Amanusa

Mr & Mrs Smith have a trip to this all-suite beach resort in the diary, and just as soon as they've unpacked their sarongs and sunscreen, a full account of their stay in Bali will be with you. In the meantime, just to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick postcard from this hillside boutique escape…

Like all Aman resorts, Amanusa tries to be a little piece of paradise on earth and, don’t you know, it comes pretty darn close. Separated from the oh-so-white-sand beach by the gentle curving greenery of the Bali Golf and Country Club, the hotel shies away from the usual wooden-hut look of its fellow island hotels and instead opts for traditional structures of tessellating paras stone, capped with thatched roofs. From some angles, the resort looks more like a picturesque hillside fort than a boutique hotel haven.

Around the scenic pool, trellises burgeon with bougainvillea, and pink-flowering frangipani sway gently in the sun-warmed breeze. As evening closes in, gamelan players take position poolside to provide guests in the bar above with a soundtrack of soothing traditional music to mellow the mind. It’s tranquility embodied, but if you’re in need of some more ‘urban’ action, Bali’s capital, Denpasar, is just 15 minutes away, and Jimbaran is also within easy reach – Amanusa can lend you a bike or a driver.