The most memorable interiors tell us something about the place to which they belong. In Bali, design can celebrate contemporary architecture, natural materials and the remarkable continuity of traditions passed between generations.
For travellers considering the best hotels in Bali, a design-led stay offers more than visual beauty. It invites a closer appreciation of the people, materials and stories behind a space.
At Balquisse Heritage Hotel, that appreciation begins with Indonesia: its living traditions, the artistry of the archipelago and the people whose skill gives a room its character. Jimbaran, southern Bali, is where it stands. Family history, art and a deeply personal approach to interiors have shaped it into a garden retreat.
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Balquisse Heritage Hotel began with a family home. In 1995, Blaise and Zohra arrived in Bali with their young daughter, Balquisse, and settled into a traditional Balinese house. The home became a four-room guesthouse in 1998 and gradually grew into the 21-room hotel that welcomes guests today.
Its evolution reflects a love of interiors and a desire to celebrate Indonesia's extraordinary traditions of making. Each new space was approached with care and a collector's eye for beautiful objects.
Zohra Boukhari's approach to the interiors is intuitive and deeply personal. Antique furniture, carved wood, textiles, ceramics and carefully chosen objects have been collected and composed to create rooms with individual identities.
The result is a harmonious collection rather than a uniform scheme. Colour, texture and proportion speak to one another, while each space retains its own personality.
Some pieces now serve a different purpose. A finely made door, for example, might stand behind a bed as its headboard. Elsewhere, a length of handwoven cloth lends texture and a gentle reminder of where you are. Because the collection grew slowly, piece by piece, the rooms have gradually taken on a layered character.
Interiors here celebrate Indonesian artists and craftspeople. That aim helped to shape Balquisse Heritage Hotel.
Guests may notice how a carved panel catches the light, or how the weave of a textile rewards a closer look.
Sangon and Sangitani, the hotel's Javanese gladak teak houses, were carefully relocated from Java and reassembled in Jimbaran. Their construction reflects generations of timber craftsmanship, and their restoration allows that artistry to remain part of everyday life.
Bringing the houses to Jimbaran in this way was an act of care. Both houses retain the proportions of their original design and the character of their timber work, so guests can appreciate how they were made while enjoying the ease of a contemporary stay.
Inside the teak houses, timber and natural light set the tone, and collected furnishings add a generous feeling of warmth.
The Shaba Shala carries this respect for materials into another chapter. Built in 2023 using recycled wood, the yoga house celebrates the beauty of reuse and the relationship between architecture and the garden.
Giving recycled timber a new purpose honours the work already held within it, and the building opens through its doors and windows to the greenery around it.
Lemongrass surrounds the yoga house, which reflects the wider spirit of Balquisse Heritage Hotel, where materials are given new life with thought and craftsmanship is treated with respect.
Much of the pleasure of a heritage room lies in how it feels as the day moves on. In the morning, sunlight may fall through carved timber and rest on a woven textile or a piece of antique furniture. Later, the afternoon light may soften the colours and draw out the grain of the wood. Rooms here open towards the greenery, so daylight and the garden become part of what you see from one hour to the next.
Outside, garden paths lead between frangipani and tropical foliage, where the gentle fragrance of traditional incense mingles with the warm breeze. Sangon and Sangitani have verandas that offer shade. Other rooms open towards the pools and gardens, or have generous bathing spaces of their own. Throughout the property, the relationship between indoors and outdoors shapes the experience of a room.
At Balquisse Heritage Hotel, collected interiors and restored architecture sit alongside contemporary bathrooms, thoughtful amenities, four pools, dining and wellness spaces. Heritage is part of the atmosphere; comfort is part of the welcome.
Saybah Restaurant is set in the gardens. Treatments are offered at The Shaba Spa for moments of rest between days of discovery. If you would like help planning your days, our team is glad to assist, and when you choose a room they can guide you towards one that suits the way you wish to spend your time, whether that means a quiet morning on a teak veranda or an afternoon beside the pools.
What makes a room memorable is often the balance between its elements: the character of a carved panel, the softness of a textile, the quality of light and the ease of feeling at home.
For those who travel with an appreciation for art and design, Balquisse Heritage Hotel is an invitation to discover Indonesia through spaces created with affection and intention.
A hotel that preserves and celebrates historic architecture, materials or cultural character while welcoming contemporary guests.
Zohra Boukhari shaped the hotel's interiors through collected antiques, textiles and Indonesian craftsmanship.
Each of the 21 rooms has its own layout, materials and decorative character.
Yes. The hotel combines heritage design with contemporary guest amenities and facilities.
They are traditional Javanese gladak teak houses that were dismantled in Java and rebuilt in Jimbaran. Today they belong to Balquisse Heritage Hotel. Guests can stay in them and enjoy timber craftsmanship alongside contemporary comfort.
Yes. Share how you like to spend your time, and our team can point you towards rooms that suit your stay, whether you are drawn to a Javanese teak house or a room opening towards the pools and gardens.
Balquisse Heritage Hotel sits within a garden setting in Jimbaran, southern Bali.
Not all of them. Sangon and Sangitani are Javanese teak houses. Each of the other rooms has its own character within the garden setting.
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