The Private Traveller

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Ultimate Indonesian Bliss: A Luxe Traveller's Guide to Capella Ubud, Nihi Sumba, and The Club by Legian Bali

The Private Traveller

Introduction

Having been to Bali in Indonesia now 24 and 22 years ago, a few years ago in 2019 I thought it was about time to get back there. A couple of places really had caught my eye (both Leading Hotels of the World properties) - firstly Capella Ubud having opened a luxury tented camp just outside Ubud (designed by Bill Bensley - the Creative Director and Founder of BENSLEY) in 2018, and secondly Nihi Sumba when I had read a feature on their Spa Safari. However, having then booked for September 2020 we had no idea what would lay ahead Covid-wise, so eventually are managing to get their now 3 years on from the trip’s original inception and booking.

The hotels featuring in the post are:

Full detailed itinerary below.

20 Days in Indonesia Itinerary: Ubud, Sumba, East Bali & Seminyak

Getting to Bali

One of my favourite airlines is Qatar Airways and we originally booked with them from the UK to Denpasar (Bali) with a short stop in Doha. With all the Covid travel restrictions though, the trip was rebooked a number of times and we were booked on a number of different airlines to still get us to Bali, via a few different routes. As it turned out though, Bali was quite late to reopen for travel, so when we rebooked the last (and thankfully final) incarnation of the trip, we were back on Qatar and would be a 7 hour flight from the UK followed by 10 hours from Doha.

On booking, both flights were the Boeing Dreamliner and the original business class seats, however at some point from booking (and there were quite a few changes) the flight from Doha to Denpasar (and return QR960/961) had become a Qsuite flight, which I absolutely love. Once in Bali, staying first just outside Ubud, we would then fly internally from Denpasar to Tambolaka on the island of Sumba (a 90 minute flight) before flying back on that same route (with Wings Air, a subsidiary brand of Lion Air) and then staying in a couple of locations more before flying back to the UK.

Capella Ubud, Bali

Hotel website: https://capellahotels.com/en/capella-ubud

Capella Hotels first came to my notice when I visited Capella Pedregal in Cabo, Mexico a few years ago (it later reopened as Waldorf Astoria (WA) Los Cabos Pedregal. Capella is a small chain (which also incorporates the Patina brand) and as soon as I saw the tented experience becoming featured at Capella Ubud I knew it was somewhere I wanted to visit. The quirky design reminiscent of a refined camp of 1800’s early European settlers perfected by Bill Bensley made it look like a place I really wanted to experience for myself.

NIHI Sumba by Chris Burch

Hotel website: https://nihi.com/

Having seen the NIHI Spa Safari explained, I knew this was somewhere I had to visit. With two key straplines (Edge of Wilderness & Socially Distant, Wildly Connected) this really does seem to sum up what NIHI is all about. A collection of luxury villas from individual one-bedrooms (like Marangga, Mamole, Puncak, Kanatar, Lulu Amahu & Lamba) to multiple suite estates (Raja, Haweri, Kasambi, Lantoro & Wamoro). Each villa has its own pool and all are uniquely designed.

As well as the luxury accommodations, there are loads of activities on site and nearby (a few explained below in the itinerary) as well as there being a huge expansive private beach, a main pool, several restaurants and bars, watersports, and a chocolate factory and of course the Nihi Foundation which came onto my radar through the great service, Pack for a Purpose.

Camaya Bali, Bamboo Houses

Hotel website: https://www.camayabali.com/

Credit: @camayabali

Whenever I look to travel somewhere, I would normally look to luxury hotel or villa properties. Having been an avid fan of the Netflix show The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals in the first episode of Season 1 (The Best of Bali) they featured Camaya Bali and the bamboo Butterfly House. Thinking this looked like such an amazing unique location and setup, on realising that there was another option there too (Suboya) so that we weren’t just replicating what we’d seen on TV, I booked this for a couple of nights. It is I believe in a more remote part of Bali (but visually stunning) and does have an on-site restaurant but without full services (though spa treatments can be arranged) I wanted this for only one or two nights at most. I opted to book the two nights so that we weren’t just checking in one day and out the next, but would have a full day to experience this more ‘off-grid’ stay.

