10 Reasons Why You Have to Stay at Hoshinoya Bali

June 03, 2017



Bali oh Bali. World leading destination that offers exotic places renown for its beauty and cultures. With tourists flocking around the island and keeps increased every year, there are more restaurants and hotels opened up there as they see opportunity to expand their business. One of the hotel is HOSHINOYA which is under HOSHINO Resorts, a leading luxury resort chain from Japan. HOSHINO Resorts has their resorts all over Japan from Hokkaido to Okinawa, and Bali has the honor to be their first overseas branch!

HOSHINOYA Bali was opened in January 2017 and after I sorted out my schedule, I managed to fly down to Bali end of May to stay for a few nights. It was definitely one of the best trips I have ever had so far and I love the hotel so much that I decided to blog about why you have to stay at HOSHINOYA Bali next time you're in the island!


1. SPACIOUS LUXURY VILLA
With 2,5 ha land owned by HOSHINO Resorts property, staying at 200 sqm per villa all for your own seems like a reasonable size. HOSHINOYA Bali come in 3 types of villas. I stayed at Villa Bulan that has 2 floors, first floor is only for pool lounge while the above floor consists of Gazebo and the main villa (living room, bedroom, bathroom). Villa Jalak consists of 1 floor and is more family friendly. As for Villa Soka, it has 2 floors but the second floor is solely for bedroom hence it's more suitable for couple

Don't expect about what's instagrammable in HOSHINOYA Bali because what they offer is a classic timeless design that will not be out of style after 5 years. You know that marble bath, white walls, or industrial design that you might spot in any boutique hotel? HOSHINOYA Bali is not made for your average Instagram as it offers more than that. You can come back 10 years again with your partner and it will still feel luxurious and as relaxing as the first time you stayed in. The design is a mixture between Bali and Japan, through the dark wood that's commonly spotted in traditional houses and stones floor at some places, carved wood designs and batik here and there, but they have the sliding door and futon for their bed. The combination is really well-put together and gives a fresh concept that's never seen before

2. GUARANTEE OF PRIVACY
HOSHINOYA Bali only offers 30 exclusive villas which is really suitable for those of you whom want some privacy. No one can enter the property unless it's the guests of the hotel. I apologize in advance but you can't enjoy the great dining experience or even sit at the famous gazebo unless you stay in the hotel. It's only the privilege of HOSHINOYA Bali's guests. I love how I can enjoy the hotel on my own without other guests whom just want to visit the hotel for taking pictures or disturbing my leisure time

With that limited amount of guests, worry not of having your stay over populated with tourists, or get squeezed in the elevator along with the other guests, or have to wait for a long time to get served by your waiters because there are too many guests to be served. All those hassles are not a problem in this resort because of the limitation of rooms. All HOSHINOYA branches are famous for having limited guests and privacy at its best for the exclusivity, even when I stayed at Fuji branch there were only around 40 rooms available. Once you understand the privilege of privacy and limited people whom stay together with you, I am sure you can't return back to your mainstream resort

3. WORLD CLASS OMOTENASHI
I rave about Japanese omotenashi (hospitality) so much, and they bring that back to Bali to create something magnificent. HOSHINOYA might look just like any ordinary resort but in fact it's so well-thought that you can find yourself enchanted for every single little detail. From giving you wet towel before you order, to lighting brightness that you can adjust precisely depending on the mood that you want to achieve. They also offer in home audio speaker that's well integrated with your phone which lets you tune in your favorite music in your room

The best part for me as a women is they offer fantastic options for amenities and 3 buttons for your shower that includes which shower you want to use (over head or normal head), temperature, and pressure. Be pampered by having your charger port wherever you need them, because they provide TONS of it in any areas that you wish you had them. Good news, it comes in international adapter so any type of charger you have will work in this hotel without additional adapter! And I saved the best information for last sentence, this hotel has high-tech japanese toilet that's separated with the bathroom (Japanese layout style) and it has 14 buttons for outlandish experience! It is also automatic and will open up when you step in! No need to visit Japan to try the toilet as they finally have it here. And oh, all the benefits I mentioned above are not only found in your room but all over the resort

