Although my entire stay in Bali wasn’t fantastic, I can say that Gdas Health and Wellness Resort was the highlight, and honestly one of the best resorts in Bali. Here are five reasons why the resort is so incredible, and why you need to book your stay there.
Gdas Bali Health and Wellness Resort
Gdas Bali is a luxury resort just south of the Ubud town center. The resort had a soft grand opening in 2022 and will be fully operational in the summer of 2024 when the Bali Eden Wellness Center and the Lanang Wadon Restaurant are complete. Currently, there are 27 rooms, including two exquisite, private villas, a plant-based restaurant, an outdoor pool, a yoga and meditation terrace, and a hot yoga studio.
When the wellness center opens, it will contain the only cryotherapy center in Ubud and one of the most advanced health clinics in Bali. The Lanang Wadon will also open as a bistro-style restaurant. Best of all, the garden-view rooms will no longer have a view of construction.
Gdas is an abbreviation for Govinda Das, meaning servant of God. The resort is the brainchild of a well-known writer and record executive who maintains a private residence connected to the resort. Although the resort is essentially independent, it’s also part of both Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) and Mr & Mrs Smith Hotels. That means both Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt members can earn and use points at Gdas Bali.
Perfect Hospitality
The first thing that stood out to me at Gdas Bali was how welcoming and friendly the staff was. I never saw anyone other than smiling and enjoying their tasks. Whether it was the chefs laughing as they cooked or the housekeepers greeting you with a huge smile every time they passed you, the general tone was wonderful throughout the entire stay. In fact, the staff is trained to welcome elite-level clientele.
As each guest arrives at the hotel, they receive a Balinese blessing – a few flicks of holy water on their head – before entering the buildings. They then fill out a form detailing any maladies, dietary restrictions, various preferences, and what they hope to achieve at the resort, similar to what I filled out at the Svata Katerina resort in Czechia.
Not all resorts provide perfect service. Sometimes the friendliness feels forced or there are periods of neglect by the staff. I didn’t experience any of that at Gdas Bali, nor was the attention ever overbearing, which immediately elevated our stay over our other accommodations in Bali.
A View of Rice Paddies
Easily the most iconic view of Bali is the rice paddies. Of course, there aren’t many paddies in the more populated parts of Bali like Denpasar and Canggu. However, Ubud and the more remote regions are full of paddies, and a large group of paddies lines one side of the resort. They might not be the famous tiered fields, but they’re beautiful nonetheless.
Unfortunately, rice is usually planted in January/February and July/August, and then harvested in April/May and October/November. We visited in early January, which means we just missed out on the rice paddies. However, we still got to see the farmers getting the field ready for the next planting, which I’m assuming was only a few days away.
Most of the big, corporate hotels in Bali have views of the beach rather than rice paddies. While that’s also beautiful, the paddies make the stay truly unique in Bali. Furthermore, although Gdas is part of two luxury hotel portfolios, it’s anything but a corporate-feeling resort.
Excellent Vegetarian Food at Tangi Restaurant
While I’m not a vegetarian, I love vegetarian and vegan cuisine. The Tangi Restaurant at Gdas Bali is plant-based, sourcing herbs and other vegetables from its own garden. A team of well-trained chefs craft delicious dishes which are also works of art.
Although exclusively vegetarian, the menu is extensive and provides dishes from a range of cuisines. For the first meal, I had the homemade chips and guacamole, while Vanesa managed to make it through half the massive black bean burger. Breakfast was an impressive spread of fruits, homemade bread and jams, and different drinks, plus a main course. One day I had avocado toast, and the next I had fruit, yogurt, and syrup-topped pancakes. After all that food, I chose a simple Thai sweet potato soup for lunch…which was anything but simple. Safe to say, every dish was fantastic.
One of the main items served with every meal, and throughout the stay in general, is loloh. Loloh is an herbal drink found exclusively in Bali. Gdas produces their own loloh and even offers guests classes on how to harvest the herbs and prepare the drink.
I often say I travel just for the food. Despite how many award-winning restaurants there are across the island, having good meals at your resort in Bali is a must. That breakfast is included with your stay at Gdas Bali is even better.
Yoga and Meditation Suites
Of course, you can’t have a wellness retreat without yoga, meditation, and other forms of wellness. When the Bali Eden Wellness Center opens in the summer of 2024, there will be a whole list of therapies available. In the meantime, there is a huge yoga shala on top of the main building. A shala is a covered pavilion, and this one is surrounded by a fish-filled pond to keep the area cool in Bali’s hot weather.
Gdas Bali also has a hot yoga studio by the pool. We didn’t get a chance to do hot yoga while we were there, but we had a yoga and meditation session in the shala after our breakfast. The whole purpose of Gdas is to put you in a state of complete peace in body, mind, and spirit, and I’d say they achieve such. That’s not easy in some parts of Bali, where the traffic alone is enough to keep you on edge every moment of the day.
The Most Advanced Wellness Center in Ubud
Sadly, I didn’t get to experience the Bali Eden Wellness Center at Gdas, since it was mostly still under construction. But when it opens, it will have the only cryotherapy studio in Ubud and one of the most advanced ones in Indonesia. Plenty of other therapies will also be available, but I’ll have to go back someday to see the full list and experience them for myself.
Gdas Bali uses Usadha, the Balinese version of Ayurveda. The techniques focus on meditation, consuming loloh, a plant-based diet, massages, yoga, etc. It was really interesting to see the similarities and differences with other therapies.
As someone who focuses on wellness when I travel, having a good spa is essential for the best resorts in Bali. Even without Bali Eden open yet, Vanesa and I had one of our best massages in Southeast Asia at Gdas Bali. Definitely consider adding a massage package to your stay.
Booking a Stay at the Best Resorts in Bali
You can book the Gdas Bali Health and Wellness Resort directly through their website. As mentioned earlier, the resort is part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World and Mr & Mrs Smith Hotels, so you can book through either of those or, by extension, World of Hyatt (which partners with Mr & Mrs Smith Hotels). Of course, if you don’t mind giving me a little commission, you can also book through Agoda.com.
Balinese high season is around the Christmas holidays, and then again around April through July, which is winter in the southern hemisphere and also away from the rainy season. As there are only 27 rooms at the resort, expect them to be fully booked if you don’t reserve far enough in advance.
Guests can stay for just a day or two, or alternatively choose a retreat package for up to a month or longer. Personally, I’d recommend booking for at least a few days to take advantage of one of the spa packages. Honestly, we didn’t want to leave the resort at all.
Further Reading
Planning to visit Southeast Asia? Here are some other articles you might like that will help you with your travels.
- My Two Weeks Exploring Kuala Lumpur on a Budget
- Observing Chinese New Year in Kuala Lumpur
- The Real Reason I Don’t Want to Visit Kuala Lumpur Again
- The Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur Are Better Than They Look Online
- Thailand Transportation: The Cheapest Way to Get from Bangkok to Penang
- The Best Singapore Food Tour: Discovering Singaporean Cuisine
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