I think some of the challenge here for Bali (and so many other locations with good luxury options) is that it actually isn’t a zero sum game—and yet too many feel it must or should be. It’s possible that there are many good luxury options that can be more comparable than people might believe. Yet that seems to surprise so many or be impossible for so many to believe...or even consider.

In most places, including Bali, there are a myriad of wonderful luxury options, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. There isn’t a best place. There may be a best place for each of us, but not necessarily for everyone at large. Usually, though, there isn’t a best place for anyone—there really are several best places that equally can suit us based on our preferences for the moment. So we pick the one that seems best at the time based on whatever criteria matter most to us at that time and run with it.

I deal with this issue with college counseling all the time. Just because Harvard and Stanford and Yale are more selective and more prestigious to most doesn’t mean they deliver a better educational experience or even have the best students. There are many more colleges and universities that can deliver just as well if not better, and there are many more colleges and universities that can have students as bright based on whatever metric you prefer to use (though most metrics are, not surprisingly, flawed—just like hotel rankings and ratings!). The same can be just as true with luxury hotels, my friends.

So the Ritz Carlton Bali shouldn’t surprise anyone (as much as it seems to in this Luxury Forum!) as a possible place to have an outstanding luxury holiday to the highest standard—especially when staying in one of its nicest level of accommodation. It may not be to everyone’s liking or preference, but then it’s pretty rare for that to not be the case!

Some people are perhaps considering the RC Bali only from the perspective of its entry level of lower category accommodations. Thats a mistake.

Aman is fantastic in Indonesia, but it’s not even close to being the only luxury game in Bali now—and it hasn’t been for quite some time. It’s not even necessarily the best luxury game in Bali now, especially after recent takeovers and brand and leadership changes. So why are so many surprised when another luxury hotel that’s bigger can deliver, too?