Baliwood Bingin: The hotel that provides a perfect mix of hostel social interactions and luxury

The most memorable travel experiences I have had haven’t taken place at five-star hotels or aboard luxury yachts. They’ve taken place at spartan, often grungy guesthouses and backpacker hostels where the guests created an intangible element of camaraderie and community. There, I forged friendships in minutes and spent my days with new companions exploring weird and wonderful places, getting up to all sorts of mischief, having a whale of a time. More than 20 years have passed and I’m still in touch with some of the people today. Now that I’m older, a tad wealthier and a lot fussier about things like the firmness of mattresses I sleep on and the hygiene of the bathrooms I use, I no longer stay at backpacker hostels. And frankly, it wouldn’t be appropriate for a middle-aged dude, no matter how cool I think I am, to get in the face of travellers half my age. But that’s not to say that I miss making those connections that are impossible to forge at large hotels where social interactions are limited to cursory nods in hallways. I recently discovered a hotel in Bali that offers the best of both worlds. Set in the Bingin neighbourhood of the Bukit Peninsula in Bali’s Deep South, a canton of towering sea cliffs underscored by bone-white beaches, turquoise waters and world-class surf, Baliwood Bingin is a Mediterranean-style boutique hotel with only 14 guest rooms but a very unique selling proposition. “I also used to stay at backpackers just to meet people when I was young,” the owner, Rebecca Mabou, a fascinating lady from Iran, told me when I bumped into her in the communal open-plan kitchen that looks over an outdoor lounge and fireplace that in turn overlooks a sparkling blue pool. “That’s what we tried to recreate here — the social element — a place that looks more like a luxury villa than a hotel but at the same time makes you feel at home by providing settings that allow you to connect with other guests. We think it’s working because we’ve been open for less than a year but we already have repeat guests.” Bollywood Bingin is also billed as a health retreat and base for yoga retreats. There’s a yoga pavilion on the roof shaded by a large bamboo shell (yoga classes are held every second morning, providing another opportunity to meet other guests) and they offer all kinds of massages, either in a dedicated spa room or in the guestrooms. They are very similar to those you’d expect at a five-star hotel in Bali only with good-sized terraces or balconies for rooms on the second floor. Plus there are 14 gyms and fitness studios within five-minutes’ drive or ride from the hotel. But there are a tonne of hotels in Bali offering those things. The real drawcard at Baliwood Bingin, according to former guests like Mitchell Isitt from Brisbane who stayed for three weeks, is the balance struck between creature comforts and socialisation. “It was my first time in Bali and I didn’t know where to stay so I rented a private villa for the first week,” he says. “Then I moved to Baliwood and realised what I’d been missing. I love the fact that you always meet new people coming and going and the opportunity to socialise, doing yoga and hanging by the pool. I’m definitely returning.” + Dave Smith was a guest of Baliwood Bingin, which has not influenced this story, or read it before publication. Baliwood Bingin is at Bingin, 2 Jalan (street) Ancak Sari, Bingin. Rooms are $220 to $300 per night. Breakfast is $30 extra. Baliwoodbingin.com