Nisi Villas Uluwatu Review – Best Uluwatu Villa for Groups

Every Bali trip we do lately seems to turn into a bit of a villa crawl through Uluwatu, and honestly, I’m not mad about it. On our last big family trip, we went from the Hyatt Regency in Sanur to Kayumanis Villas, then made our way down to Bingin for a proper Uluwatu leg – first at Family Nest, then just five or ten minutes down the road at Nisi Villas.

Two very different stays, both brilliant in their own way, but Nisi is the one I keep coming back to when friends ask me where to book a villa for a group trip.

We landed on Nisi Villas for a collaboration during our stay, and stayed in one of their 3-bedroom pool villas with access to the Nisi Wellness Centre. I’d heard whispers about Nisi’s aesthetic before we arrived – the kind of moody, textural, editorial-looking villa that does numbers on Instagram – and I’ll be honest, I went in slightly sceptical that it would live up to the hype in real life, with two small kids in tow and a very unglamorous nappy bag. It did.

In this Nisi Villas Uluwatu review, I’m taking you through everything: the villa itself, the amenities that actually made a difference travelling with kids, the food nearby, and why I think it might just be the best Uluwatu villa for groups right now.

Related: “Best Accommodation in Uluwatu”

Location of Nisi Villas

Nisi Villas sits in Bingin, that little pocket of Uluwatu that’s had an absolute glow-up over the last few years. If you’ve been to Bingin before, you’ll remember it as mostly grass paddocks with cows wandering through – and you can still find pockets of that if you know where to look, but it’s changing fast, with new villas, restaurants and even a Motel Mexicola popping up. We actually walked past a few cows on one of our mornings there, which the kids thought was hilarious.

We drove from Family Nest, which is also in Bingin, and it took all of five to get to Nisi. That’s honestly one of the best things about basing yourself in this pocket of Uluwatu – everything is close. Lucky Fish, Masonry, Beige, Nourish, Kind, Single Fin, Teja and Padang Padang beach are all either walkable or a short buggy ride away, which matters a lot more than it sounds like when you’re travelling with kids and trying to avoid a 20-minute Gojek ride for a coffee.

If you’re mapping out where to stay across your Bali itinerary, Bingin is one of the best areas in Bali if you want that classic clifftop, surf-town Uluwatu feel without being right in the thick of the Uluwatu strip itself. It’s close enough to hit the best beach clubs in Uluwatu and the best Uluwatu beaches for sunset, but quiet enough that you’re not fighting traffic every time you want to leave the villa.

First Impressions of Nisi Villas

Our first impression walking into Nisi was honestly “wow.” The aesthetic here is so, so good – lots of raw timber, linen, texture, and genuinely cool art and styling throughout. It doesn’t feel like every other white-render villa in Uluwatu. There’s a warmth to it, almost boutique-hotel-meets-private-home, which I loved.

We were staying in a 3-bedroom pool villa, and the pool itself was massive – genuinely one of the biggest we’ve had on this trip, which says a lot because we’d just come from Family Nest and Kayumanis, both of which had great pools too. If you’ve ever stayed somewhere with a “3-bedroom villa” that has a pool the size of a bathtub, you’ll know why I always mention pool size in these reviews. It matters, especially with kids.

The kitchen was fully stocked with a big fridge and microwave, which is standard for a villa at this level, but what wasn’t standard – and honestly blew me away a little – was the minibar. Nisi had a fully stocked minibar with snacks, chips, soft drinks, popcorn, Oreos, chocolates and a selection of alcoholic drinks, which I’ve genuinely only ever seen in hotels before, not villas. For a group trip where everyone’s a bit tired and snacky by 4pm, this is the kind of detail that makes a real difference.

We got welcome drinks and cold towels on arrival, each room had its own big bed, desk and bathroom, and the living area had a sunken lounge, a big TV, and a full-size dining table that easily sat all of us for meals in. That dining table ended up getting a huge workout over our stay – more on that below.

