Hotel Review
Wyndham Tamansari Jivva
Bali Luxury Hotels · Indonesia Luxury Hotels ★★★★★
There is a particular kind of Bali that most visitors never see, and I found it on the island’s east coast at the Wyndham Tamansari Jivva Resort. This is my review of a beachfront stay in Klungkung, where the sand is a deep volcanic black said to have been born from the lava of Mount […]
There is a particular kind of Bali that most visitors never see, and I found it on the island’s east coast at the Wyndham Tamansari Jivva Resort. This is my review of a beachfront stay in Klungkung, where the sand is a deep volcanic black said to have been born from the lava of Mount Agung, Bali’s most sacred volcano. The resort carries a certain celebrity glamour too, being co-owned by the family of Nagita Slavina, one of Indonesia’s most followed personalities, and it is affectionately known here as the “Hotel Mamanya Nagita Slavina”. Away from the crowds of the south, I came for quiet mornings by the water and long, unhurried days, and Jivva gave me both.
Before I walk you through the resort, here is my room tour of the Pool Suite Ocean Front King, filmed the morning I arrived.
The Pool Suite Ocean Front King
My room for the stay was the Pool Suite Ocean Front King, and it delivered exactly what the name promises: the sea directly ahead and a pool to slip into whenever the mood took me. It is the sort of suite that makes you want to draw back the curtains first thing and simply stand there for a moment, watching the water.
Floating Breakfast
No Bali stay feels quite complete without a floating breakfast, and Jivva’s arrives on the water of your private pool just as the light turns golden. It is as pretty as it is indulgent, a lacquered tray of fruit and pastries drifting within arm’s reach while the sea murmurs beyond the terrace.
The Breakfast Buffet
On mornings when I wanted more than the floating tray, the breakfast buffet obliged with generous abandon. There were fresh tropical fruits, an à la minute egg station and a spread that ran from Indonesian favourites to familiar Western plates, all served with the easy warmth I came to associate with the resort.
The Spa
An afternoon at the spa is, to my mind, non-negotiable on a Bali holiday, and Jivva’s treatments were the perfect antidote to a morning in the sun. I surrendered to the gentle, practised hands of the therapists and left feeling thoroughly restored, the sound of the sea never far away.
Jivva Beach Club
As the afternoon softened, the Jivva Beach Club became my favourite corner of the resort, all easy Bali vibes with the black-sand shore at its feet. It serves a generous mix of local and international dishes, and I happily worked my way through the seafood: platters of fresh mixed grill, a fragrant “Bebek Betutu” of spiced roasted duck with vegetables, and a seafood spaghetti so plentiful with shrimp and fish that I could barely finish it. This, more than anywhere, is where the resort’s laid-back seaside spirit shines.
Delicious and fresh mixed grilled seafood “Bebek Betutu” is a local dish, mixed spices roasted duck and vegetables You will love this seafood spaghetti because it is plentiful with shrimp and fish
Getting There
The resort sits at Pantai Lepang in Klungkung, on Bali’s east coast, roughly an hour and a half from the airport and a world away from the island’s busier resort strips. Here is the map to help you find your way.
The Verdict
If you are seeking the polished, crowd-free side of Bali, the Wyndham Tamansari Jivva is an easy resort to recommend. What this review comes down to is a simple pleasure: an ocean-front suite with its own pool, floating breakfasts on the water, unhurried afternoons at the spa and long seafood lunches by that dramatic black-sand beach. It is relaxed rather than grand, and all the more lovable for it, an East Bali hideaway I would happily return to.