Call me old-fashioned, but in a world where you ca n’t throw a dog-eared city guide without it landing on the doorstep of yet another brand-new hotel, it’s so nice to stumble upon a tiny gem like Umana Bali.
Folded away at the end of a long ( sadly, visitors- jam- free ) road on the way to Uluwatu, the sprawling 10- hectare resort was, until recently, the Jumana, and before that, the Banyan Tree. The Hilton party pitched up in November 2023 and hired WATG Wimberly Interiors, the creative team behind the stunning Garden Wing of the Shangri-La in Singapore, to remodel the 72 villas and turn them into Bali’s first LXR, the Hilton’s boutique arm.
There is a lot to be proud of about the Umana, especially the beautiful transformation of the previous gloomy, black wood feeling into a better, fresher aerie with the ocean peeking out above the dense foliage and white and yellow appeared frangipani trees.