around the airy courtyard and lagoon pool area.

Booking Le Meridien Bali Jimbaran

For this stay, I paid a nightly rate of IDR 1,531,000 (~ USD 85 or GBP 64) for a Double Classic Room, which I booked on Agoda.com. This was frankly a spectacular price for this property, especially for a stay during the summer season. A few years ago, during the Covid era, I’ve actually stayed at this property and had a less than stellar experience. Hence, I found this to be an exceptional opportunity to revisit this hotel and see how things have improved.

Location

As suggested by its name, the resort is located on a pristine stretch of Jimbaran Beach. Famed for its many local-style, beachside grilled seafood warungs, the Jimbaran can be polarising for some thanks to the crowds these eateries attract. In fact, the hotel has a back door that leads to a row of these local restaurants.

Jimbaran Beach itself stretches along a cove facing the West, ensuring gentle waves and often picturesque sunsets. Combined with its fine white sand, Jimbaran is perhaps one of the better beaches in Bali to swim in. Despite being located by the beach, however, the hotel does not actually have direct beach access. You can either get to the beach through the aforementioned eateries, assuming you are dining there. Otherwise, a public entrance can be accessed five minutes away on foot, although there isn’t a sidewalk making the short walk a bit precarious.

Check-in

Following a quick security check at the entrance, we were dropped off at a ground-level porte-cochère with a small welcome area. After confirming our reservation with a friendly greeter, he offered to drive us up to the lobby up a separate driveway in a golf cart.

As a consequence of this narrow driveway, cars couldn’t actually drop guests straight at the lobby. While this design oversight didn’t result much on an inconvenience, it felt a bit like a futile exercise, if you ask me!

At the eclectically designed lobby, we were quickly ushered to an empty reception desk, where we were invited to sit. A friendly agent (who I did not catch the name of, unfortunately), soon took care of us and quickly processed our check-in registration. Before long, another staff member showed up, presenting us with two shots of kunyit asam, a local herbal drink with medicinal properties.

Within a few minutes, along with some friendly chitchat, our agent presented with a pair of keys to our room on Level 2. We were graciously upgraded to an Aqua Studio Suite, which was certainly a generous and unexpected gesture. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, she directed us to her colleague, who would be taking us to our room. Despite how quick and efficient the process was, I still managed to take in the maximalist design of the lobby. A little too eccentric, if you ask me!

Design

As we walked towards our room in the third Aqua Studio Suite building from the lobby, I took the opportunity to really appreciate the resort’s architecture. It was especially nice to revisit Le Méridien Bali’s distinctive design, particularly following the extensive refresh undertaken after the Covid-era slump that affected much of Bali’s hospitality industry. Between the greenhouse-like appearance created by the glass balconies enveloping the lush tropical greenery and the sunken conversation pit set within the water garden, the resort certainly feels very special.

Studio TonTon has done a remarkable job transforming the property’s limited footprint into something of an eclectic architectural marvel. Granted, the resort deviates considerably from the traditional Balinese aesthetic, but it possesses a distinctive charm all of its own.In fact, so little of the resort feels overtly Balinese that you’d think this was a slice of a chic Le Méridien resort that just happens to be in Bali. In that sense, I suppose it is entirely fitting for the brand. Whether the lack of local design cues is a positive or a negative, however, I’ll leave for you to decide.

Having said all that… well, I’d probably exclude the guestroom corridors from that praise. 😛

Aqua Studio Suite

The 82 sqm (882 sqft) Aqua Studio Suite is divided into three distinct areas comprising the balcony, the combined bedroom and living area, and the entry foyer, which houses the bathroom, walk-in wardrobe, and separate toilet room. As there is no dedicated living room per se, I would consider this room category to be more akin to a Junior Suite (though hey, I’m not complaining!). Regardless, I’ll describe each of these spaces in the order they are encountered from the entrance.

Entrance

You’re met with a small foyer as you enter the suite, featuring a small console table. Like the various public spaces throughout the hotel, the entryway is adorned with photography curated by German artist Markus Reugels, which is certainly a choice. No disrespect to Herr Reugels, but this is probably my least favourite aspect of the hotel’s design, as it bears little connection to Bali and no longer feels particularly chic.

Next to the foyer is the powder room, which I’ll come back to shortly. Hidden behind the entrance, meanwhile, is the suite’s surprisingly spacious walk-in closet. The latter is fitted with ample hanging space, a luggage rack, and a safety deposit box, ensuring that storage is certainly not in short supply in this suite.

Bathroom

Opposite the walk-in closet is the bathroom, which is fully clad in polished travertine. Running along one wall is a floating stone vanity fitted with a single sink and a backlit mirror. Despite being an otherwise enclosed space, the bathroom feels surprisingly airy thanks to two small windows that allow natural light to filter in. Furthermore, its centrepiece is a freestanding bathtub, which offered good water temperature, albeit with only decent water pressure.

Adjoining the far end of the bathroom is the spacious shower stall, fitted with both rain and handheld showerheads. Like the bathtub, the water temperature was consistently good, although the pressure was merely adequate. Bath amenities were provided in large refillable bottles from Malin+Goetz, as is standard across most Le Méridien properties. Personally, I’ve never been particularly fond of the brand, so I won’t comment on the products themselves.

One detail that did catch my attention, however, was how the amenity bottles were attached to the wall using simple adhesive strips. Rather amusingly, one of the bottles comically detached itself and fell to the floor on the morning of our check-out.

