Mandarin Oriental Is Coming to Bali, and It's Not Alone
Mandarin Oriental is opening its first property in Bali. It is the headline, but it is only one name on a long list of hotels arriving on the island in the next two years.
So I went through the openings announced for Bali and kept only the ones that are new, backed by an official announcement and due in 2027 or 2028. Five made the cut. This is my top 5, ranked by how interesting I find them.
1. Mandarin Oriental, Bali
2027, Bukit peninsula. This is the group's first hotel on the island. It sits on a plateau of terraces cut into a cliff above the Indian Ocean, with direct access to a protected white-sand beach at the bottom.
There will be 110 suites and villas, most with a private pool. Bill Bensley is doing the gardens, Design Lab the architecture and Jeffrey Wilkes the interiors. Above the hotel, on 8 hectares, there will be 68 private villas with three to six bedrooms. The airport is about 30 minutes away.
We covered it in detail here: Mandarin Oriental is opening its first hotel in Bali.
2. Anantara Dragon Seseh Bali Resort & Residences
2028, Seseh Beach, north of Canggu. I have watched this project since day one, and it is one of the most innovative I have seen in Bali.
It sits on the black volcanic sand of Seseh Beach, on the west coast, about an hour from the airport. The whole design is inspired by the Barong, the dragon-like guardian of Balinese mythology. The rooms, called Cocoon Residences, are curved shells that look nothing like the usual Balinese villa.
There will be 216 rooms, suites and residences, three infinity pools, an Anantara Spa, a beach lounge, a surf school and even a private helipad. The architect is the British John Dawes. Restaurants and bars will be run with Savaya Group, the team behind one of the island's best-known clubs.
The developer is Taryan Group, founded by Artur Mkhitaryan. In Kyiv it is known for building high-rise towers. The project has already been recognised: at the International Property Awards 2025-2026 it won Best International New Hotel Construction & Design, the world title in its category, plus Best New Hotel Construction & Design and Best Hotel Architecture for Asia Pacific.
The first announcement in 2024 said 2027. Anantara now gives 2028.
3. Waldorf Astoria Bali
Late 2027, Sawangan Beach, Nusa Dua. Waldorf Astoria is coming to the quiet southern end of Nusa Dua, right on the sand, with nothing in front of it but the Indian Ocean. Geger Beach is next door, Uluwatu and Ungasan are a short drive away, and the airport is about 15 km.
There will be 71 villas and 68 suites, ocean-view pools, a spa built around traditional Balinese wellness rituals, a fitness centre and a kids' club. The owner is the same group behind Hilton Bali Resort, so they know this stretch of coast well.
The detail that stands out is the food. The Ledge will be run by Dave Pynt, the chef behind Burnt Ends in Singapore, and everything is cooked over open flame on grills built for the restaurant. The same concept already works at Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, and here it gets the cliffs of Nusa Dua as a backdrop.
There will also be a beach club, Peacock Alley moved to a cliffside terrace above the pool, a 465 square metre ballroom and a wedding chapel. Nusa Dua has always been the safe choice in Bali. This one gives people a reason to go there for dinner.
4. The Apurva Kempinski Ubud, Bali
2027, Tegalalang, north of Ubud. This is Kempinski's second resort in Bali, after The Apurva Kempinski in Nusa Dua. It sits on a south-facing ridge, with the rooms stepping down the slope above the rice terraces and coffee plantations of Tegalalang.
There will be 160 rooms and villas, from 60 to 200 square metres. The best are the Cliff Villas, with private pools on the edge of the ridge, and six forest villas of 200 square metres hidden in the trees. The design is by Rudy Dodo of Trivium Design Group.
At the top there will be a rooftop bar and lounge with a panoramic infinity pool. The main restaurant will cook with produce from all over the Indonesian archipelago, and the spa will be Balinese.
What I like most: the resort will have an aviary for the Bali mynah, a white bird with blue skin around the eyes that is critically endangered and lives only on this island. Tegalalang is the rice terrace everyone photographs. Staying above it means seeing it early in the morning, before anyone else gets there.
5. JW Marriott Bali Ubud Resort & Spa
Second quarter of 2027, Payangan, north of Ubud. The resort is in the Payangan valley, deep in the jungle and about 46 km from the airport. The date comes from Marriott's own list of upcoming openings.
There will be 79 suites and 22 villas, with one, two or three bedrooms, all facing the jungle. The developer is DKS Group, on its third project with Marriott, and the design team comes from Italy and France.
It is billed as Ubud's first sunset jungle club. Around it there will be four restaurants with Michelin-starred and celebrity chefs, a spa by the river, several pools and a chapel for 100 guests, placed to catch the sunset over the valley. There is also meeting space for up to 350 people.
Ubud has always been about calm and early nights. This one is betting that people also want a party there at sunset, and I am curious to see if it works.
My take: the south gets the names, the jungle gets the ideas
Look at the map. Mandarin Oriental and Waldorf Astoria are going to the southern cliffs and beaches, where Bali is already full of famous hotels.
The original ideas are elsewhere: a dragon of shells on the black sand of the west coast, a resort that protects a rare bird above Tegalalang, a sunset club in the jungle of Payangan.
If I had to pick one to see first, it would be Anantara Dragon Seseh.
Until then, if you are planning a trip now, our guide to the best luxury hotels and villas in Bali covers the island area by area.
Which one would you book first?
