Hinterland Sanctuary at Rimba Bali
Bali isn’t short of beautiful resorts and having stayed at and thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful Ayana resort on a previous trip it was only natural that at some point having discovered the existence of RIMBA that we would need to check it out.
While Ayana is wholeheartedly aimed at Families and the Chinese Toursim market, Rimba is a much more understated and ever so slightly design led luxury proposition pitched towards are more discerning audience. Having said that the mass market is slowly creeping in to this property too which will probably lead to it becoming as heavily crowded a destination as Ayana is.
Designed by WATG, Rimba is filled with great touches throughout as the property slowly drops its way down the hill on which is lays in tiers from the main lobby at the highest point through to the base of the property. This cascading layout is accentuated perfectly and cleverly by the six different pools that work their way down the decline, each with its own purpose and character.
Aside from the simply stunning main lobby feature pool, there are upper and lower pools, a cabana pool, the unique pool - which runs along the Unique terrace bar and restaurant as well as the three monkeys pool and the secluded lagoon pool. It’s all very impressive.
There are a range of different room types from Pool Access and Hillside to Ocean View though to the premium Jimbaran Rooms and Suites. There’s an exclusive East Suite that is at the top of the property and is positioned as a sophisticated tree house overlooking the rain forest and surrounds. As always the Suites offer more room and a higher grade of amenities, coming in at around $800USD per night they aren’t exactly cheap but taking everything into consideration offer pretty good value for money by providing the right level of seclusion, space and service.
The non-suite rooms are nice but not exceptionally big, still they are quite well appointed. The contemporary styling is tasteful and elegant with flashes of reclaimed wood and natural tones. The bathrooms offer a little more bling with their hot tub surrounds that are made up of a rich golden brown tile mosaic. The private balcony offers a lovely view to the surrounding property, while the room tech is middle of the road, although there is an ipod dock.
Something to keep in mind here is that the main premise of the property is not the room but everything around it. With 90 hectares of lush, curated outdoor living - it’s the brilliant exterior elements along with the 15 restaurants and bars that steal the show. From cooking classes, golf, tennis and relaxing by the any of the superb pools, this is a destination with a lot to do and see without ever having to leave the property.
Bottom Line:
Overall, there is a real sense of modern elegance to Rimba with Instagram moments at every turn. It is a lot more of a peaceful sanctuary than the sister property but this - as mentioned is under threat. The food is pretty good with some outlets clearly more elevated than others but be warned in comparison to the outside world in Seminyak or Jimbaran the food cost at Rimba is at the upper end of the scale.
Ultimately it is the service and the cache of a hotel stay that defines it and in this case the service is outstanding and the surrounds remarkable. There are a few quibbles that need to be addressed to vault Rimba up the pecking the order but for an independent resort it has a lot going for it if they can maintain their sense of exclusivity.
