New Resorts Come To Bali's Beaches

<I>Bali, Indonesia</I> - A surge of new resort hotels have claimed the beachfronts on this island of rice fields and Hindu temples, rivaling the famed Four Seasons on Jimbaran Bay.

The Ritz-Carlton, which opened on Jimbaran last month, plans to court incentive markets from North America as well as Asia, said Jim Schultenover, vice president of sales and marketing for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. The resort expects to garner 25 percent of its guests from North America, 30 percent from Europe and 45 percent from Asia-Pacific.

"We're glad that the Four Seasons is there because it's enhanced the reputation of the island," Schultenover said.

That reputation has enticed other chains as well. Radisson opened two resorts on Sanur Beach last September. The 380-room Nusa Dua Beach hotel, featuring a nine-room, 1,500- capacity convention center, recently underwent a $22 million transformation, revamping function rooms for meetings accommodating 10 to 500. Oberoi Hotels will premiere a resort on neighboring Lombok island next month, and the Le Meridien Hotel and Spa will debut this summer, followed by a second Four Seasons at Sayan.

While the 323-room Ritz-Carlton will have 36 Balinese thatched-roof villas with private plunge pools, a more secluded location-a bluff on the west side of the Badung Peninsula-will set the resort apart from the Four Seasons, Schultenover said. "Our uniqueness really comes down to location."

The resort's ballroom features 6,243 square feet of meeting space and seats 530 for dinner. Three additional meeting rooms range from 615 to 1,220 square feet, seating 50 to 100.

Opening package rates run from $125 for an ocean-view room to $285 for a Sunset Villa. After March 31, rates jump to $220 and $485, respectively.

The upcoming 284-room Meridien, part of the south coast's 300-acre Nirwana Bali resort, will feature 12 bungalows, a 450-capacity banquet room, meeting rooms for 25 to 100 and a private 18-hole golf course.

Meanwhile, guests at the Four Seasons on Jimbaran Bay may now indulge in a takeout meal for their flight home. For between $9 and $19, the resort delivers meals in a lightweight box, no heating required.