29 August 2026
We arrived at Bali’s Denpasar International Airport at around noon. Our accommodation for the next 4 nights was at RIMBA by Ayana Bali. It is located in Jimbaran, approximately 12 kilometers (about 30 minutes) south of Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS).
A private transfer arranged through the resort whisked us from the airport, through the bustling streets of Jimbaran, to the lobby of RIMBA by Ayana Bali. We were welcomed by a gong upon arrival and than provided with Frangipani floral garlands and welcome drinks.
The RIMBA by Ayana resort’s breathtaking lobby was semi open and featured a vast, reflective pool of water beyond the lobby’s floor.
While my son was doing the check-in formalities, my wife and I were kept busy by our energetic grandson who was in high spirits.
Checking out the “boulders” at the RIMBA Ayana’s lobby. Some of these boulders are hollow and would be nicely lit at night while some are cushions.
An interesting glass art-piece at the lobby.
Our rooms
We booked 2 units of One-Bedroom Suite and were allocated adjoining rooms. The suites are quite spacious, with a balcony facing greenery and a large bathtub that my son and grandson simply adore.
During booking, we had indicated that my grandson would be celebrating his 4th birthday in September. The hotel kindly provided him with a birthday cake for us to have a small celebration in the room immediately after check-in.
A good thing about staying in the AYANA Integrated Resort is that we could make full use of the restaurants and facilities in the other hotels within the complex. There are close to 30 unique restaurants, cafes and bars within the resort complex.
Lunch at Damar Terrace
From RIMBA, we took the complimentary shuttle to AYANA Resort Bali since we wanted to have a late lunch at the Damar Terrace Restaurant, located in this hotel.
Entrance to the AYANA Resort Bali.
Damar Terrace is an open concept restaurant and bar surrounded by serene lotus ponds and koi ponds. It serves Asian cuisine with a focus on Indonesian dishes.
We ordered the rendang daging (beef rendang), seafood laksa, mie goreng (fried noodles) and Gado-Gado.
Gado Gado, an Indonesian vegetable salad with fried tofu, tempeh, boiled egg, rice cake and peanut sauce.
Rice noodles with seafood in a coconut curry broth.
The food was delicious but we were disturbed by a few houseflies that were attracted by the delicious food on the table. The staff provided us with table fans to chase away the pesky insects.
While we were feeding ourselves and chilling in the restaurant, our grandson took the opportunity to feed the koi in the ponds outside the restaurant. Koi food was provided by the restaurant staff. It was good that he also took a power nap in the restaurant.
Kids’ Club at Ayana Resort
After our late lunch, we went to check out the Kid’s Club, located beside the hotel’s main pool.
It is an Ocean-themed kids’ club with cool, A/C indoor space plus outdoor splash time. Kids can join for free-play (no reservation required) or sign up for scheduled activities (reservation required).
The A/C indoor play area (for kids 4 to 7 years old) has colorful wall puzzles, a climbing cove, an air slide, and a spacious ball pit. Socks are required inside the indoor play area and these could be borrowed from the helpful staff.
There is also a mini sand pit with slide, interactive tables, and rotating arts & crafts.
The outdoor splash zone has two children's pools and two gentle waterslides. My grandson was too young to make use of the outdoor splash zone. Kids have to be above 5 years old to play.
Indoor play area at the Kids Club.
While the parents chilled and observed the kid have his fun with the slides, ball pits in the indoor play area, I took a walk to check out the main pool.
The main pool at this hotel looks inviting. We would be coming here for a swim in the days to come.
Sunset and dinner at Sami Sami Restaurant
The hotel is ideally located on top of cliff for sunset viewing. We chose to have dinner at the Sami Sami Italian Restaurant, with panoramic views of the Indian Ocean. This open-concept restaurant serves Trattoria-style Italian food that includes pasta and pizzas.
Spaghetti Bolognese for the little one.
Sunset as viewed from the Sami-Sami Restaurant.
The main pool, nicely lit after sunset.
We had a nice surprise when we returned to our room.
Complimentary traditional Indonesian desserts for us back in our room.