Introduction The Balé is an all-villa property located just outside the Nusa Dua gated community, near Aman Villas and across from Mulia. The resort is operated by the Singapore-based, LifestyleRetreats, who is also behind The Menjangan up north and a few other properties. The word “balé” itself means along the lines of pavilion in Balinese, so it’s no surprise that the hotel is categorised in that way.The resort apparently opened in 2002, and has 29 pool pavilions; since the resort isn’t adjacent to the beach, there isn’t a sea-view of any kind, which is probably the main caveat about staying here.The Balé Location The resort is located down in the Nusa Dua Peninsula, but outside the gated community housing many of the area’s international hotels and convention centres. It is across the street from the sprawling Mulia complex, and nearby St Regis. It is within walking distance to a beach and several local warung food establishments as well as the hotel restaurants (The St Regis does excellent food at its restaurants). Check In We arrived just past midday by car from Sanur. I frankly thought the hotel’s entrance is bizarre. The small entrance opens straight to a small parking lot of sorts. There isn’t really a drop-off, less so a porte-cochère, which made the arrival confusing. There wasn’t anyone on standby near there either, so it would require one to go to the lobby to get attention for any assistance with luggage.Lobby and temporarily closed Tapas RestaurantThat aside, check-in was very quick. The helpful and friendly receptionist explained the features of the resort, whilst her colleague brought over some refreshing citrusy welcome drinks. Soon after, we were driven to our room up a narrow winding path by buggy. Room We booked a confusingly named “Single Pavillion” and received one as such. I thought that the room was beautifully done, and looked very modern. I pretty much liked the look of the bedroom, although there were some wear and tear that I didn’t mind too much. There is also a small yet modern Bale by the pool which had a desk, the minibar, and two folding-looking-yet-non-folding deck chairs.Single Pavilion BedroomSingle Pavilion BedroomThe Balé Welcome Amenity - OrangesSingle Pavilion - PoolSingle Pavilion - GardenSingle Pavilion - Outdoor BaléThe bathroom was similarly nice and bright. I liked that they also provided a variety of soaps with different scents for us to try, which reminded me of the setup at Capella Ubud. The fact that they had both an indoor and outdoor shower made it better, although the outdoor shower probably had seen better days.BathroomShowerBathtubSinks and SoapI had only one gripe with the room, which was the lack of power outlets. I counted a total of 3 outlets in the room, one of them being an American plug, all placed in inconvenient locations and none of them bedside. Single Pavilion - View Dining We only dined at the hotel for breakfast during our short stay, which was included in our rate. They had a rather varied breakfast menu, which is viewable on their website. Breakfast is served at the Faces Restaurant (interesting name choice), and the food is generally high quality.Faces RestaurantI sampled a “Bale Benedict” along with a fruit plate, and a pastry. The Benedict is served with some mushroom bits and truffle oil; whilst I thought the dish was overall nice, it seemed like they had trouble preparing the hollandaise since it was slightly curdled and a bit too acidic.Fruit PlateThe 'Bale Benedict'PastriesThe pastry wasn’t the best I’ve had, but it was warm and edible. The preserves were surprisingly homemade and tasted excellent. I was also happy with the nice and varied fruit plate, along with the interesting drink options they had (I tried a lychee tea and a strawberry-pineapple-orange juice). Overall, I was pretty happy with the meal. Amenities The resort itself somehow managed to pull off a sleek look whilst maintaining a a serene feel. Water is a very strong element of the design and there is a shallow stream of water that flows from the restaurant to the lobby. In fact the design of the whole place really reminded me of that at Alila Villas Uluwatu, particularly with its sleek lines combined with traditional elements (bamboo at Alila, thatched roofing here).Water featurePool AreaThere is a main pool, which is fed by a gentle waterfall from the two-bedroom pavilion’s pools. The pool is split between two levels and was very nicely done. There are some sunken lounge chairs that I didn’t find particularly comfortable. Unfortunately, the enclosed daybeds were covered with scattered leaves and plant debris... a sign that the place is understaffed. Main poolMain poolMain poolThe place also has a very nicely appointed gym, along with a spa and a gift shop. There are also faint references to a beach club, although I’m not sure if the resort still has access to one at this point.GymSpa Service It occurred to me that the resort, like many others on the island, is very much looked understaffed. There didn’t seem like there were many people working the place, although they did a pretty good job keeping the place more-or-less clean and maintained. The staff we encountered were very friendly and warm, and service at the restaurant was quite polished too. Overall The Balé is officially an adults-only resort, although I don’t know if that rule was temporarily changed during the pandemic. The public areas mostly felt deserted, bar a single time early in the morning when several people arrived to do a photo shoot for a cushion product…Overall, I was rather impressed by The Balé, and this resort certainly surprised me. The property is beautiful, the food is good, there is a nice gym and pool, and staff are friendly and quick to respond. However, that's not to say that the hotel is an exceptional resort rivalling the best, most luxurious hotels on the island, because it frankly doesn't—especially not to the lofty standards of a luxury hotel on this forum. It is, however, a very much upmarket, intimate boutique resort.