Green & Chic ~ The Viceroy, Ubud, Bali

By Dian Hasan | August 6, 2009

The name may be the same as a slew of chic boutique hotels by Kor Hotels in Santa Monica, Palm Springs, Miami and Riviera Maya in Mexico, but Viceroy Bali is not related in any shape or form. Although the hotels may share a similar DNA of chic-ness and a positioning to cater to the well-heeled niche markets.

The Viceroy Bali is an independent, family-owned hotel with only one property under this name, a rarity at the high end of the resort market. The location is increasingly familiar, as more travelers discover the charms of inland Bali — the Viceroy is minutes from Ubud, Bali’s arts and cultural center, high on a hillside overlooking the lush (and steep) Lembah Valley.


Familiar is good, when it’s well done. The style is pure contemporary-luxe Bali, clean lines and sleek surfaces with traditional furnishings and technological touches like 42” LCD televisions and DVD players.

Perhaps more remarkable is the fact that each one comes with a private pool, some with infinity edges looking out into space above the valley. Garden villas have indoor-outdoor bathrooms surrounded by lush foliage, while terrace villas come with pavilions overhanging the valley edge, like outdoor living rooms, with a view.

There’s a small boardroom and conference center, if you’re unlucky enough to need it; there is a helipad, after all, so presumably some guests are high-powered enough to make use of it. You’re better off in the Lembah spa though, which is impressively modern and efficient (they’re Swiss). It’s a bit closer to the place’s spirit of idyllic island escape, frankly.