Powder room

Like those found in traditional Japanese inns and many higher-end hotels, the toilet is surprisingly housed within its own enclosed room, separate from the main bathroom. There is little else of note, however, with the space containing only the toilet itself and a small wall-mounted sink that rather amusingly reminded me of a Boeing 737 lavatory. If anything, I’ll simply note that the toilet is fitted with an integrated bidet function, as is common throughout much of Southeast Asia.

Bedroom

Much like the bathroom, the bedroom is clad almost entirely in polished travertine. Combined with the dark blue-grey walls and matching accents, the room has an undeniably cool colour palette. Thankfully, ample warm lighting balances this beautifully, preventing the space from feeling cold or clinical. The design also appears to draw inspiration from nautical themes, most notably through the net-like pendant light and the Polynesian-inspired carvings on the headboard.

Personally, I feel the Aqua Studio Suite has aged far more gracefully than the resort’s standard rooms, whose interiors still feel very much rooted in the 2010s. One unfortunate detail, however, is the bedside table, which incorporates a faux display of books beneath its glass surface. Either way, it is a shame that the room incorporates so little obvious Balinese influence. That said, I was pleased to find the suite feeling fresh and well maintained, presumably thanks to extensive reupholstering over the years. I also appreciated the abundance of power outlets and the comfortable bedding – two essentials that can easily make or break a hotel stay in the modern age.

Beside the beds and by the window sits a large organically shaped sofa accompanied by a small table. Deceptively upholstered in fabric, it resembles an oversized ottoman. Colour me surprised when I found myself sitting on an exceptionally hard surface after expecting some cushioning.

Opposite the beds, a television is mounted onto a half-height partition that also incorporates the room’s wooden desk.

Behind it sits the minibar, where a Nespresso machine with Javabica coffee pods is provided. Thoughtfully, a woven box of fresh snakefruit was also left as a welcome gift.

Balcony

Finally, the Aqua Studio Suite also features a sizeable balcony overlooking the resort’s courtyard and saltwater lagoon pool. Furnished with two chairs and a table, the balcony is also equipped with a ceiling fan, making it a pleasant place to work or relax. Additionally, a drying rack is provided, which is always a welcome convenience for drying wet swimsuits.

Amenities

Lagoon pool

The 1,300 sqm saltwater pool is undoubtedly the resort’s centrepiece, spanning nearly the entirety of the property’s central courtyard. Considering the resort’s lack of natural views, the pool brings a much-needed tropical atmosphere to the property, especially when combined with the lush foliage surrounding it.

Furthermore, the pool branches into a lagoon that winds around all of the resort’s accommodation buildings in a gentle, river-like fashion.

In particular, I was especially fond of the pool’s organic shape, which lends the property a much-needed Balinese character, reminiscent of the beautiful pools at Maya Ubud. Its teal-coloured tiles also go a long way towards enhancing the tropical ambience of the space.

In fact, I would go as far as to say that the pool and courtyard area is unequivocally the most inviting part of the resort, and I was more than happy to spend much of my stay relaxing on one of the many day beds that surround it.

In addition to the rows of day beds surrounding the pool, there are also areas with a water volleyball net, as well as a swim-up bar tucked away at the far end, complete with a decorative fountain.

Somewhat puzzlingly, there is even a small archery range beside the walkway leading to the pool. While I’m not entirely sure how practical it is, it certainly demonstrates the resort’s efforts to make the most of its relatively limited grounds.

Fitness centre

Located right under the lobby on the second floor is the resort’s dedicated fitness centre. While neither small nor big, the facility features a decent selection of modern LifeFitness equipment, which are well maintained. These include the likes of free weights, a few of weight machines, as well as a line of treadmills facing the lagoon pool. Pleasantly enough, the fitness centre also has a small selection of herbal drinks and fruits in one corner, which is certainly a nice touch.

In addition to the main fitness area, there is also a small yoga room sequestered to one side of the facility. The yoga studio features a complete array of yoga mats, straps, and cushions, as well as exercise balls.

Family Kids Club

Located on Level 1 and adjacent to the lagoon pool area is the Family Kids Club, which offers a range of activities for children during the day. The facility is open between 10.00 and 18.00 for children aged between four and twelve.

Located behind the Family Kids Club is also the dedicated children’s wading pool, as well as a selection of playground toys and beanbag chairs. This pool is located under shade, which is certainly helpful to prevent children from getting sunburnt.

Rear entrance and the warungs

As I’ve mentioned earlier, Le Meridien has a back entrance from the WaLa restaurant. This leads to the beachside seafood eateries, which get very crowded during the evening as the sun sets. While the views are certainly worth marvelling at, I’d argue that the best time to eat at these warungs is during the day, when the seafood is still fresh.

Service

Despite my short stay, the staff at Le Meridien left a noticeable impression on me. In particular, I’d like to single out Smiley at the pool, who was a ray of sunshine. He’d always be sure to greet us by name each day and remembers every little detail we’d mention. That’s the kind of service I’d expect at St Regis!

Furthermore, on top of being warm and friendly, Erica and her colleague who checked us in at reception stood out in that they were actively seeking constructive insight on our stay experience and how it could be improved (it was already exceptional). There’s also everybody else we encountered, who weren’t short of greetings and smiles. For a hotel of this size, I must say that the service was simply outstanding.

Overall

In a significant shift from my lacklustre experience a few years back, I was completely blown away by the improvement at Le Meridien Bali. I was very impressed to see that the resort’s rooms and facilities have been completely refreshed and no longer felt stuffy and uninviting. Couple that with the exceptional service and the various little details I observed, I was very satisfied with my stay. For one, it genuinely felt like the ‘aura’ of the place has completely changed for the better. Were it not for the lack of convenient beach access, I would have rated this hotel a perfect score of five. In any case, well done Le Meridien!

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