Highly recommend the Bale. It is right next door to the Aman Nusa, but having visited both we were glad with havnig chosen the smaller property which felt so much more personal and welcoming. There were only about 20 rooms when we were there, but we saw that another 10 or so were in the pipeline - which were going to be even better than the rooms which we stayed in. The facilities are not vast, gym is basic and there is only one restaurant - but bear in mind that there are only 20 rooms and that you have huge private villas with your own pool, garden, outdoor day bed and so on that it is the kind of place you go for seclusion and privacy - it was the first week of our honeymoon so just perfect!

An especially nice touch was that you can breakfast in your villa at no extra charge - I guess it makes sense because the place doesn't have the numbers for a buffet. The only down-side was the beach, a 3 min drive away and a little bit cramped.

The staff couldn't do enough for you - thoroughly helpful.

Do think though if Nusa Dua is where you would like to go - there was much life in places like Jimbaran and Seminyak.

We stayed at The Bale last June as a romantic getaway to start off our summer vacation. We booked through our travel agent and were shown a couple of small pictures of the hotel beforehand. From the pictures we thought the style of the hotel would be too urban for our liking, but soon as we arrived we found the hotel's design to be minimalistic/contemporary in design yet with great attention to detail. We liked the suite's layout and atmosphere, very bright outside but calm inside. I think every suite at the hotel has a small pool (not a just plunge pool) and an awesome, transparent-roofed day bed. I believe we spent most of the time outside of our room just lying on the day bed enjoying the cool ocean breeze.

Being a hotel junkie myself I like to try different hotels when traveling, even on the same trip, so I rarely stay at the same hotel repeatedly unless it's for business purpose. I am currently planning another trip to Bali for this year, and I was very tempted to call up The Bale again to see if they have vacancy. The overall experience made me wants to stay there again.

The Bale is definitely a place to remember. Even after one year, the wow factor is still there every time we look at the pictures we took.. Anyone planning a trip to Bali or particularly looking to stay in the Nusa Dua area should definitely give it a try (for at least two nights, so you can have one full 24-hour day to enjoy the wonderful premise and the great service). Highly recommended

We spent our honeymoon at this small yet refined hotel, because it had to be Bali, and the Bale is as good as it gets.

What we liked:
- Secluded villas provide pure privacy. Very relaxing.
- Great daybed and small private pool
- Friendly Service
- No kids, no crowds = no noise. Very quiet indeed.
- Very delicious breakfast, available in-room
- Simple yet classy architecture. No pseudo-luxurious tacky stuff.
- Free car transport within Nusa Dua (to restaurants, etc.)
- Stereo with nice music is provided
- Library with internet access available
- Check-in/out in the room
- Lovely barbecue in your own garden available

What's not so nice:
- The beach is far away, and not so nice. Not worthwhile going.
- The location is a bit far away from the center of nusa dua
- The restaurant is nice, but somewhat too empty to enjoy.
- Fairly high price for Balinese standards, but worth it.
- No kids under 16 allowed (now that we have a daughter)

Conclusion:
A classy and refined, clean and well maintained, friendly and understated resort we wouldn't mind being trapped in for another while. Not recommended for the overly active crowd or those that like hanging out at the hotel bar.

Could not disagree more with one of the other reviewers. The staff were FANTASTIC - nothing was too much trouble, everyone knew our names and used them, and learnt what we liked and how we liked it. It was the least stressful holiday experience, solely due to the staff. The restaurant menu was quite limited while we were there, but it wasn't a problem, we told the chef what sort of food we liked and he cooked something different for us. Jose, the manager was great, did an itinerary for us for a one day island tour, and arranged for us to visit the Four Seasons at Sayan and Uma at Ubud, just so we could see some other hotels if we wanted to return to Bali another year. Also gave us a lot of suggestions for eating outside the hotel. The only criticism I had, and it was minor, was that some of the furnishings were a bit tired (the roman blinds were wonky!) and there was no mosquito net. We like minimalist, so were happy with the design, if your tastes are for the more opulent surroundings, you will be disappointed. Would go back - and we rarely say that.