Where ancient wisdom meets contemporary imagination on Bali's sacred shores
The morning light filters through intricately carved stone latticework, casting geometric shadows across the polished floor. I stand transfixed in the SAKA Museum's Heritage Gallery, where time seems suspended between worlds.
Such is the philosophical foundation of AYANA Bali, a 90-hectare universe perched above Jimbaran Bay where luxury isn't merely defined by thread counts and infinity pools, but by meaningful engagements with Balinese heritage, ecological consciousness, and imaginative family experiences. Here, the concept of hospitality expands beyond service into stewardship - of cultural traditions, natural landscapes, and human connections.
Sacred Spaces, Living Histories
The SAKA Museum represents something revolutionary in hospitality - a genuine cultural institution nestled within a luxury resort. Opened in 2024, it transcends the perfunctory cultural displays found in typical resorts. Its newest exhibitions, launched earlier this year, delve into Balinese cosmology in an accessible yet insightful way.
"What we've created is not just a museum, but a bridge," explains Dr Judith E. Bosnak, SAKA Museum Director.
"When guests understand the spiritual underpinnings of Balinese ceremonies or agricultural practices, they experience the island on an entirely different level. What we truly offer is a moment where guests no longer feel like visitors, but part of Bali itself,” adds Judith.
Indeed, SAKA doesn't exist in isolation from the surrounding community. Local students regularly visit free of charge, and master artists with deep traditional knowledge participate in knowledge-sharing programmes. This porous boundary between resort and community feels like a quiet revolution in how luxury travel might evolve - less enclave, more ecosystem.
Reimagining Childhood in Paradise
The next morning, I find myself in an entirely different world - one where imagination reigns supreme. RIMBA Jungle Adventure, newly opened in March 2025, represents AYANA's latest innovation in family-focused luxury. Far removed from the formulaic kids' clubs of the past, this fantastical ecosystem of play spaces feels more like stepping into a children's book brought gloriously to life.
In Sproutroots, children navigate a complex network of aerial walkways and ziplines suspended among artificial but startlingly realistic banyan trees.
Nearby in Lumincave, toddlers explore a sensory wonderland of soft textures, gentle sounds, and shifting colours designed to stimulate developing minds. The effect is mesmerising even for adult observers.
"We're moving beyond conventional notions of children's entertainment," says Giordano Faggioli, General Manager AYANA Bali. "Today's parents don't want their children merely occupied - they want them engaged, challenged, and connected to the natural world, even within a luxury context."
This philosophy extends throughout AYANA's sprawling 90-hectare property. Future plans include an Ocean Adventure playground opening in August 2025 and the Tevana Garden Playground slated for late 2025. Together, they form a comprehensive approach to family travel that honours childhood as a sacred time of discovery rather than a logistical challenge to be managed.
I watch as a father and daughter collaborate to solve an environmental puzzle in Whisperwood, the indoor nature-inspired play space. Their conversation drifts between English and German as they decode clues about Balinese wildlife. The father later tells me, "These experiences give us something meaningful to share beyond swimming pools and beaches. We're learning together."
Architectural Poetry in Stone and Wood
AYANA's design ethos reveals itself gradually as you move through its four distinct hotel experiences - AYANA Resort Bali, AYANA Segara Bali, AYANA Villas Bali, and RIMBA by AYANA Bali. Traditional Balinese architecture with its distinctive pitched roofs and open pavilions harmonises with contemporary elements across different microclimates within the property.
"We approach design as a form of storytelling," explains Giordano. "The materials - volcanic stone, indigenous hardwoods, alang-alang thatch - speak the language of the island. But the conversation includes modern sensibilities of space, light, and environmental consciousness."
This design philosophy achieves its most dramatic expression along the property's 1.3 kilometres of cliff-front coastline.
Here, at the legendary Rock Bar, minimalist platforms of glass and steel appear to float above the crashing waves 14 metres below. As sunset approaches, the structure seems to disappear, leaving guests suspended between ocean and sky in a moment of transcendent beauty.
The Cultivation of Wonder
On my final morning, I visited AYANA Farm, the resort's two-hectare agricultural heart where traditional farming techniques nurture organic produce for the property's 30 dining venues.
Under the guidance of a local farmer, I participate in a Traditional Herbal Remedies Workshop, grinding fresh turmeric and ginger into jamu, the Indonesian medicinal tonic that dates back centuries.
This integration of ancient wisdom with contemporary wellness epitomises AYANA's approach to luxury - one that values knowledge, connection, and meaning above mere indulgence. Whether in the farm's careful composting systems, the spa's hydrotherapy traditions, or the cultural reverence of the SAKA Museum, a coherent philosophy emerges: true luxury lies in experiences that transform our relationship with place, history, and ourselves.
As I prepare to depart, I reflect on the Sanskrit origins of the name "AYANA" - a place of refuge. Beyond the expected comforts of its 967 rooms and villas, 14 pools, and extensive wellness facilities, AYANA has created something more elusive: a sanctuary where wonder is cultivated as carefully as its organic gardens, where children's imaginations and ancient traditions are equally treasured, and where the spirit of Bali reveals itself not as exotic backdrop but as living wisdom.
In an age of increasingly standardised luxury, AYANA offers something profoundly different - a place where one can simultaneously lose and find oneself between temples and treehouses, between sacred silence and jungle joy. This might be the most meaningful escape of all.
Website: ayana.com
