If you are looking for a boutique hotel or a type of accommodation better than Airbnb in Uluwatu then consider Villa Melali.

About Villa Melali

Melali is a luxury boutique accommodation, a calm oasis, situated only 1.2 km from Bingin Beach. The beach is a 5-minute scooter ride or a 15- 20 minute walk.

It’s owned and run by an Australian couple (Liam and Elise) whose love for Bali is manifested in the delightful atmosphere that they have created for their guests. From the tasteful decor to the freshly made breakfast, Melali felt like our own holiday home.

The pool at Melali Guesthouse, Bingin

The hosts and their staff go out of their way to create an exclusive experience for the guests – from recommending beaches, and restaurants tailored to your tastes, to guiding you on your first scooter ride.

Rooms

The best thing about Melali is the intimate setting. You share the property with two other couples at any given time. This not only gives you privacy but also a chance to get to socialize and exchange stories of your day with the other guests.

There are two Sunset Suites on the property and one villa with a private pool. We stayed at one of the Sunset Suites.

View from our bedroom in Villa Melali

True to its name, the Sunset Suite offers breathtaking views of the sunset which can be enjoyed from your balcony or your outdoor shower. Yes, each room has an outdoor shower! Taking a cold shower outdoors, on a hot tropical day, is the best feeling ever!

The bathroom with the open-air shower at Melali, Bingin

The decor of the rooms is simple yet elegant. A beautiful four-poster bed fills the centre of the room. Handcrafted wooden pineapple lamps brighten the room at night. These lamps were so beautiful that we couldn’t resist buying one for our own home!

Our cosy bedroom – Villa Melali, Bali

Attached to the Sunset Suite is a private balcony which overlooks the pool located in the courtyard.

Breakfast at Villa Melali

Breakfast, which is included in the cost of the room, is the only meal available at the accommodation. This is probably because guests would want to explore the plethora of amazing restaurants around Bingin and Uluwatu.

Without exaggerating, the breakfast at Melali was the best that we’ve ever eaten!

Delicious breakfast at Melali

Three lovely ladies assist Elise and Liam in running the kitchen. They use fresh ingredients to prepare breakfast every morning. Guests can order as many dishes from a menu, and choose from a variety of options ranging from fresh juices, and coconut porridge, to bacon and eggs.

We highly recommend trying the chia seed parfait which was so yummy that we shadowed the ladies in the kitchen to learn the recipe 😉

Mango chia seed parfait at Melali

Getting Around Bingin & Uluwatu

The best way to get around Uluwatu is by a scooter that can be rented at Melali for IDR 75,000/day (US$ 5/day). Believe it or not, we had never driven one before. However, our host was kind enough to teach us how to ride a scooter.

If you’re still not confident about riding (or cannot ride) a scooter, Liam and Elise have a list of places that rent a car and driver.

There are few restaurants and cafes, and Bingin Beach that is within walking distance from Melali. But in the heat and humidity of Bali, even a 5-minute walk can seem unforgiving. To truly explore Uluwatu, we recommend renting a scooter.

Things To Do Around Melali

There is a carefully curated little black book at Melali that all guests are presented with when they arrive. The book lists hundreds of things to do around Melali. Each item has been individually reviewed, and added after due consideration. That book was like our guide in Uluwatu.

We’re sure that you’ll find our own activities to plan, but here are some of our favourites:

Take surfing lessons

Bingin Beach is one of the best places to surf and learn to surf in Uluwatu.

Liam and Elise have an acquaintance, Steamy, who is supposedly a good surf instructor. However, Neha took surfing lessons from TnT Surf School on Bingin Beach. Each lesson costs IDR 300,000 (US$ 21 ) which is much cheaper than what some of the more commercial surf schools on Uluwatu Beach charge. The lesson was 1.5 hours long, and she absolutely loved every minute of it!

Neha enjoying her surf lessons at Bingin Beach

Hike to a secret beach

When we were looking up nearby beaches in the book, we stumbled upon one activity – “hike to a secret beach”. Now that caught our attention!

The beach in question is Nyang Nyang Beach. A relatively secluded beach, with pristine water, and soft, white sand. However, getting to this beach wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. We had to hike down a steep, rocky path for 15 minutes. And then hike back up for 20 minutes, in Bali’s heat and humidity! But trust us, the beauty of the beach, and the colour of the water will make the hike well worth it.

You can see more photos of the beach in my Bali photo gallery.

Remains of another shipwreck Nyang Nyang Beach

Sunset dinner at Juniarti on Bingin Beach

There are many cafes, and restaurants around Melali, but the one we fell in love with was Juniarti (Juni for short). Technically, it’s not even a restaurant. It’s a make-shift arrangement of plastic chairs and tables that comes to life at Bingin Beach at sunset. They serve fresh seafood (limited quantity), that is simply grilled and served with rice and vegetables. Delicious and healthy!

A delicious BBQ dinner on Bingin Beach

Now, if that isn’t quaint enough, imagine watching the most stunning sunset as you sit down for dinner. We spent a week in Bali chasing sunsets but we soon learned that Bingin Beach offered us the best sunset views.

Just an epic sunset at Bingin, Bali

This meal, and the setting, were hands down one of our best experiences in Bali!

Bingin Beach has many BBQ warungs that serve delicious dinner

If you’re looking for more things to do around Uluwatu, be sure to check out our things to do in the Uluwatu blog.

Final words

We hope this post gave you a flavour of Melali and how much we enjoyed our stay there. If you wish to seek a unique experience, we definitely recommend staying here.

If you have any questions about our stay at Melali, feel free to drop us a comment below. And if you like this post, be sure to share it!