Review of AYANA Resort and Spa in Bali, by Caroline Major

They boast about it. In Sanskrit, Ayana means 'a place of refuge' - an apt description, as the resort is set on 77 hectares of land at the southern most tip of Bali, on some of the island's finest coastline. AYANA Resort and Spa uses seventy percent of their land to accommodate business conferences, spa junkies, wedding parties and hallmark romantics. It's so popular to get married here that the hotel has employed a full time wedding planner and her staff.

Continuing on their 'Making Memories' theme, romantic dinners are big with various private locations around the grounds. Most interesting is the opportunity for one couple to dine alone on the pier which extends out beyond the cliffs. If eating seafood under the stars with the sound of the waves gets you in the mood, book in advance as it's a popular and exclusive option. Failing that, a floating meal served by your butler in the private plunge pool of your villa might just make an acceptable second best.

Accessible to all is the mighty Thermes Marins Thalasso spa. With twenty two treatment rooms, the world's largest Aquatonic Seawater Therapy Pool, a gym, putting range, tennis, cycling trips, Jacuzzi and sauna it's possible to put yourself into overdrive. The spa treatment menu is so extensive you need to study it carefully in your room before you head down there.

Sticking with the choice theme, Ayana offers both hotel and villa accommodation in a resort package connected by buggy highways. 368 guestrooms include 10 suites and 77 private villas, and all rooms have 42" flat screen TVs, Wi-Fi and air conditioning. Club rooms, suites and villas also have iPod docks and DVD players. Both villas and rooms are spacious and romantic, with mosquito nets and flower filled-baths and finished with plush overstuffed sofas and cushions.

The Villas are for families, spa goers and wedding parties. If you're here for a conference, you'll likely be in a hotel-style room close to the facilities and with access to the Club lounge, where your meals can be taken away from the crowds of straw-hatted holiday makers and doe-eyed honeymooners. The Club also provides access to business facilities, afternoon tea and evening aperitifs.