4. FANTASTIC Infinity pool 
HOSHINOYA Bali offers 3 semi private infinity pools that's connected with each villa. For each pool, there are 10 villas connected which lets you to engage in conversation with other guests shall you want it. However the pool itself is pretty big and not crowded at all so worry not of having your swimming activity disturbed

For me, the design reminds me of a river. With the blue colored pool and tons of green plants all over the pool, giving the guests an image of swimming in the natural river instead of ordinary swimming pool. The infinity pool has pool lounge on one of the edge which lets you to lay around. They also provide complimentary clean towels and mineral waters for the guests at this area. My friend and I had so much fun at the pool area and we decided to hop to center pool for different design though our villa was at another side

5. MINDBLOWING structures
HOSHINOYA Bali is located at Ubud, which is a mountain area that's filled with green sceneries and steep landmarks. The innovative designer of HOSHINOYA creates this tremendous gazebo that can be spotted from afar as it shows contrast with the trees surrounding the area. They feature 7 gazebos where you can chill and relax all day long to enjoy the landscape, all with the same designs but offers different height depending on the area where it stands. If you look down, it's all the steep mountain down there but because it's made under Japanese high standard and tight inspection, it's very sturdy so please rest assured (I put the interior pictures on the top of this blog post, scroll up if you cant recall it!)

It is in fact more magnificent when you look at it for real but it's covered by the green lush all over. From the gazebo, you can order some snacks, foods, and beverages. However there are some complimentary such as fruit skewers, coffee, tea, and mineral water that might be sufficient for a short visit. I recommend to get some fruit juices as well though as it's so refreshing and rejuvenates your tiring body, my favorite is their dragonfruit! 

6. appeasing activities
From morning and night yoga, to making Balinese Traditional Offering (Canang), as well as some spice tea making, there are some daily activities to introduce you about Bali Culture and Tradition. All activities inside the resort are complimentary for hotel guests and they will give you the schedule pamphlet as well. They also offer exploration tour out of the hotel to visit rice field or world heritage with additional fees. All the activities are supposed to get you back in nature and rejuvenated. However if you wish to stay at their library and read some books provided while overlooking the nature, you're welcomed to do so

Though they do not mention it, I realize that HOSHINOYA Bali doesn't provide any gym or jogging track which is really rare for a world-class hotel to miss it. But after all I realize because those sports might be draining too much energy and not appropriate for the concept of HOSHINOYA Bali itself. Moreover, gym and jogging are so modern while I feel HOSHINOYA Bali wants to make their guests get in touch with nature again. I burned some calories through walking around the resort though (Due to its natural steep landscape, they have so many stairs)

7. FANTASTIC DINING EXPERIENCE
Unlike regular hotel, HOSHINOYA fare doesn't include any breakfast and shall you want to have your breakfast in the hotel, head to their dining room before 10.30 am to savour them before starting the day. Regarding the breakfast, they offer 3 types of breakfast which is Indonesian, American, and Japanese. For starters you'll receive complimentary fresh fruit slices! I tried all of them and I find the Indonesian breakfast really cute! It is a porridge that comes in 9 condiments (ikan teri, gado-gado, kacang, ayam kuning, dll) and emping. It's arranged beautifully and perhaps this is the prettiest porridge I have ever had so far in my life. As for the Japanese breakfast, it comes in normal washoku with miso soup, onsen tamago, pickles, grilled salmon, and rice. You can ask for more soup and rice without extra charge. Omelette, fresh bread, sausages, and bacon are what make up for the american breakfast

If you wish to stay at the hotel like most of the guests, feel free to have your ala carte lunch at the dining area. I recommend their Babi Bakar with Rice Bowl or Balinese Curry with Steamed Rice. They offer some traditional desserts such as Pisang Goreng and Es Campur as well. For dinner, you can choose to dine either at the dining room or at your room! As for the first night, I ordered Hot Sup Buntut with Nasi Bakar at my room and it was the best decision ever! The Nasi Bakar comes in 2 pieces and blended with ikan asin for strong flavor that makes you craving for more. The staffs also brought the soup inside stainless thermos so the soup stay hot. A note to point out, they come to your place on time, at exactly sharp time you request them to be!