Why Nisi Villas Is the Best Uluwatu Villa for Groups

I get asked constantly for recommendations on the best Uluwatu villa for groups, and Nisi is genuinely one of the first places I mention now. Here’s why:

• The living and dining spaces are built for groups. That full-size dining table wasn’t an afterthought – we used it every single day, whether it was breakfast delivered from a nearby cafe or dinner we’d ordered in. If you’re travelling with another family or a group of friends, you need somewhere everyone can actually sit down together, and Nisi nails this.

• The buggy service is a genuine game-changer. One of the things I loved most about Nisi is that they run a buggy service that takes you anywhere within reach – you just message on WhatsApp about 20 minutes ahead and they’ll come and get you. We used this constantly with the kids, since we usually rely on Gojek for short trips, but Gojek doesn’t have a car seat option for Zadie. The buggy was quick, easy, and Kylo absolutely loved riding in it.

• The minibar and fully stocked kitchen mean less time coordinating a snack runs. When you’ve got a few adults and kids under one roof, someone is always hungry for something different. Having chips, chocolate, soft drinks and alcohol already there when we arrived took so much pressure off.

• The recovery space is a proper bonus for a group who wants to actually unwind, not just sightsee. Down the end of the villas, Nisi has a recovery space with a steam room, a cold plunge and a hot plunge. I spent a couple of hours in there going between the steam room, the cold plunge and the sauna, and you can have the whole space to yourself, which felt like an incredible little luxury tucked away from the main villa areas.

• The location puts you five minutes from some of the best food in Uluwatu, which matters a lot when you’re feeding a group and don’t want to be stuck cooking every night.

If you’re weighing this up against other options on our best accommodation in Uluwatu list, Nisi is the one I’d point a group of friends or an extended family towards first.

The Butler Service and Recovery Space

Nisi also has a butler service, run through WhatsApp, the same way most of the daily communication in Bali seems to work now. Which is so seemless and convinent, other places could learn a thing or two. Whatever you need – ice, extra towels, a booking for the buggy – you just message and it’s sorted. It’s such a simple system, but it makes travelling with young kids so much easier when you’re not chasing down reception every time you need something.

The recovery space deserves its own mention because it genuinely surprised me. Tucked at the end of the villa complex, it has a steam room, a cold plunge pool and a hot plunge pool, and it’s part of what’s included as the Nisi Wellness Centre access. I went on our third day, once the kids were with the nanny, and spent a couple of hours cycling through the steam room, the cold plunge and back again.

The space itself is beautiful – calm, private, and honestly the kind of thing you’d expect at a proper wellness retreat, not tacked onto a villa stay. If you’re planning any kind of Bali itinerary that includes some downtime for the adults, this is a big point in Nisi’s favour.

Nisi Villas and Travelling with Kids

I’ll be upfront – Nisi isn’t a resort with a dedicated kids’ club the way somewhere like Family Nest is (their Pangolin kids’ club just down the road is genuinely one of the best we’ve experienced in Bali). But that doesn’t mean it’s not family-friendly. What Nisi does really well is give a group with kids a private, comfortable base to come home to after a day out.

The big pool was a hit with both Kylo and Zadi, the huge fridge and minibar meant we always had snacks on hand for hangry toddler moments, and the buggy service made getting around with a baby who doesn’t have a car seat option in a regular Gojek so much easier. If you’re travelling to Bali with a baby, that buggy service alone is worth factoring in when you’re comparing villas.

Because Nisi is so close to Family Nest, we actually had our nanny take Kylo back over to Pangolin Kids Club most afternoons to play with a friend he’d made while we were staying there, so if you do want that kids’ club experience during your stay in Bingin, it’s an easy add-on rather than something you have to give up entirely by choosing Nisi. It’s also close to Milk and Madu Cafe that has a playground ground and kid friendly menu. We found ourselves here most mornings for coffee, breakfast and a play.

