Meet The Bali Hotel People Are Saying Has The “World’s Best Brunch”
Sonia is a travel, lifestyle, and design writer and editor…
The Mulia is Bali’s #1 resort for a reason. There are more staff than guests and it feels like all 2000+ of them know your name. Even your toilet seat will open on approach and – in an unexpectedly life-changing moment – when you sit down, it’s warm. The property flanks a private stretch of yellowy-white sand with calm waters and some of Bali’s most Instagrammable pools.
But that’s not even the most notable thing about The Mulia. The best bit of the whole experience? The food.
The Mulia is renowned for its incredible all-you-can-eat brunch. But this no Sizzler; it claims the title of most lavish on the island – and with a seafood tower, live cooking stations, as much booze as you can handle between 11am and 3pm and a la carte items like escargot, it’s an accurate description.
This legendary brunch is found within the resort’s signature beachfront restaurant, Soleil. The standard drinks package is from $100 (IDR 959,000 plus tax for Friday, IDR 1,059,000 plus tax for Sunday) and includes as much soft drink, juice, tea, house wine, beer and select cocktails as you can enjoy before 3pm.
Image: Sonia Taylor
When you walk in, you’re greeted by an array of European cheeses (think French wash rinds and Italian cheddars), a charcuterie section and an entire bread station. Beyond, you’ll spot spit-roasting meats, seafood towers with crabs, oysters and prawns, vibrant salads and Asian specialties.
The desserts are like a Miss Universe pageant for cakes and puds; a spectacular array of glossy, colourful items taking over two sections of the restaurant. There’s even a peach-coloured chocolate fountain. It’s like stepping into the actual Good Place.
Not everything is in the buffet, either. Seasoned brunchers will know to order the changing Chef specials and a la carte items – all included. The fresh pastas are beautiful and there’s even uber-decadent foie gras brûlée.
But there is one thing you must do: ask for cracked pepper. It’s the biggest grinder you’ll ever see in your life.
The signature Sunday brunch is so popular The Mulia Bali added Fridays to their bill. It’s ideal for a celebration (and you’ll hear renditions of Happy Birthday popping off throughout your meal, which only adds to the fun atmosphere) or for those wanting to experience a world-class dining experience for a great price.
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The High Life, Complete With Personal Butler
While you’re at The Mulia, you might even bump into the likes of Fergie, Lupita Nyong’o, Lily Allen, Ashley Graham, Millie Bobbie Brown, Shay Mitchell and Liam Payne. And they’re the A-Listers the resort and villas are actually allowed to name drop.
I’m told that one time, a Sheikh found the toilet too low – so they just ripped it out and popped in a more height-appropriate option. He was paying $10,000 a night for a few weeks so The Mulia didn’t find it a big deal to re-design the bathroom. This is the level of service available to you at this property.
As you can imagine, the rooms in all accommodation tiers are ridiculous. High-quality linens with multiple pillow options, big bathtubs, marble and natural wood everywhere, plus motion-detecting toilets. In the suites, you’ll get your own private Jacuzzi on your balcony. For the villas, there are private gardens, pools and gazebos.
Everyone gets complimentary yoga and there is an excellent fitness centre and kids club. The grounds are well manicured and communal spaces architecturally stunning. The owners of The Mulia Bali are involved in the marble business, so you best believe the natural stone in the property is spectacular and on a grand scale.
The Mulia Bali has welcomed the likes of Presidents and Prime Ministers, royalty, tycoons and Sheikhs, but what makes this property truly five-star is that anyone who stays there – high profile or not – feels as if it was a private experience custom-designed for their comfort.
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It’s likely your introduction to The Mulia Bali will make you want to return. For the foodies, this is great news – the property (which includes The Mulia Resort, The Mulia and The Mulia Villas) houses an impressive eight individual restaurants, two bars and a nightclub, with an additional two dining rooms (The Lounge and The Living Room) reserved exclusively for the Suite and Villa guests, which are the top accommodation tiers.
If you stay in either The Mulia or The Mulia Villas, you’ll enjoy complimentary afternoon tea every day, inclusive of high tea-style sweet and savoury platters and unlimited alcoholic beverages which, yes, includes cocktails.
It’s in these two properties you’ll also get to make use of a personal butler. When I was there, mine ran me a bubble bath before I finished my dinner. It was wonderful.
Hot Tip: The Spa Is Spectacular And Not Your Average Experience
There is also another way to experience something pretty special at The Mulia.
Their award-winning spa is not only beautiful with highly trained staff, but the facilities are some of the best I’ve seen in any resort. You can book the entire Wellness Suite from $70 (IDR 675,000 plus tax) per hour – inclusive of hot and cold hydrotonic pools, wet and dry saunas and an ice room with fresh ice shavings dropping from the ceiling into a central pillar.
Image: The Mulia
Each of the saunas and ice room are all fitted out with LED lights offering colour therapy, too. If you press a particular button in the wet sauna, it will spray peppermint essential oil-infused mist into the room to help with your breathing and energise you. Afterward, shower off and lather yourself in complimentary Thalgo marine products. This isn’t your usual spa experience and that’s precisely the point.
So yes, you can go to The Mulia for brunch or book in at the spa. But if you can swing a stay, this is a place where even the toilet seats go above and beyond for you and a regular Joe is a baller who returns from dinner to a freshly-drawn bubble bath.
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Sonia Taylor travelled the world for four straight years – she lived a lot, and ate even more. Catch her current adventures on Instagram @sonnietothetee.
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Feature image: The Mulia Bali / Shay Mitchell
Sonia is a travel, lifestyle, and design writer and editor who lives for sharing a personal rec. See what she's up to @literallysonia.