Introduction Kayumanis Hotel Jimbaran is part of the small Indonesian Kayumanis chain that operates several hotels in Bali and China. The chain itself seems to focus on operating small scaled villa-only resorts. The Jimbaran hotel does not have access to a beach, let alone a private one, although is physically located 5 minutes away to Jimbaran Beach by foot. Prior to the Pandemic, the hotel charges around ~£200 to £300 a night for an entry level room, including return airport transfers and a lot of other amenities. However, due to the pandemic, the hotel is charging an incredible rate equivalent to £80 a night, reflective of the unfortunately dire current situation in Bali. Note that the rate is a special rate for residents of the country (Indonesian nationals, and foreigners who carry a residency permit). This is a trend observed throughout the island both in internationally branded and local chained hotels. Check In Upon arrival at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport, we were met by a friendly representative from Kayumanis, who would drive us to the hotel. After a long walk to the airport's parking lot area to the car, it was a 10 minute drive to Kayumanis. In the car were two bottles of water along with a bottle of sanitiser. Traditional Balinese music was playing in the stereo. The arrival was seamless and we were met with familiar faces from our previous stay. Because of the Pandemic, we were kindly requested to wash our hands at a dedicated sink before checking in. The courteous staff remembered the details from our previous stay, and apparently placed us in the same villa! Lobby GroundsLobby GroundsIt wasn't long before we were taken to our room, as the rest of the check-in formalities are done in-villa. Room We booked a one-bedroom villa, an 'entry level' room. At 500 squared meters or ~5400 sqft, the space is much larger compared to the offerings at the Jimbaran Puri next door and the Four Seasons down the road. The villa itself was very well furnished. Upon entering, we were met by soft Balinese music playing in the background, and two refreshing guava drinks.Grounds leading to VillaThe space comprised of three structures, and a private pool. The first structure is the combined living and dining area, where a typical living room is set up, along with a dining table seating four and a kitchenette. Right behind this is an awkward indoor space housing two lounge chairs, that apparently can be repurposed to accomodate spa treatments. I was told that this space can also be converted as a second bedroom should the need arise. Next to this room is a guest bathroom of sorts, that includes a wash closet, bidet, and an outdoor shower. Living Area and KitchenetteDining AreaKitchenetteView of private pool from living area - Notice the poolside GazeboGuest Bathroom - Outdoor ShowerGuest BathroomThe bedroom itself is of good size, and has a four poster bed, along with a day bed by the window and a desk. along with a closet. The room is tastefully furnished, in my opinion, and I appreciate the sense of place brought about by the tatched roofing. The bed is rather hard as is common in Asia, but that didn't prevent me from getting good nights of sleep. Interestingly, the pens provided are actual cinammon sticks, a great reflection of the hotel's name Kayumanis, which apparently means cinammon in Indonesian.There is a sizeable open air bathroom behind the bedroom, which features a sizeable terazzo bathtub, and an outdoor shower. The soap and shampoo are placed in reuseable stone containers, and are unbranded (presumably sourced from a local producer).BedroomBedroomMaster Bathroom Overall, the villa and its surroundings are very beautiful. Despite the economic effects of pandemic, the place is very well maintained, and the grenery remain very green. The garden and pool area get rather dark at night if that is of any bother, but I find the setting overall very serene and peaceful. There were other guests staying at the adjacent villas, and yet we cannot hear any noise from them (possibly due to the sheer size of each villa area). One downside of the villa is probably the open air bathrooms, particularly to those who do not care for mosquitos and insects disturbing oneself whilst doing one's business. Dining We had all our meals in the villa, and overall they were excellent. The hotel's restaurants, Kayumanis and Cuca (closed at the moment) are well-rated on numerous food or traveller review websites. Whilst I doubt the validity of the integreity of such websites, I could attest that the food at the Kayumanis is indeed very good and of great quality. We had a selection of different local