Read this is luxury travel guide of the Mulia Hotel in Bali in Nusa Dua. I did a mini-wellness trip at The Mulia Resort in Bali. The focus was on wellness, dining, and relaxing, and the Bali Beach Resort didn’t disappoint. Read on for my review of the resort, the food, and the activities.
Content of this article:
Review of the Mulia Resort Bali
The Mulia resort is one of the most prominent hotels in Bali. The Mulia complex is actually composed of three hotels. With 500 rooms in the Mulia resort, 100 in the Mulia suites, and one hundred Mulia villas, it offers over 700 rooms!!
It will not win any architectural awards. But it is clear that it has been designed for comfort. Beyond super comfortable rooms and excellent service, it also boasts nicely landscaped pools. The one thing I missed at the Mulia Hotel in Bali was a “Bali touch.” Most of the art in the hotel seemed to be from China or other regions, with very few artifacts from Bali that nevertheless have incredible artists.
The pools at the Mulia resort Bali
The courtyard pool and the children’s pool are in the middle of the resort. It is one of the nicest kid’s pools I have seen in a hotel. They also have a kids club offering activities throughout the day, making the Mulia Hotel in Bali an excellent hotel for families.
The best pool is the beachfront one. The lounge chairs are separated by plants to give you a bit of privacy.
I really enjoyed the lounge chairs inside the pool, but as they had no umbrellas, I would use them towards the end of the day when the sun was not so intense. The pool is almost 100 meters long, and I enjoyed doing a few long laps.
During the day, I relaxed on a lounge chair on the beach. They are super comfortable with thick cushions. The umbrellas are bigger than in most hotels, so you don’t need to move your seat so often to find shade as the sun moves.
Review of the beach at the Mulia Resort Bali
The beach is a lovely white sand beach extending for over one kilometer. It is easy to swim as Nusa Dua is protected by a reef. There were very few fish and corals in the water near the Mulia Bali beach resort, so the place is probably not suitable for snorkeling. A footpath goes along the beach for kilometers, which is great for joggers or if you simply want to stroll around the beach and check out the other hotels in Nusa Dua.
Review of the service at the Mulia resort
The service at the Mulia resort is truly outstanding and one of the strengths of the Mulia Bali beach resort.
Despite the size of the hotel, the staff managed to make the service personable and would often address me by name. The waiters on the beach and in the restaurants were super attentive and would proactively check on me to see if I needed anything.
The room and the rest of the resort are impeccably clean.
As I was there before Christmas, they have installed gorgeous Christmas decorations through the hotel
Review of the Royal Suite at The Mulia resort.
Review of the bedroom
I stayed in Royal suite number 1653, located around the middle of the left-wing. It faced the courtyard pool, but if you sat on the edge of the balcony, you could glimpse the sea in between the two wings.
The suite is large with over 80 sqm but only has one main room.
The room has a modern-day ambiance and light-colored walls, along with stylish marble floors. The suite also has a comfortable yet classic living area with a sofa set and coffee table. You can also enjoy your favorite movies on the 46” smart TV screen, and there is a small separated walk-in closet.
The suite at the Mulia Hotel in Bali is equipped with a King-size bed. The bed is incredibly plush and comfortable. I don’t know how they can get the bed to look so plush, but the 400-threat count linen probably helped.
It not only looked lovely but also felt wonderful, and I slept like a baby.
It also helps that the soundproofing of the room is impressive. I never heard any noise from the rooms nearby during my stay.
The room has a large glass window that opens up completely, giving you an outdoor vibe. I wish the air-conditioning would stop when the door is open, as in many hotels. I didn’t figure out how to turn off the air-conditioning in the room, which made me feel bad for the planet. I hope that they will install technologies to reduce energy use and carbon footprint.
The patio terrace is large and very pleasant. I enjoyed relaxing on the comfortable lounge chairs after dinner. I could not see the sea as it was dark, but I could hear the waves!
The Wi-Fi was generally good throughout the hotel and very good in the room.
Review of the bathroom at the Mulia resort
The bathroom looks very inviting with a double sink and a window front oversized bathtub. The bathtub is super comfy, and the water pressure is strong enough that it can be filled in a few minutes.
Tip: The window in front of the bathtub is NOT tainted, or one-way glass, which means people from outside can see you. Make sure you close the curtain before using the bathroom!
Besides the bathtub at the Bali beach resort, there is an oversize shower with massage jets and a rain shower faucet. I struggled a bit adjusting the shower water temperature and worked hard to get it just right.
The toilet is one of those high-tech apparatus. It opens, closes, flushes, and probably even more automatically.
