Hotel Review: Desa Hay ~ Canggu, Bali

My stay at Desa Hay was my first stay at a Small Luxury Hotel (SLH) booked through World of Hyatt. I had heard great reports about Desa Hay so when I found two nights available during my 3-week stay in Bali earlier this year, I jumped on it. My only regret was not being able to book an additional night or two, but the hotel only has six villas and it is very popular (for good reason) so I had to be happy with what I got. And, boy was I ever happy!

Desa Hay is a boutique hotel located in Canggu, Bali. It is comprised of six villas (called Jabus in Indonesian), each one a veritable mecca with a private plunge pool. Upon arrival at Desa Hay, I felt like I had entered paradise or heaven, or the equivalent. It is an incredible mix of luxury and sustainable local culture set in a lush jungle-like setting. In addition to each villa, there is a large pool, and an open air restaurant and bar.

Here is a video I made of my Jabu!

You’ll notice in the video that there was music playing in the villa when we entered. That is because the hotel asks you in advance what type of music you like and then programs the music for you. It is the little things like this that made the hotel extra, extra special! Here are some more photos of the villa experience starting with the incredible doors to the villas:

We loved our plunge pool. We began each morning (before breakfast) sitting at the table next to the pool enjoying our coffee. (there was an espresso machine in the villa). Talk about true bliss!

The stone and wood materials used throughout the property is of the highest and finest caliber, as is the design and workmanship.

The closet contains, among other things, beautiful print robes and a laundry basket (did I mention laundry was complimentary?)

We also received a complimentary tote bag and sarong.

And here is the room!

Moving on to the bathroom, the stone work is amazing! And so is the outdoor bathtub!

Other gifts included a bowl of local fruits, and a chocolate bar one evening.

The hotel even prepared a flower bath for us!!

Well, that was fun!

Moving on to the rest of the grounds, this is the pool.

This is the restaurant. We began our stay with a round of welcome drinks, and had a few more during our stay. We also had breakfast each morning here (the hotel also offered to prepare a floating breakfast in our own plunge pool, but we chose to dine in the restaurant instead). We also had dinner in the restaurant one night. What reason was there to leave our beautiful slice of heaven?

How about some spicy popcorn and smokey drink?

Here’s the breakfast menu. Everything was delicious.

Happy hour! (90,000 IDR is less than $6).

But wait, there’s more! There was daily yoga on the grounds! When in Bali. . . .!

My stay at Desa Hay was in late March, right after it was announced that Hyatt’s partnership with SLH would be ending soon.  While with Hyatt, although the price was usually $300 or more per night, the hotel was a category four, so I used 30,000 World of Hyatt points to pay for my two nights there.

I couldn’t love Desa Hay any more than I did! I was so lucky that I got to experience this hotel. I would love to return here on a future visit to Bali.

In the next post, I will discuss the hotel’s relationship with Mr. and Mrs. Smith Hotels and will compare and contrast the various methods and prices for now reserving a stay with Desa Hay.