Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa

If you are looking for one of the loveliest stays Uluwatu has to offer, the Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa makes for a rather perfect Bali staycation. In this Renaissance Bali Uluwatu review I share my nights in the suite, the swimming pools with their far-off mountain views, a breakfast I still daydream about, and the beachside hangout of Roosterfish, where you can happily idle away the daytime hours.

Overview

In tropical countries I truly love open-air architecture, and the Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa leans into it beautifully. The high-ceilinged lobby overlooks the entire resort, and the moment you step out onto the terrace the ocean appears in the distance. It is the sort of arrival that immediately sets the tone for a Renaissance Bali Uluwatu review written by someone who did not want to leave.

Those first two frames say it all: the soaring lobby on the left, and on the right the swimming pool glimpsed from that same vantage point. Check-in was quick and the staff were attentive when I arrived; my luggage was collected at once and delivered to the suite. I imagine the experience can vary with timing, so if a great many guests are arriving together you may have a little wait, but on my visit it was seamless.

Location & Getting There

The resort sits up in Uluwatu, on Bali’s southern Bukit peninsula, which makes it an easy base for the beaches and clifftops of the island’s south. I had arrived from North Bali the day before, and on a clear morning you can actually see all the way back to Mount Batur in the distance, a lovely reminder of just how far the views stretch. The map below shows exactly where to point your driver.

The Junior Suite Garden View

Once I had my keycard it was time to head to the room. Renaissance Bali Uluwatu is a rather large resort, so on your first walk to your room there is likely to be someone to show you the way. Happily, my suite sat on the same floor as the main pool and the restaurant where breakfast is served, which meant slipping in and out to the water was a breeze throughout my stay.

The resort is newly built, so I was excited to see the room, and it comfortably surpassed my expectations. As the photographs above show, the bedroom is airy and bright, softened by little Balinese touches such as the bamboo lamps, and there are two televisions, one for a film from bed and another over by the bar.

Most hotels build a run-of-the-mill square suite: desk at one end, bed at the other, a washroom and little more. This one was different. As you enter there is a modern bedroom with trendy furniture that perfectly fits the Bali vibe, and then a bar in the centre of the room, sitting between the washroom and the bedroom. It felt far more like a stylish apartment than just another suite.

The U-shaped layout keeps everything feeling generous and open. The bathroom is just the right size, with his-and-hers basins and a mirror lit for make-up, and then there is that beautifully placed bathtub. Thanks to the privacy of the room you can leave the shutters open and soak in peace, and on a clear day Mount Batur floats into view behind the tropical trees, all the way from Northern Bali.

The Pools

The next morning I woke very early to walk the resort and take photographs before other guests were up. If you like to swim for exercise, the large main pool is easily long enough for laps, and the early hour felt wonderfully peaceful, whether for a quiet dip or a coffee at the water’s edge.

To my surprise, on this morning I could again see Mount Batur far to the north. I had driven down from that part of the island only the day before, photographing the mountain up close at sunrise, and here it was once more from the poolside.

Those frames capture it best: the main pool at around seven in the morning, still and empty, with Mount Batur hovering on the horizon like something painted in. There are two large pools in all, and a few thoughtful touches around the water make the mornings here linger.

Palm-fringed showers give the main pool its tropical mood, while the second pool sits quietly beside the bronze wedding chapel. Because the resort is so large, it is handy for guests staying a few floors away, and since most people gather at the main pool during the day, this is where I would head for a little more privacy and a good deal less noise. Down at shore level, the beachside Roosterfish is the spot to see out the daytime hours by the water.

Dining

After a day by the pool and beach club I was thoroughly hungry, and once I had showered I simply wanted to stay in. So I opened some wine, put on some relaxing music and ordered room service. Among the recommended dishes were the Angus burger and fish & chips; both arrived quickly, still warm and beautifully plated. Simple dishes, perhaps, but the sort that are surprisingly hard to get just right.

The Angus burger was very tasty and cooked exactly medium, as I had ordered. My only note would be a runnier egg, so the yolk oozes out as you bite in. The fish & chips was a happy surprise too: where it can so easily be oily and doughy, this had a very thin, crisp crust around fish that was steaming and juicy.

The photographs above show that room service dinner in all its glory, the burger and the fish & chips laid out in the suite, and honestly, just looking back at them makes me want to return. But if there is one thing that turns this into a genuinely great Renaissance Bali Uluwatu review, it is breakfast.

One of my favourite things to do at a large resort is to graze the buffet and build my own breakfast plate, and here I was thoroughly spoiled. This is one of the best hotel buffet breakfasts in Bali, if not the best. What sets it apart is the quality of the ingredients and the creativity in how everything is presented: not one muesli but several, several yoghurts including coconut, then almond, cashew and soya milks, and on it goes. There is a lovely selection of cheeses and cold cuts, my beloved parma ham among them, and you can even ask for freshly sliced avocado.

There is also a generous bakery: different freshly baked, crisp croissants, cakes, crepes, muffins and more. If you are a foodie who wants a varied, quality breakfast every morning of your Bali holiday, the Renaissance Bali Uluwatu earns my personal recommendation; I genuinely look forward to going back for the breakfast alone. You can see more of it in my Renaissance Uluwatu film.

This first set gives a sense of the spread: jugs of proper freshly squeezed juice, a build-your-own salad bar with endless choices, and an egg station where everything, right down to the presentation, is done with care.

The hot dishes are just as tempting: a perfect quiche lorraine, golden herb-roasted potatoes, properly good bacon and a very pretty eggs benedict. It is the kind of breakfast that quietly rearranges your plans for the morning.

And then the bakery, which deserves its own little shrine: crisp, flaky, freshly baked croissants, the best I had anywhere in Bali, alongside muffins and other pastries baked fresh each day. It is this corner, more than any other, that lands the breakfast on my personal list of the finest buffet spreads on the island.

The Verdict

What stays with me from this Renaissance Bali Uluwatu review is how easily the days flowed: a suite that felt more like a chic apartment than a hotel room, two big pools with a surprise view of Mount Batur, a beach club to drift through the afternoons, and a breakfast so good I would happily book a return trip for that alone. For couples and food-lovers looking for a polished, easy-going stay in Uluwatu, this newly built resort is a genuinely lovely place to land, and one I look forward to going back to.

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