Craft House Client, Hanging Gardens Bali, Featured In SCMP Style

Hanging Gardens Bali

What it's like to stay in award-winning boutique resort the Hanging Gardens of Bali

The 44-villa resort has two swimming pools, one above the other, which create the impression you are floating in the rainforest

By Business Insider for SCMP

Set in the middle of the jungle, with views of a valley and surrounded by a rainforest: how could a resort like that offer anything but spectacular views?

The Hanging Gardens of Bali were recently awarded the title of “the most stunning views” by the Boutique Hotel Awards.

The resort was completed in 2005 and is built into a mountainside with a 45-degree slope. It consists of 44 villas.

The Boutique Hotel Awards are in their eighth year. According to their website, nominations are made by industry experts and luxury hotel journalists. There are also self-nominations. This year, winners were selected from more than 300 nominations across 80 countries. It’s also the first year the awards have included a “most stunning views” category.

Also up for consideration in the same category were five other hotels, in Sri Lanka, Belize, Mexico, Kenya and Spain.

The resort joins a host of other popular destinations across the island of Bali, including a pool that has become so popular the resort recently chose to ban the use of electronics as part of an “in the moment” movement. The Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud, where tourists pay US$3 to risk wild monkeys stealing their phones and jewellery, has also been banned.

Take a look inside the Hanging Gardens of Bali below.

The Hanging Gardens of Bali is located near the village of Payangan in the heart of Bali.

The luxurious resort has had multiple claims to fame since it first opened in 2005, most of them focused on its iconic twin-tiered swimming pool.

The resort consists of 44 private villas.

Stays at the resort are available at a variety of pricing options, starting at US$445 per night…

... and reaching up to US$6,200 for a night in the Hidden Palace with the top-level Indulgence Package.

The Hidden Palace package provides guests with access to a 21,000-square-foot luxury villa complete with a private bar, restaurant, kitchen and lounge – and a 24-hour butler.

But the truly spectacular part of the experience can be found in the nature that surrounds the resort.
The hotel was designed to integrate with the nature around it, rather than impose upon it, and it has multiple patios and outdoor spaces to best show off the surroundings.

Nowhere is that more evident than in the design of the pools, which offer sweeping views of the surrounding jungle.

The way the pools are stacked gives them the illusion of floating above the jungle, both during the day ...and at night.

According to the Boutique Hotel Awards, the resort prides itself on the secrecy it affords its guests – though some errant monkeys have been known to pop in for a visit.

Bali has long been known as a luxury resort destination and is famed for its world-class scuba diving and beautiful swimming pools.

This article originally appeared on  Business Insider