Relax and indulge at Bali’s best luxury hotel
The best time of day at the Legian Seminyak is when late afternoon gives way to evening.
The sun eases down the sky and lengthens the shadows of the palm trees stretching across the hotel’s perfectly clipped lawns. The emerald grass is soft and cool under bare feet and the frangipani bushes are fragrant.
Most families have vacated the pools and are back in their rooms, parents eager to get kids hosed down in time for an early dinner. Other guests are packing up too, fearing they might have a touch of sunburn, but they’re all going to miss the hotel’s golden hour.
It’s the perfect time for a relaxing float in one of the hotel’s three sublime pools. The pools step down from the restaurant terrace to the beachfront, so you can roll over the dividing walls and flop from one into another, should you feel the need. There’s the main pool, a smaller one in the middle and then the beachside lap pool.
A light breeze picks up, bringing some relief after the still heat of the equatorial day. It heralds the arrival of Legian Seminyak staff offering sticky-rice cakes and other delicious morsels—a free, alfresco afternoon tea. Just the ticket to tide guests over between lunch and dinner.
Other staff members are busy lighting the fire cauldrons. These are large stone bowls around the pools and along the beachfront edge of the hotel. The flames leap into the darkening sky, just as the sun kisses the horizon and turns the sea to liquid gold. It’s cocktail hour and in a few shakes mojitos arrive with which to toast a spectacular day and the prospect of an equally delightful evening.
Uppers
Bali has scores of fabulous top-end hotels and resorts but the Legian Seminyak is the cat’s pajamas—and I’ve stayed in and/or reviewed most of the island’s best.
Rooms: All suites have ocean views and the larger ones boast four-poster beds, huge bathrooms, spacious living and dining areas, and wide balconies.
Food: How does grilled snapper in banana leaf sound? Or rack of lamb with a pine nut and rosemary crust, or maybe a wood-fired Jimbaran pizza layered with tuna, squid and king prawns? If the weather allows, dine out on the pool terrace under the Balinese moon.
Look and feel: Outside it is a luxe tropical mansion (think Mustique or Miami) punctuated by dramatic, ziggurat-style stone staircases. Inside it’s bona fide Bali chic, with dark-wood floors and a gallery’s worth of Indonesian art. In the evening, two locals sit under a beautiful stone sculpture and play enchanting Balinese music on traditional gamelans.
Downers
The beach is broad and the surf inviting but the stretch of sand can get busy as it’s a popular thoroughfare for joggers, dog walkers, horse riders and trinket sellers. Don’t let that stop you strolling down to the waves and taking a dip, then retreating to the serenity of the Legian.
Read more of my reviews of the Legian Seminyak at The Hotel Guru and Holidays for Couples.
Book via the website, email reservation@lhm-hotels.com or call +62 361 730 622.
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