Shaped by lagoon pools and featuring cave-inspired architecture and soaring views, La Mewali Resort is Canggu’s striking new hideaway minutes from the beach, bars and buzz.
Hotel: La Mewali Resort & Spa Canggu | Location: Jalan Raya Canggu, Bali, Indonesia | Room Type: Luxury Pool Villa | Star Rating: ★★★★☆
Canggu does not lack for hotels. What it has lacked, until recently, is somewhere that feels removed from the scooters, surf shops and Instagram-savvy cafes without sacrificing proximity to them. What we really need is an urban oasis that you could drive past and not even notice. La Mewali Resort & Spa, part of the Ini Vie collection, sets out to be exactly that, and for the most part, it succeeds handsomely.
The new concept is built around water. A two-tiered lagoon pool winds through the entire property, connecting villas and suites the way a canal threads through a town, so that wherever you are on the property — breakfast at the rooftop, a treatment at the spa, or simply walking back from your room — you’re never far from the sound and sight of moving water.
The architecture leans into this fluidity with sharp corners replaced almost entirely with curves, and buildings finished in sculpted terracotta, stone, wood and bamboo that give the whole resort the look and feel of something carved rather than constructed. It’s a distinctive aesthetic in a neighbourhood that can, frankly, blur together after a while.
And yet for all this sense of retreat, La Mewali is only a short skip from the heart of Canggu. Echo Beach, Berawa’s beach clubs, and the restaurants and boutiques of Batu Bolong are all minutes away, which makes the resort an unusually good fit for travelling lads who want Canggu’s energy in the evening, total calm the rest of the time and less maddening traffic in between. You get the oasis and the action, and you’re not forced to choose.
The Subterranean-esque Enclave
We stayed in one of the One Bedroom Plunge Pool Villas — the resort has 41 keys in total, made up of these eight villas and 33 suites — and at 75 square metres, it’s certainly spacious by Canggu standards. Each standalone villa features a well-appointed suite with a daybed, workspace, direct lagoon-pool access through sliding doors, and a Jacuzzi-styled private plunge pool perched on the roof and accessed via an external staircase.
Inside, the villa’s bedroom features a fascinating subterranean-inspired design language, and the effect is cocooning rather than cramped — more grotto than cave, a distinction that makes sense once you’re lying down. The king-size bed is dressed in warm, natural tones, there’s a walk-in shower (no bath sadly), a hammock perched above the pool, an Alexa-enabled speaker, and a Netflix-enabled in-room projector for lazier evenings, while that direct pool access means you can, in theory, swim through much of the resort.
For guests who prefer a different outlook, La Mewali also offers Suite Rooms and Grand Suite Rooms, with those on the ground floor offering direct lagoon-pool access from a deep-set patio, and each finished in the same wood-and-bamboo palette.
The Suite Rooms measure around 40 square metres, while the Grand Suites step up to 75 square metres — the same footprint as the pool villa, but arranged within the resort’s five-storey main building rather than as a standalone unit. Pay attention as you’ll see why these are our suggested retreats.
Eating, Moving and Unwinding
The resort’s dining is split cleanly by time of day. Wisteria, the rooftop restaurant, handles mornings and early afternoons with a brunch and coffee menu served in an open-air, elevated setting that catches the breeze and, on a clear day, a decent slice of the Canggu skyline. It’s an easy, unhurried spot to start the day, and serves a basic but friendly breakfast buffet. In the evening, the space becomes Puri Pure, a modern Indonesian restaurant serving contemporary takes on classic flavours alongside cocktails, with some tables set out under the stars (or are those arriving Jetstar flights?).
To be honest, you’re more likely to go exploring to eat; the resort is still figuring out its dining proposition, no small feat in one of Bali’s most vibrant dining neighbourhoods, and there are a ton of great spots only minutes away.
This is Bali, so wellness is clearly a priority. The intimate Svaha Spa offers what is billed as Bali’s first Nekara-inspired sound healing treatment, and there’s nothing finer than floating back to your room, steps away, after an hour-long massage. There’s also a small but well-equipped fitness centre for anyone unwilling to fully abandon their routine on holiday, plus a dedicated Pilates studio and yoga space running a regular timetable of classes.
Where the resort distinguishes itself further is in its programme of guest activities, which go beyond the usual yoga-and-cooking-class formula. We took part in an intriguing build-your-own-scent session, during which an activities team member talked us through a small library of natural oils and essences before helping us blend a bespoke fragrance to take home.
Like the ritualistic footwashing that accompanies check-in, and the other regular workshops (incense making and herbal elixir formulation), it’s a small touch, but a memorable one, and precisely the kind of experience that turns a hotel stay into something you actually remember rather than simply a place you slept.
Who It Suits
La Mewali is, without question, designed with couples in mind. The rooms are built for two, the pace of the resort is unhurried and romantic, and the location strikes the balance that couples visiting Canggu are usually after: close enough to walk or scoot to the beach clubs and restaurants that make the area famous, but far enough removed that you are not competing with day-trippers for a sunbed by your own room.
Honeymooners and couples celebrating an anniversary will find plenty here to justify the splurge, while friends travelling in pairs will equally enjoy the design and the setting. It’s less naturally suited to families as there’s no dedicated kids’ club or shallow pool area.
What We Loved
The architecture is the standout. The brick kiln-esque exteriors and cave-style interiors of the villas as well as the undulating bamboo-clad lines of the public spaces gives La Mewali a genuine sense of place that is rare in a strip as densely built-up as Canggu.
The staff, too, deserve real credit: every interaction we have, from check-in to room service to the scent-making session, is warm, unhurried and personal (if not quite robotic). And the location earns its billing — you’re genuinely minutes from Canggu’s best beaches, bars and restaurants, without any of the exterior noise of Bali’s most maddening neighbourhood finding its way onto the property in the daytime.
What We Didn’t
It’s a very new property, and they’re still working out some kinks. Our villa, unfortunately, was positioned directly beside the resort’s swim-up pool bar, and this proved to be a genuine drawback. Bar guests can get lively, particularly those holidaying Aussies in the late afternoon and early evening, and the noise carried straight into our room and private pool area, with the sheer curtains offering little in the way of privacy (there is a blind that comes down from the ceiling and doubles as a projection screen, but the doors to the pool can’t be open when it’s down). Cigarette smoke from those same pool bar patrons was also a persistent issue, drifting across our terrace and making enjoying it difficult.
I’d also be amiss if I didn’t mention the lack of international powerpoints (there’s just one, and it’s used by that Alexa speaker— a real misstep for a property actively marketing international guests) and the complete absence of USB power points. Fish out those old travel adapters from your sock drawer and bring them with you.
If privacy and quiet are a priority, I’d strongly suggest requesting a villa well away from the pool bar at the time of booking, or considering one of the suites, which come with great views over the lagoon and property, and offer noticeably more separation from the pool’s social scene.
The Verdict, Pricing and Location
Rates at La Mewali start from around US$115 a night for a Suite Room in low season, with the resort’s average nightly rate sitting closer to US$280, and the Luxury Pool Villa we stayed in commanding a premium above that for its private plunge pool and lagoon access.
La Mewali Resort & Spa Canggu is located on Jalan Raya Canggu, close enough to Echo Beach, Berawa and Batu Bolong to reach any of them within minutes, yet arranged so that the resort itself feels like a genuine retreat from all three.
For couples wanting Canggu’s energy on tap without sacrificing a proper sense of escape, this is one of the most interesting new openings the area has seen in some time — provided you choose your room location with a little care.