The amenities provided are complete. I really liked the lavender perfumed body lotion and shampoos.
There is no weight scale in the suite, which is probably a good thing given how tasty the food is and how much I ate 🙂
Should you stay at the Mulia resort or the Mulia Suites?
Before staying there, I had not realized that there are three different Mulia hotels within the Mulia Compound in Nusa Dua.
The Mulia hotel in Bali, which is the object of this review, is the biggest and the most “basic” of the three. It is still a luxury hotel in its own right, but it has smaller rooms and fewer beachfront rooms.
The Mulia Suites is the beachfront building. It has a little over 100 suites that are much larger than the Mulia Resort rooms and are all beachfront. Another advantage is that they have access to the Mulia suites swimming pool, the larger beachfront pool that you see on Instagram. People staying at the Mulia suites can also access the Mulia Bali beach resort pool, but people from the Mulia resort are not allowed to use the Mulia suites pool. The Mulia suites were closed due to Covid when I visited the Mulia resort, but it does look like a fantastic option, and I would love to visit it once they open again.
The Mulia’s villas are luxury 1 or 2 bedrooms with private pools. They are not beachfront, but they also have access to the larger pool of the Mulia Suites and are an excellent option for families or people who value their privacy.
Another advantage of Mulia’s suites and villas is that they provide butlers’ service.
Review of the food at Mulia Bali
The Mulia has typically a whopping 9 restaurants and offers some of the best cuisines in Bali. Given the Covid restrictions, they were operating two restaurants during my stay. Located near the beach, Soleil hosted the lunches and the Sunday Brunch.
Located near the Lobby, the Café hosted the buffet breakfast and the buffet dinners.
Review of the Sunday brunch at Mulia Bali Soleil restaurant.
The Sunday brunch at the Mulia is a grand affair and is one of the most talked-about brunches in Bali, and I was curious to try it.
Because of Covid, the brunch is currently a la carte only, which might even help with the quality of the food.
The brunch is so popular that I was surprised by the relatively small size of the room. It is much more intimate than other brunches, like the W, for example. The room also feels more formal. It is indoors with strong AC. The room has a high ceiling and a light marble floor. The cream, wood, and gold tones make it very peaceful and comforting.
Which package to choose at the Mulia Bali Brunch?
You can choose between the non-alcohol package and the alcohol package.
The Mulia beach resort Brunch non-alcohol package price is approximately IDR 789000 ++ and includes all soft drinks, water, fresh juices, non-alcoholic cocktails, and coffee and tea. The signature drink is a whole watermelon with lime and mint. Delicious!
The Mulia brunch alcohol package price is approximately IDR 1359000 rp ++ and includes wine, cocktails…
As you can also order your alcoholic drinks al la carte, the alcohol package price will only make sense if you drink a lot. You can see the drink’s prices outside of the package below.
Review of the service at the Mulia Hotel in Bali Sunday brunch
I was a bit worried about the brunch being a la carte as it could be a recipe for a languid meal.
I shouldn’t have been. The service was impeccable, with the staff often anticipating my needs. Dishes were usually brought out within 5 minutes. It is a miracle that they can prepare food of this quality so quickly!
Review of the food at the Mulia Bali Sunday brunch
The food at the Mulia brunch was delicious and of high quality.
The salmon sushi was delicious (except for the crab American roll that was processed surimi. I would have hoped for real crab).
The bread rolls were served warm and, combined with the fresh butter, were mouthwatering. The Angus beef was high quality. Raviolis were freshly made and perfectly cooked.
One drink was a whole watermelon filled with a mocktail of watermelon, lime, and honey. Delicious!
I found the deserts a bit too sweet.
My only other complaint is that I could not try it all. With over 70 dishes on the brunch menu, the Mulia Sunday brunch creates a fear of missing out.
Tip: Book your brunch well ahead. Even during Covid with only domestic tourists, the brunch was still fully booked.
Review of the evening buffet at Cafe Mulia
If I was very impressed by the Mulia brunch, I was even more impressed by their evening buffet. As the specialty restaurants are closed due to Covid, they have decided to gather all the chefs of those restaurants in the Café and offer their most popular dishes. The buffet at Café Mulia is a considerable spread with Korean, Chinese, Indian, and Japanese stations.
It has everything from Korean Barbecue to glazed duck or Indian curries.
I have been to many buffets before, and it is remarkable to find food so consistently delectable. The Kobe beef grilled on the barbecue was delicious. The Indian dhal was full of flavor. The sushi and sashimi can rival some of the best restaurants in the world. The dessert room (yes, they have a room just for desserts…) was the cherry on the cake with over 20 desserts to choose from and an ice cream bar!!
