Best of 2023 - Bali
"Easy Golf Bali"
with an attractive poster above the stand, that was my first eye-catcher at the golf fair in Lisbon. Brian Bowley, the Australian GEO, had forged the perfect packages for this Hindu treasure island - with golf, sightseeing, trips to the golf courses with subsequent pick-up, hotel stays, restaurant tips and much more. A date was quickly found and the planned itinerary looked like a relaxed week of golf: Arrival in Nusa Dua, where one world-class hotel follows another, with magnificent beaches in beautiful gardens. The Laguna Beach Resort, where we stayed, has hidden temples, various restaurants and a waterfall, which at least visually brings a little coolness to the hot climate. From here, it's just a stone's throw to the Bali National Golf Club, which looks like a temple complex as soon as you enter. 18 holes that lead through palm trees, grasses and flowering bushes and end with an island green on the 17th and a lake on the 18th. Easy to observe from the clubhouse terrace with restaurant.
www.BaliNationalGolf.com
One of the newest of the four golf courses here is the Bukit Pandawa Golf & Country Club, situated in an elevated position on the limestone cliffs near the Bukit Peninsula with magnificent views of the ocean. Playing 18 par 3 holes seems pretty easy at first glance - but it's not! Almost every hole has obstacles in the form of walls, cliffs, bunkers or deep ravines. But there are also fantastic views over Flamboyant trees to the sea. The clubhouse could easily win a design award: Outside in the shape of a temple, inside stylishly modern with lots of water and gray stone. Our move to the Renaissance Hotel in Uluwatu gave us a new aha experience: situated high on a hill with an open view of the surrounding jungle landscape and the sea, the hotel is home to a young, hip crowd who relax by the large pool area to the sound of chilled-out music.
www.bukitpandawagolf.com
It's not far from here to the New Kuta Golf Course, which is also one of the newer ones here. One of the more memorable holes is the 6th hole, which is affectionately known as "Fream's Island" after the golf course designer Ronald Fream. The island green does not consist of water, but of a huge expanse of sand. We were fascinated by the view of the sea from the 14th tee and there is also an incredible 360-degree view of the sea and beaches on the 15th. However, the ruined buildings all around, which should have been luxury hotels, are a little regrettable.
www.newkutagolf.com
Back in Nusa Dua, we stayed at the luxurious Apurva Kempinski Bali Hotel, perched on a majestic cliff with breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean and the tropical gardens below. At first glance, it looks like a majestic open-air theater with over 475 rooms, suites and villas, some with their own pool. We will never forget dining in the Koral Restaurant, a huge aquarium with the best fish cuisine, or the hot pot meal in the Bai Yun Restaurant. This time we had to accept a two-hour journey via Denpasar to the oldest golf course in Bali, as the Handara Golf Course is located in the highlands of Caldera at 1400 meters, on a crater of an extinct volcano. In cool temperatures, you play 18 holes with many doglegs and differences in altitude. The jungle runs close to the edge of most of the fairways and circles many of the greens, which are quite fast. It's a good thing the caddies know the way, because otherwise you'd be in trouble with the many blind holes.
www.handaragolfresort.com
The resort with villas is right next door, with the opportunity to play this beautiful course a second time. My conclusion: You should plan at least 8 days for this trip, because then you still have enough time to visit temples in between, such as the Puja Mandala Worship Complex or the Uluwatu Temple on an almost 70 meter high cliff. Shopping in Seminyak or in the Bali Collection Area as well as enjoying culinary Bali in the currently popular Canggu. Anyone travelling with "Easy Golf Bali" will have an "easy vacation" in the truest sense of the word, where everything is organized.
www.easygolfbali.com
Text & photos: Elsa Honecker
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