There’s no shortage of incredible hotels and resorts in Bali, with pretty much all the major international hotel brands having opened at least one resort in the last decade or two on the island,
Sometimes, when deciding where to stay in Bali, the first step is to pick the area. In my opinion, the best area for families in Bali is Sanur (make sure to check out my detailed guide on Sanur here). I’d then say Jimbaran is the next best beach town in Bali for families. We recently stayed at the Intercontinental Bali set in the heart of Jimbaran, and had the most incredible stay. I’d go as far as saying it’s one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed in.
Its beach setting is stunning, with the most magical sunsets, but the rooms, the pool, the layout and the landscaping were all excellent too. The resort gave us the perfect balance of a luxury hotel stay in Bali, combined with the opportunity to sample local life nearby too.
Room rates vary depending on the time of year, and how far in advance you book. Rates for a Classic Room typically range from £130 through to £300 a night. A rate rate with breakfast for two typically adds about £20 per night. Check the latest rates here.
This review will cover everything you need to know about Intercontinental Bali in Jimbaran, so read on to find out more!
Overview
Location
The resort is situated in Jimbaran, which is one of the first beach resorts to be developed in Bali back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is incredibly close to the airport. In fact, from the beach, you can see the tales of airplanes parked on the tarmac, as well as an excellent view of planes coming to land. Jimbaran itself was once a fishing village, that is now famous across the island for its evening seafood dining on the beach each evening.
From I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, it’s around 10 by car to travel to the hotel, 15 perhaps if there is some traffic.
Review of Intercontinental Bali in Jimbaran
First Impressions
Approaching from the main road, you turn into a tunnel of sweeping willow-type trees creating a stunning arrival. Similar to a lot of tropical resorts, you head up into the open-plan lobby and are greeted to the most stunning ocean vista. The resort sprawls in both directions towards the water, with hundreds of rooms spread over a few floors. We loved the open air corridors and hallways that connected the resort, and thought the landscaping was stunning.
The real showstopper for us was when we saw the central pool and the sparkling waters of Jimbaran Bay in its background. Just beautiful.
The room
We stayed in a Classic Room, which is their entry-level room. Although we were fortunate to be given a room with a sea and pool view across the main central section of the hotel. We loved our balcony area, but thought the room was finished tastefully, with an excellent ceiling fan and aircon combination. Our bathroom was also spacious and they provided a baby bath for our little one. They also provided a travel cot too, but we ended up using this as a safe space/play area.
Two room categories provide lounge access – one to the Club Lounge and one to the Singaraja Space, both of which offer a variety of complimentary amenities and things like afternoon tea and a classy happy hour each day. The Club offering also has its own beachfront area with a private pool and cabanas, so very relaxing and a lovely additional splash of luxury. If you spot a good rate, I highly recommend upgrading to either of these categories at the resort.
Facilities at the hotel
The central pool that I keep mentioning is the Nirwana pool, a 35m x 21m heavenly body of water lined with gorgeous tropical flowers and also a swim up bar. There are also several other pools all dotted around, some shallow and some with fun water features. The landscaping is beautiful and there are also plentiful sun loungers all around the pool areas.
The entire property lines the beach, and sun loungers stretch across a large portion of this, all shaded by palm trees or wooden roofed areas, meaning sunbathers can enjoy completely uninterrupted sea views. We loved spending lazy afternoons gazing out over the ocean and found that the loungers on the far left of the property were particularly tranquil.
Tucked away near the Club lounge and always completely available to use was a really cool outdoor gym, which we loved.
For kids, there is a brilliant outdoor playground near this area too, as well as a few outdoor activities and a trampoline.
Inside is the Planet Trekkers kids clubs which is for guests aged 4 to 12, so we couldn’t make use of it.
Spa Uluwatu is the wellbeing sanctuary at the resort, and offers a wide array of treatments and therapies. We didn’t end up getting massages here, as we found a great spa just outside the hotel (within 50m!) where massages were IDR100,000 (£4!).
There is also a Ripcurl surf school on property, particularly aimed at beginners.
Food and drink
There are 6 restaurants at the resort, covering Italian, Indian, Japanese, as well as an extensive breakfast buffet restaurant, a sunset beach bar and grill, and also poolside dining. With a little one in tow, we did find it hard to organise ourselves for a fancy sit down dinner, but instead enjoying a few delicious dinners at the sunset grill spot. There was a different live music act each night and it was the perfect spot to take in the nightly sunset spectacle.
We actually chose to do a room rate that didn’t include breakfast, but I’d seen online in advance that there were some great local options nearby. And when I say nearby, I mean, literally opposite the hotel entrance. Sometimes we prefer a lighter breakfast, and a bigger more decadent lunch so it worked well for us.
Directly opposite was a Bull’s Coffee, which we’d already become fans after several visits to their Sanur branch. They have such a creative selection of coffees, and in terms of food, a great variety of bagels and Singapore kayaking toast. Next door was an excellent smoothie shop and fruit stand too.
As I noted earlier, Jimbaran is famous for its feet-in-the-sand seafood dining experience, and the resort is conveniently just 50m from the first tables. This means, unlikely lots of other resorts in Bali, you can easily walk to a great local dining experience. Prices were really affordable and it was really fun to order and curate our meal. We didn’t completely know what we were doing but we ended up with a delicious meal by candlelight on the beach!
The staff and service
We loved the staff here and couldn’t fault the service in any way. Everyone was so friendly and helpful, especially with our little one.
Final verdict
Honestly, I would say this is one of our favourite hotel stays ever. Just the most beautiful grounds, paired with a lovely, friendly, relaxed resort experience. If the flight wasn’t so far to Bali from the UK, I’d honestly want to return to this hotel for a week at least every single year.
I hope this guide helps in planning your trip to Bali and deciding on whether to stay at this beautiful resort, easily the best luxury family-friendly hotel in Bali. Make sure to check rates and availability here.
If helpful, do take a look at my other Bali blog posts here:
- Sanur, Bali: A Complete Travel Guide
- Bali Beach Hotel: The Best Resort in Sanur, Bali
- The Best Beach Clubs in Bali – Updated Jan 2026
- Two Must-See Temples in Bali: Tirta Empul and Uluwatu Temples
- Sundays Beach Club: Spending a Day at One of the Best Beach Clubs in Bali
Feel free to ask any further questions below if there’s something I haven’t covered.
Disclaimer: My visit to Intercontinental Bali Resort in Jimbaran was an independent visit paid for by myself. And as always, my reviews are entirely honest and my own.