Needless to say, I ate way too much again, which after lunch at Soleil, was a challenging feat! If you want to lose weight, the brunch and buffet might not be the place for you. The food is so good that it would be criminal not to try as many dishes as you fancy!
Fortunately, the Mulia sports facilities are outstanding, and I had a chance to work it out!
The breakfast was similarly sumptuous with a huge buffet and anything you could wish for. And if you could not find it on the buffet, you could even ask for it ( for example cheese)
During the day, Soleil restaurant is open for lunch. I tried their burgers and it was good. It is conveniently located near the pool.
Review of the sports facilities at Mulia Bali
I planned this weekend as a mini wellness retreat.
Yoga at the Mulia Bali
I started with a private Kundalini Yoga meditation class at 7 am. The class takes place in an outdoor pavilion surrounded by large grass and water features.
It is very peaceful as it is a bit away from the main resort. The yoga teacher, Surya, was very knowledgeable and attentive. He led me through a moving meditation, focusing on the 7 chakras. When the class finished, and I looked at my watch, it was already 8:30! Wow, time flew, which shows how relaxed I felt throughout the whole class.
The gym at the Mulia Bali
I had to work out my excessive brunch and dinner buffet from the night before, so I went to the gym afterward, and wow! the gym is spectacular. It is big and has all the equipment you could wish for. They even have two power plates! I started exercising, and a trainer came to help me. He was super knowledgeable and kept pushing me to do more and try new machines. So, I ended up doing a perfect workout that lasted for 90 minutes.
Surfing at Geger beach
Almost by accident, I discovered that one of the prettiest beaches in Bali is a short walk from the Mulia. If you walk along the beach to the right, cross the little bridge and follow the road to the temple, you walk for a minute, and you feel you’re in the real Bali with small farmers’ huts and raw landscapes.
The temple is scenic, perched on a dramatic cliff over the ocean. It was closed when I was there, but you might want to bring a sarong if it is open and you want to look inside.
From there, you will see the beach on the other side. Geger is a famous surfing spot in Bali. There are about 10 little restaurants (warungs) on the cliff tops where surfers eat and drink. The place has a great vibe. The walk down to the beach is short and easy, so don’t miss it. It is as lovely as some of the prettiest beaches of Nusa Penida and is a mere 10-minute walk from the Mulia!
Just before the bridge, there is a restaurant.
I am surprised that the Mulia doesn’t promote its proximity to the surf spot more as it makes the Mulia Bali an excellent hotel for surfers who want to stay in Luxury yet be a 5-minute walk from some really good surfing waves.
Best activities beyond the Mulia Bali
There is a lot to explore in Bali. Here is a suggestion for some awesome day trips you can take from the hotel:
- Snorkel with manta Rays in Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida. There are islands to the south of Bali. If you are lucky, you might even get to snorkel with Manta Rays. For more info and booking, check here.
Tip: The sea is the strongest on full moon and 1 or 2 days after the full moon so if you get seasick, time your trip to avoid those days
- Visit the Uluwatu temple and attend a Kecak fire dance. This is located about 30 minutes from the hotel. You can book it here
- Take a full-day tour of Bali and see the most Instagram-friendly spots. This tour gets great reviews and you can book it here.
I have also written guides about visiting East Bali, visiting central Bali, and the best restaurants in Ubud.
And if you have more time and want to escape for a few days, check out North Bali. Few tourists make it to North Bali, but it is delightful, where waterfalls, volcanos, and dolphins await the more adventurous travelers. You can find beachfront private pool villas like Villa Seaview or Samastiti Villa in Lovina and they offer great value for money. This is one of the best kept secret in Bali
Conclusion of my review of the Mulia Resort Bali
The Mulia Bali is a huge resort that offers super comfortable rooms, outstanding food buffets, excellent service, and the best gym in Bali. It is the perfect choice for an indulgent beach holiday or a wellness break. I really enjoyed my weekend there and might have gained a few kilos.
For booking, check the Mulia Bali website.
For more hotels in Bali, read my reviews of the Sofitel Nusa Dua and the Six Senses Bali, and the Four Seasons Jimbaran
Thanks for all that info ,,,, Very interesting ,,,,
Will be there next week ,,
Great review can I ask would you stay at Double Six or Mulia and if we stay at Mulia is there some street vibe with shops and restaurants
Cheers
Andrea
There is not street vibe shops in Mulia.
If you want easy access to shops and restauant, Double Six or a hotel in Semyniak is a good choice.
Bingin is also a great area because it has many good restaurants and is near some great beaches