dishes for breakfast over our three night stay, and they were all very delicious. The fruits and bread were all fresh as well, to our delight. Additionally, orders of Green Tea or Balinese Coffee are served with fresh-cut lime and honey.In-villa breakfast setup (Indonesian Nasi Goreng and Bubar Ayam/Chicken Congee)Indonesian Fried Rice - 'Nasi Goreng'Balinese Rice - 'Nasi Tapis' (Rice, chicken, eggs, noodles, sambal, prawn crackers)Balinese Rice Porridge - 'Nasi Tepeng'Omelette with some really odd baconBreadbasket with surprisingly good pastries and muffins - not European quality but better than the ones you'd find locallyWe also had dinner in the villa on one of the nights we couldn't be fussed to go out to find food. We ordered an Indonesian chicken dish called 'Ayam Intuk' and some satay, both of which were excellent in terms of quality and taste. Both dishes are priced at around Rp. 150,000 to Rp 160,000 before taxes (~£7-8).The Ayam Intuk was especially fragrant, probably from the amalgation of being cooked with many spices. It came with a Thai basil and chilli sambal sauce, which was hot but refreshing. The chicken was physically small, but it was explained that the meat comes from an indigenous variety of smaller chicken called 'Ayam Kampong'. Sure enough, there is a noticeable difference in taste compared to the chickens I'm used to in the UK, being more gamey and more savoury. Very good! Ayam IntukPork and Chicken Satay Service The hotel's staff are very warm, friendly and courteous. No matter where you walk within the hotel grounds, each staff member, from gardener to butler would stop whatever they're doing to greet you 'Good Morning' or otherwise - a pattern I also witnessed at the Four Seasons down the road a few years back. A very nice and welcoming touch.Every morning, as breakfast is delivered to the villa, the two people bringing the food would set the table very carefully and gracefully to ensure everything is placed correctly on the table. Some may think that it makes the process a bit slow, although I think it is very good attention to detail. Additionally, it is interesting to note that the people at the reception are referred to as butlers, and refer to themselves as such. Location Jimbaran, despite all the development in the past decades, remains classified as a village. The area is 10 minutes from the island's international airport, Ngurah Rai International. Despite the proximity, there were no problems of aeroplane noise pollution.Physically, our villas is located just a few hundred metres from Jimbaran Beach. Due to the absence of noise pollution, we were able to hear clearly the sounds of crashing waves from our villa, despite the hotel not having direct access to a beach. In spite of that, the hotel is located only a 5 minute walk away from the public entrance of the beach. There are no beach chair or day bed facilities provided by the hotel (or at least as far as I know of). Prior to the pandemic, the hotel had some sort of an arrangement with the Belmond next door that allows hotel guests to use Belmond's beach facilities, although that arrangement appears to have been suspended (understandably). The hotel's quaint Kayumanis RestaurantThe stretch of Jimbaran Beach near Kayumanis.The adjacent Jimbaran Beach sits very empty nowadays. The beach has long been known for its adjacent grilled seafood restaurants and sunsets, and had been very crowded prior to the pandemic (although arguably not as much as Kuta or Seminyak up north). The stretch of beach near the Kayumanis and the Belmond extends south passing the old InterContinental and all the way to the Four Seasons at the end, and extends north all the way to the airport's runway. At this point, the beach and water is very clean, apart from the odd washed up water bottles. There are many live clams and crabs, and occasionally some schools of fish in the water, a sight I haven't seen before in the southwestern beaches of Bali prior to Covid. The beach is located within a way, and there aren't really any big waves. I can't comment if the water is suitable for swimming. There are occasionally a couple people surfing, although I haven't seen anyone swimming. Overall Overall, I can't recommend Kayumanis Jimbaran enough. In spite of its (little) shortcomings, the hotel itself is ultimately a wonderful choice in the Jimbaran (or dare I say the south of the Island?). The villas, service, food, and location are excellent. The small size of the hotel makes the service a lot more personalised compared to the likes of Belmond and Four Seasons, both of which are larger villa resorts.I would not hesitate to stay here again in the future.