Gardens & Pools
at Bali Retreat Aruba

There's no door between Bali Retreat's open-air kitchen and its garden. Step out, and you're among granite boulders, palms and tropical planting, with places to swim, play, eat and hide away tucked between them. Head out for a swim, and you may well end up in a hammock instead.

Three-meter boundary walls screen the villa, pools and garden from outside view, here in Noord, Aruba. Inside them, a group of up to ten has room to spend the day together without having to do everything together.

Waterfall Lagoon and Tropical Spa Pool

Five waterfalls pour into the Waterfall Lagoon, the garden's outdoor pool, with boulders, tropical plants and places to lounge around the water. This is where the garden gathers: a swim, a conversation at the edge, then another swim because nobody has come up with a better idea.

Illustration of the Waterfall Lagoon, adjacent Tropical Spa Pool, boulders and garden seating.

Right beside it, the Tropical Spa Pool is a small, unheated pool with jets – refreshing on a warm afternoon. For a warm soak, the heated Hot Tub is elsewhere in the garden.

The four-seat Pool Bar sits between the lagoon and the Beach Court. Bring a cold drink and pull up a stool between swims.

When you'd rather swim out of the sun, the heated indoor pool is inside the villa, roofed and screened, with two more waterfalls – seven in all.

Beach Court, Table Tennis and Giant Chess

The Beach Court is laid with real Caribbean beach sand for volleyball and badminton. The Table Tennis Alcove invites a quicker contest, and Giant Chess is played on a marble board, at whatever pace your opponent can bear.

Illustration of the giant chessboard with palms, cushioned benches and the sandy Beach Court beyond.

Buddha Cave and Meditation Hollow

The Buddha Cave is a natural cave set among the garden's granite boulders. Immediately in front of it, the Grotto Lounge offers curved, cushioned seating – a place to settle in and stay a while.

Meditation Hollow is a small roofed nook between two rocks: a place to meditate, pray or simply sit for a few minutes with nothing to accomplish.

Illustration of the Buddha Cave among granite boulders, statues and tropical foliage.

Yoga and Gym Pavilions

The Yoga Pavilion gives you a place to stretch with the garden all around. Practice on your own, or book a private yoga class, arranged and charged separately.

For anyone who'd rather start the day with a workout, the Gym Pavilion is roofed and open to the garden air.

Illustration of the thatched Yoga Pavilion with purple mats, a gong and granite boulders.

Hammock Cove, Garden Lounge and Sky Bed

Some corners of the garden are made for doing very little. Hammock Cove sets its hammocks among the palms and boulders, the Garden Lounge invites a long conversation, and the curtained Sky Bed is a daybed for lounging among the plants.

Having several places to lounge changes how a group shares a garden: someone naps, two people talk, and everyone finds one another again when hunger intervenes.

Illustration of Hammock Cove, with magenta hammocks among timber posts, palms and boulders.

Garden Dining Pavilion

When it does, the Garden Dining Pavilion puts a thatched palapa over your heads and white beach sand under your feet. There is room for all ten of you at the table. Take your time over dinner – nobody is waiting for it.

Cook together in the open-air kitchen, or book a private chef for breakfast, brunch or dinner, arranged and charged separately. For meals in air-conditioned comfort, the indoor dining area seats all ten guests together.

Illustration of the outdoor dining table beneath a thatched palapa in the tropical garden.

Hot Tub

As the evening winds down, the heated Hot Tub offers a warm place to settle at the end of the day.

Perhaps the night ends here. Perhaps you drift back to the Garden Lounge and talk for another hour. Either way, the whole garden is still yours in the morning.

The pools are unfenced; children need supervision around the water and climbable boulders.