The Club by The Legian, Seminyak, Bali

Hotel website: https://lhm-hotels.com/en/the-legian-seminyak-bali/the-club-by-the-legian-seminyak

Credit: Club by the Legian Seminyak

Having had the cultural experience at Bali’s Ubud heartland on our initial arrival to Bali, I was looking for a different experience for our return. I therefore looked at a couple of options, and tried to keep these fairly close to the international airport to make our return transfer quick, with having a very early AM flight back with Qatar.

Being part of Leading Hotels of the World too, I spotted the Legian in Seminyak, and realised that this would fit the bill nicely for an easy airport transfer, then realising they also had The Club as part of the same resort made for an easy choice. All the Club properties are extremely secluded and walled, with a private pool as well as multiple seating areas. Not only this, as well as having access to all the amenities of the main hotel itself, The Club has another main pool and lounge for Club residents only.

Summary

Whenever I take a trip, as well as providing the full travel itinerary (detailed next) I’ll also provide a detailed hotel review for each property, I will be posting on social channels like Instagram and also now creating a YouTube video of any hotel too.

Please check out my links to more posts below.

Actual Detailed Itinerary:

  • Day 1 Fly to Denpasar Bali (via Doha) with Qatar Airways

    • Early afternoon flight to Doha (7 hours) with a 2 hour stopover before another 10 hours to Bali (Denpasar). Thankfully the QR960 was changed after booking to Qsuites, so makes for a very pleasurable flight.

  • Day 2   Arrive Denpasar Bali

    • Met at airport by a VIP arrival service organised by Capella Ubud

    • 4 nights at Capella Ubud in a luxury tent

  • Day 3 Capella Ubud

    • For the Love of Chocolate Experience at Mason’s near Ubud.

  • Day 4 Capella Ubud

    • We were going to get up for the early morning hike up Mount Batur, but realising this had a 2:30am start we decided to opt instead for a much more sedate 4:30am start to be drive to an adjacent hill to watch the sunrise behind the mountain, rising from Lombok. Afterwards, we were driven around in an open-top safari Landrover through the lunar landscape of a previous volcanic eruption before having a picnic breakfast on the edge of a lake.

  • Day 5 Capella Ubud

    • Last night at Capella Ubud starting with a Surya Yoga morning session, a Capella Tjampuhan Ridge.

  • Day 6 Fly with Wings Air from Denpasar to Sumba Tambolaka

    • An 1.5 hour direct flight, arriving to the airport nearest to Nihi Sumba, taking a further 1.5 hour drive by open safari vehicle to the beachside luxury resort.

  • Day 7 - 15 NIHI Sumba

    • A Leading Hotels of the World property, we plan to chill for 8 nights at this luxury resort, but also take in some of their signature activities like swimming with horses, a chocolate making class at Chris & Charly’s Chocolate Factory, waterfall trekking, the infamous Spa Safari to Nihioka, touring local villages and the Sumba Foundation. Each day was meticulously planned by NIHI, with updates and changes easily accommodated with our Guest Captain, on hand always through WhatsApp.

      • Day 1 Arrival

      • Day 2 Try to Get Balance

      • Day 3 Sweet Side of Nihi

      • Day 4 Sounds of the Jungle

      • Day 5 Blend with the Locals

      • Day 6 Let Us Pamper You

      • Day 7 Riding in Paradise

      • Day 8 Rest & Relax

      • Day 9 Departure Day

  • Day 16     Return flight from Tambolaka back to Bali’s Denpasar Airport

    • A very different experience for us, spending two nights in a bamboo house at Camaya Bali (Suboya) having seen the small resort featured in the Netflix series The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals.

    • Transfer with BlackLane from Denpasar Airport to Camaya Bali in the East, should take around 1hr 40mins (40 miles). Stay overnight for 2 nights in the Suboya bamboo House.

  • Day 17    Camaya Bali

    • Relaxation day at the Suboya bamboo house.

  • Day 18    Transfer with Legian to their Club at Seminyak

    • Another Leading Hotels of the World property, The Legian at Seminyak also has a hotel within a hotel, The Club. We’ll enjoy our last four nights in a one bedroom villa in the Club, with private pool.

  • Day 19-21     The Club by The Legian, Seminyak

    • Relax and spa for our last few days.

  • Day 22    Return flights with Qatar Airways to the UK via Doha

    • QR961 is Qsuites again on their A350-900 which are fab, before transferring onto the more traditional business class of their Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Useful website links:

See this map in the original post