8. JAPANESE & BALINESE FUSION
My mind was completely blown away for their omakase dinner course because it's mind blowing. My omakase dinner comes in 10 courses along with some dessert, I paired it with local sparkling wine, Sababay. The tanginess and sweetness blends perfectly that creates a perfect harmony of my dinner that night. Foie grass and caviar as a touch for some foods is pretty much expected for this luxury experience and yes you'll have them. One of my favorite appetizer is Tuna Tataki with Sambal Matah. I can't eat any spicy foods so I requested for non-spicy foods. The Sambal (Chili) has been adjusted for Japanese taste so that night was the first time for me to try Sambal Matah and surprisingly it's so crunchy and sooooo good! They also have Chawanmushi with Coconut Flakes that gives you silky egg along with crunchy texture and Wagyu Beef with 3 Balinese Style Condiments. The wagyu is definitely tender and juicy, and has been cut accordingly. My favorite sauce was the middle one which is kecap with some garlic. The most interesting menu is their Mochi and Ketupat with Soto Ayam Soup. So, ketupat is Indonesian-stickyrice and mochi is Japanese-stickyrice. They cut into small bite sizes pieces and put it inside the clear soto ayam. It never occured in my mind that mochi can go well with Soto Ayam and I was just in awe for this eureka

I would say for the taste it's pretty much above average, but the concept is definitely a first-rate. They successfully combined Japanese and Balinese cooking into amazing course that you will never find anywhere else. Most of the products are fresh from the local market as well as the spices, however the techniques is from Japan since the chef is a Japanese that has been living in Bali for 5 years. Why I did say it's just above average? It's because for Indonesian whom love bold flavor and strong spices might not find this satisfying due to its light flavor. For Japanese and other foreigners, it might be a good starter to try eating Indonesian / Balinese foods that might be too spicy for them

9. WELL-TRAINED STAFFS

The importance of having well-trained staffs in service industry is what makes up the hotel and for me I can't find a single staff who doesn't understand anything about the hotel. People whom have visited Japan before must have agreed with me that Japanese are so kind and helpful toward tourists, even if they dont understand english. If you never visit Japan, you must have heard about it from your friends about this behaviour. Now let's say that someone who doesn't work in service industry can be that accommodating, how about someone in the service industry? Let's bring it up further. Can you imagine how amazing their hospitality for top-resort-chain in Japan that every Japanese people ever dream to stay at the hotel? Now you that's the level of service in HOSHINOYA Bali

This hospitality is unbeatable and it's also reflected not only on the front desk and waiter but also the therapist. There are a few Japanese managers whom staying in HOSHINOYA Bali to train the staffs according to Japanese standard, and one of them trains the spa therapist to offer body massage with Japanese Shiatsu Technique. I tried their 2 hours Balinese Massage that's followed with body scrub and flower body bath which rejuvenates my tired body. Soaking my body with this mesmerizing green fields can never be better

10. TRANQUILITY AT ITS FINEST
The resort has everything you need to keep your daily life with the best technology provided, but they keep the distraction at its minimal to make sure that you can connect back with nature. Which is why you still have the high-advanced toilet in your room but you won't find any TV in all over HOSHINOYA. The wifi is however super fast and it's beyond my imagination how come with this spectacular size of land, there's no disturbing signal received. But I consider internet is something that you can use to share your experience with your friends on facebook or instagram, and it might not bother people as much as TV Noise

During my short stay, the whole time it helps recharging my tired spirit through stars spotting and hear the birds chirps. In the morning, the air was so fresh that there was even fog and dew drops. I totally forgot the time in this hotel as well thanks to its peaceful atmosphere and a lack of clock in the resort (Now as I recalled, I didnt see any!!!). I feel like I can find myself again after get disconnected from the outside world, but it's not scary because I know my needs will be taken care by the staffs with the best service ever. Now I really wonder, where else can I find a serene resort with this much of luxury? 


My stay was nothing but enjoyable and I would love to come back for longer stays! I am really impressed with the standard of the hotel and happy that a Japanese hotel chain has trusted Indonesia for its overseas branch. I definitely recommend this place if you believe in Japanese hospitality or if you wish to experience what Japan offers before visiting the country

The hotel is located around 1,5 hours from Ngurah Rai Airport and they offer pick up services to airport and certain areas in Bali. For more informations and pictures, you can check their website down below

You Might Also Like

3 comments