Bali's best infinity pools
Bali's best infinity pools, ranked
Bali has some of the most photographed hotel pools in the world: two-tiered infinity pools above jungle gorges, a glass-bottom sky pool hanging off a cliff, a 50-metre pool on a clifftop, and a 157-metre beachfront pool. This is a ranked photo essay with real specs: length, elevation, and view for each pool, plus a photographer's note on the best time and angle. Every photo shows the actual hotel it appears with, credited to its photographer. Where no real photo exists, we say so rather than show a stand-in.
The ranking
1. Hanging Gardens of Bali
Home to the iconic two-tiered cascading infinity pool above the Ayung valley, named World's Best Swimming Pool by Conde Nast Traveler. All 44 private villas have their own heated private infinity pool, and a funicular connects reception to the villas on the steep hillside. Views run across the gorge to the Dalem Segara temple. The shared pool is the one in every Bali photo essay: two levels of water stepping down into the jungle, with the valley mist below. No freely licensed photo of this hotel exists on Wikimedia Commons, so we show no photo here rather than use a stand-in.
Photographer's note: shoot from the lower tier at sunrise, when mist sits in the valley and the loungers are empty. A wide angle from the pool edge catches both tiers and the gorge. The pool faces the valley, so morning light is soft and even.
Best for: the single most photographed pool in Bali, above a jungle gorge.
Read reviews on Google →2. The Edge, Uluwatu: oneeighty° sky pool
The most vertically dramatic pool in Bali: a glass-bottom sky pool at the oneeighty° day club, suspended about 162 metres (530 feet) above the Indian Ocean, extending 6 metres over the cliff edge. Swim to the lip and the sea is visible directly beneath your feet, with a 180-degree panorama around you. The resort itself is a private enclave of eight villas, each with its own infinity pool, plus a spa clinging to the cliff face, bowling lanes, and 24-hour butler service. The day club opens daily 10am to 9pm. No freely licensed photo of The Edge exists on Wikimedia Commons, so we show no photo here rather than use a stand-in.
Photographer's note: late afternoon is the light, with the sun dropping over the ocean and the cliff face glowing. Shoot down through the glass floor for the vertigo shot, and shoot across the pool at water level for the horizon line. The pool is small, so arrive at opening for an empty frame.
Best for: the glass-bottom vertigo shot, 162 metres above the ocean.
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The pool at Alila Villas Uluwatu. Photo: a.canvas.of.light, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
3. Alila Villas Uluwatu: 50-metre cliff pool
A clifftop resort on the Pecatu cliffs with a 50-metre cliff edge infinity pool, 70 metres above sea level, and a floating sunset cabana, among the most photographed spots in Bali. The 65 private pool villas, from one to three bedrooms, were designed by Singapore architects WOHA as an eco resort, with open air pavilions and Indian Ocean views from bed to bathtub. Larger cliff edge villas run up to about $3,650 or more. Cliffside dining at The Warung serves authentic Indonesian cuisine, and Spa Alila covers treatments.
Photographer's note: sunset is the shot: the pool faces west, and the floating cabana silhouettes against the sky. Shoot from the far end of the pool at water level to stretch the 50 metres into the horizon.
Best for: a 50-metre clifftop pool at sunset, with the ocean behind the water.
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The pool terraces at Mulia Resort, with the Indian Ocean behind. The 157-metre Oasis Pool runs along the beachfront of the same compound. Photo: Thank You (25 Millions) views, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
4. The Mulia, Nusa Dua: 157-metre Oasis Pool
The Oasis Pool at The Mulia is 157 metres long, the longest beachfront infinity pool in Bali (Forbes Travel Guide), running along a secluded one-kilometre stretch of white sand beach in Nusa Dua. The Mulia is the all-suite property in the three-hotel compound, with 111 one- and two-bedroom suites, personalised butler service, and a private balcony with a jacuzzi in every suite. The Oasis Pool is exclusive to guests of The Mulia and Mulia Villas; Mulia Resort guests swim in the Ocean Pool, with its swim-up bar, and the other resort pools. Six pools across the three properties in total.
Photographer's note: early morning, before the cabanas fill, for an empty 157-metre stretch of water. Shoot along the length from the beach end to show the scale, and catch the white statues against the pool at midday when the water is brightest blue.
Best for: the longest beachfront infinity pool in Bali, with statues and white sand.
