Resisting the temptation to rewrite Eat, Pray, Love—all of which you can do entirely within the confines of the property—we wholeheartedly approve of this Nusa Dua resort.
The Apurva Kempinski Bali officially opened early February 2019 in the Nusa Dua area of Bali, Indonesia, after about five years of construction and a rumoured price tag of many, many zeroes, but then… a global bug in the air thwarted even the best-laid plans.
Incredibly, the resort remained open during the pandemic pause to life, and brought about a borne-of-necessity restructure in unprecedented times. All international tourism and flights were on hiatus, and the hotel encouraged native tourists (once a contradiction of terms) who were also bereft of travel to find the joy of within. Through staycations, world-class facilities, and dining options from around the globe with the finest motley crew of international chefs creating authentic meals, an esoteric oasis was carved out in the cliffside area.
Retaining staff and working with local communities and artisans, the polish and patina of the hotel—its name, Apurva, derived from sacred Sanskrit for “unique and magnificent”—is like no other, and that’s high praise, considering the innumerable properties studded around the archipelago and the neighbouring area. As the sleeping giant of global tourism was gently nudged awake, a steady trickle of international visitors came in, with the top five overseas markets stemming from China, Australia, South Korea, the US, and the Middle East.
And then came the stop-the-press media blitzkrieg: the G20. Last year, as the selected venue for G20, The Apurva Kempinski Bali was closed for all other guests again as stringent security measures were followed to meet international presidential protocols and regulations. The G20 summit went off without egregious incident, the hotel maintained its pristine authority, and word of the majestic property was spread to the world—well-deservedly. It’s just… divine.
Words and images by me: P.Ramakrishnan
