Stay here: Regent Bali Canggu review

Canggu has long been the domain of surfers, digital nomads and the açaí-bowl crowd. That a resort of such calibre now calls the same stretch of coastline home feels like a natural evolution. Regent Bali Canggu is an all-suites-and-villas sanctuary where Balinese tradition meets polished luxury, encased between the Indian Ocean and a patchwork of terraced rice fields.  

What’s the deal?  

Regent Bali Canggu is a tender love letter to the island. The first Regent property here, it sits at the edge of the buzzing Batu Bolong strip – yet stepping through the entrance feels like crossing into another space entirely: the noise drops, the air cools and the pace slows to something ceremonial. 

Low-rise pavilions, built with local timber and andesite stone, sit gently in the landscape rather than towering over it. Their interiors nod to local design aesthetics without aping them; batik patterns and Balinese imagery are applied with tasteful restraint, working in harmony with a colour palette that shifts with the light – silver-green at noon, ochre at dusk. 

Why stay? 

Canggu is Bali's most in-demand neighbourhood right now, yet proper five-star service remains a rarity here – Regent Bali Canggu is one of only a handful of true luxury hotels in the area. Guest suites and villas are large and softly lit, dressed in woven textures and warm timbers. A complimentary refreshment gallery stocked with local snacks and drinks gives a taste of the resort’s thoughtful approach to hospitality. The real showpiece, though, is the hand-carved teak bathtub found in every bathroom. Sinking into it after a day in the surf turned out to be the ritual I looked forward to most. Meanwhile, nine pools across the resort – each with their own cabanas – means you never need to wait for a sun lounger. 

During your stay, you can indulge at five dining spots. Poolside restaurant Taru serves comforting Indonesian classics like beef rendang and ayam bakar madu (chargrilled chicken). On the beachfront, award-winning chef Andrew Walsh runs Sazón, a convivial Spanish tapas bar where the small seafood plates alone are worth the five-minute stroll. Nearby, Walsh’s newly opened restaurant Cure adds modern European cooking to the mix. Back at the resort, a signature Regent Club lounge serves complimentary champagne each evening. 

Cathay editors say…  

"The Massage Revolution at the world's first Regent Spa & Wellness is a treatment not to be missed. Performed on a warm quartz sand bed, the cradling grains shift beneath you as the therapist works – a sensation conventional tables simply cannot replicate. I followed the treatment with a crystal restoration and left feeling not just relaxed but genuinely restored. "