Read reviews on Google →5. Padma Resort Ubud: 89-metre heated pool
An 89-metre by 7.5-metre heated salt-chlorinated infinity pool, 130cm deep, open daily 6am to 9pm, running along the cliff edge above the bamboo forests of Payangan. The resort calls it one of the world's most impressive pools, and at 89 metres it is the longest in the Ubud area. The 149-room resort sits on 11 hectares of river valley, with a spa, a kids club, and daily yoga. A day pass (swim and dine) is available for non-guests, which makes this the most accessible pool on this list for a day visit. No freely licensed photo of Padma Resort Ubud exists on Wikimedia Commons, so we show no photo here rather than use a stand-in.
Photographer's note: 6 to 7am, when mist hangs over the valley and the pool is empty. The pool curves along the cliff, so a long lens from the far end compresses the 89 metres into a single ribbon of water over the forest.
Best for: an 89-metre heated swim above a bamboo forest, with a day pass for non-guests.
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The infinity pool at Alila Ubud. Photo: Sean McGrath, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
6. Alila Ubud: Ayung valley infinity pool
The original Alila property, opened in 1996 and designed by architect Kerry Hill. Its infinity pool over the Ayung valley was named among the world's most beautiful hotel pools by Travel and Leisure. The 56 rooms and 18 villas are laid out like a traditional Balinese village, and Spa Alila has open-air Bale Bengong treatment pavilions at the valley edge. A free shuttle runs to town. It is the cheapest pool on this list by a distance, and the valley view is the equal of pools costing five times as much.
Photographer's note: morning light from the valley side, before 9am when the pool is quietest. Shoot from the far edge with the valley behind the water, and include the Bale Bengong pavilions for scale.
Best for: a valley infinity pool at a fraction of the luxury resort price.
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Looking down over the Rock Bar at AYANA Resort. The resort's 14 pools sit across the same 90-hectare cliff-top estate. Photo: Simon_sees, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
7. AYANA Resort Bali: 14 pools on one estate
AYANA is not one pool, it is 14, across a 90-hectare cliff-top estate 35 metres above Jimbaran Bay, shared by four hotels: AYANA Resort, AYANA Villas, RIMBA, and SEGARA. The famous one is the H2O pool, a two-tiered infinity pool in the villa area, photographed from the stairs above. The Ocean Beach Pool is the adults-only infinity pool, and the Rock Bar sits on a natural rock formation 14 metres above the ocean. The estate was renovated in 2025. Non-villa guests can photograph the H2O pool from 6:30 to 9:00am, with a numbered slot from staff, one per room.
Photographer's note: the H2O pool shot is from the stairs looking down at the two tiers, and the 6:30am slot is the only quiet window. For the Ocean Beach Pool, shoot overhead at midday, when the water is at its most turquoise.
Best for: 14 pools in one stay, including the two-tiered H2O pool and an adults-only infinity pool.
Read reviews on Google →Pool spec table
| Pool | Hotel | Length | Elevation | View | Price band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two-tiered cascading pool | Hanging Gardens of Bali | Two tiers, length not published | Ayung valley rim | Jungle gorge | $400 to $1,100 |
| oneeighty° sky pool | The Edge, Uluwatu | Glass-bottom section extends 6m over the cliff | 162m above the ocean | Open ocean, 180 degrees | $700 to $1,400 |
| Cliff edge infinity pool | Alila Villas Uluwatu | 50m | 70m above sea level | Cliff edge ocean | $630 to $770 |
| Oasis Pool | The Mulia, Nusa Dua | 157m | Beachfront | Beach and ocean | $550 to $1,050 |
| Heated infinity pool | Padma Resort Ubud | 89m | Valley rim, Payangan hills | Bamboo forest valley | $180 to $340 |
| Valley infinity pool | Alila Ubud | Length not published | Ayung valley rim | Jungle valley | $130 to $250 |
| H2O pool and 13 more | AYANA Resort Bali | Length not published | 35m above Jimbaran Bay | Ocean, cliff top | $230 to $500 |
More planning
For more photogenic stays, see the most photogenic hotels in Bali. For the areas behind these pools, the Ubud guide, the Uluwatu guide, and the Nusa Dua guide. For honeymoon pools, the best honeymoon hotels. For timing your trip around the best light and weather, the best month to visit Bali.
Prices are approximate nightly rates found on booking sites and guides, and vary by season, room type, and availability. Many Bali rates add about 21 percent tax and service. The Bali tourist levy (IDR 150,000, about $10 per person, once per trip) applies to all visitors. Pool lengths and elevations are from the hotels' own sites and published guides, cited in the text. Always confirm the current rate before you book.