One of the first spots I stayed at on my recent trip to Bali was a boutique resort called The Elysian, a set of 26 private villas — a treat to myself that turned out to be a great start to the trip. In all honesty, I hadn’t ever spoken to anyone who stayed there as it is quite new, but saw it show up on Tablet Hotels and figured, how bad could 26 private villas on the beach really be? It’s located in Seminyak, far enough away from Kuta to avoid the nonsense of commercialized island living, but close enough to civilization to find some great shops, incredible restaurants and feel like I was “in” the mix so to speak.

Each villa is decorated very comfortably, clean lines, lots of light stones and local woods; all feature very comfortable beds and ample space to spread out. My brothers and I had no problem “squeezing” in, as traveling in threes is always interesting. The best aspect of the villa was really the private pool that ran along one side the structure. Awesome for early morning, mid-day and midnight dunks. The restaurant offers a mix of local food and fresh fish dishes and was also set on a 25-meter pool, an amazing sight each day in its own right. The hotel was a little farther from the beach than I would have anticipated, a 8 minute walk, but still quite easy and not worth complaining about. If you’re looking for luxury, but won’t spring for an Aman resort and want to keep things interesting, this is a solid spot certainly worth checking out.