The Damai
Lovina, North Bali
Fourteen hill-top villas and a fine restaurant with panoramic views of Lovina Bay in unspoilt North Bali
You get a fantastic view when you're tucked up high on this
mountainside. Surrounded by lush upland forests, overlooking the
North Coast by Lovina bay, these 14 Balinese-style villas
let you hide away from frantic southern Bali. Lovina is famous for
its dolphin watching and laid-back tropical charm - and if you're
into organic gardens you'll love The Damai's orchards full of
tropical fruit and veg, ranging from vanilla to dragon's-eye fruit.
They've also opened an organic farm, with everything from snails to
pigs. With all this to hand, cooking classes are run daily and
people make special trips just to the restaurant.
If you want a break from its massage treatments and gentle ocean
breeze, Danish-owned The Damai gives you more ideas than days:
treks to waterfalls; diving and snorkelling excursions; local
markets; bird-watching and painting. Or if you want to laze away
the pre-cocktail hour watching films, there's a huge library to
choose from. Damai means 'peaceful', and sitting beneath the
crimson bouganvilea looking out to sea that's just what it is.
Reviewed by Aidan Forestier-Walker
Last updated 12 April 2012
Highs
- Immense hypnotic views of the bay, plantations and mountains - poolside cocktails at sunset are fabulous
- Just 14 villas in a peaceful verdant setting, and all are butler-serviced 24 hours a day
- Scouting out the different exotic fruits in their organic garden - they are passionate about the hotel's eco-projects
- North Bali is far less commercialised than the south - up here, you get a much better insight into the local way of life
- Wide range of cultural and nature-based trips and activities on offer
Lows
- A 3-hour drive from Denpasar airport (and thankfully off the beaten track) so best combined with an overnight stay in the south (eg. Jimbaran Bay)
- No direct beach access (this is more of a rural retreat although the hotel offers a free shuttle for the 10-minute drive to Lovina)
- The lava sands of the northern beaches are dark grey but the snorkelling and diving nearby are excellent
- Not for those seeking nightlife - most guests head back to their rooms after dinner
- Whilst walking up to the restaurant you can see into some of the bungalows
A perfect little jewel of a place. Located high over Lovina, what you lose in beach access you gain in some of the finest accommodations in Bali...
Frommer'sThe Damai: Read more press reviews