Where to Eat Near Nisi Villas

This is honestly one of the best things about basing yourself at Nisi – the food scene right on your doorstep in Bingin and Pecatu is excellent, and a huge chunk of what we ate here ended up making our list of the best cafes in Uluwatu.

Lucky Fish was our first dinner, a short walk from the villa. It’s a much more local, authentic spot where you pick your own seafood and they cook it up with sambal and rice. I believe this place used to be right on Bingin Beach before the demolitions there and has since moved to this little spot near Nisi. It was a bit hectic with the kids because it’s up high, but the food was really good and cheap.

Masonry was, hands down, one of the best meals of our entire trip which is why its on our best restaurants in Uluwatu list. We went kid-free with our friends Kayla and Jared for an early dinner.

We’d already been to the Canggu location and had heard great things about this one, and it did not disappoint – the baba ganoush and hummus, the cold cuts and pickles, a ceviche (because we order ceviche on every single bill, it’s basically a rule at this point), roasted cabbage, roast chicken with green beans and potato purée, and then a raspberry pavlova and a warm cookie with salted caramel ice cream for dessert.

I genuinely think that cookie might be the best dessert I’ve ever eaten in Bali.

Kynd is our go-to for breakfast, a short buggy ride away. I got a McMuffin-style burger and their cocoa pops cold foam hazelnut latte, which was incredible.

Nourish – was another regular stop, with a really solid, easy menu. I got the shakshuka most mornings and the kids loved their menu too. Island Foods, the little supermarket right next door, is handy for grabbing snacks and essentials, and Nourish also has a small Whole Foods-style store with good options for kids. They also have a range of baby foods.

We also had a coffee from Beige, did a bit of shopping at Lokoa, and had drinks at Single Fin for sunset – something we’ve made a bit of a tradition on our last two trips – before heading to Teja for dinner, and finishing the night with a game of pool at Hatch.

For anyone building out a broader list of the best things to do in Bali or specifically in Uluwatu, I really can’t recommend the Bingin food scene enough – it more than holds its own against Seminyak or Canggu.

Spa and Wellness Near Nisi Villas

While we were staying at Nisi, I had a spa day with my best friend Kayla at Spring Spa, a newer spot that had just opened up in Bingin. I had a body scrub and a massage and it was genuinely one of the best treatments I had on the whole trip. Matt and Jared went for massages at Carina Massage, which is another popular option dotted around Uluwatu.

Combine one of these with a few hours in Nisi’s own recovery space, and you’ve got a proper wellness reset built into your stay without ever having to leave Bingin.

Beaches Near Nisi Villas

Padang Padang is only a short buggy ride from Nisi, and we spent our wedding anniversary morning there, squeezing in a swim before it got too crowded. It’s one of the more popular Uluwatu beaches, so it does get busy, but if you go early or find a quieter pocket, it’s still a beautiful spot for a swim.

Being based at Nisi means you’re genuinely close to some of the best beaches and beach clubs in Uluwatu without the longer drives you’d have from somewhere like Seminyak or Canggu.

Is Nisi Villas the Best Uluwatu Villa for Groups?

In our experience, yes – and here’s the honest breakdown of why:

• Aesthetic and styling: Genuinely one of the most beautiful villas we’ve stayed in across all our Bali trips, with a design identity that feels considered rather than generic.
• Space for groups: A proper full-size dining table, a massive pool, and multiple bedrooms with their own bathrooms make this an easy yes for families or friend groups travelling together.
• Thoughtful extras: The fully stocked minibar, the buggy service, and the WhatsApp butler service all take real pressure off a group trying to coordinate multiple adults and kids.
• Wellness on-site: The recovery space with the steam room, cold plunge and hot plunge is a genuine point of difference from most villas at this price point.
• Unbeatable location: Five to ten minutes from Family Nest, walking distance to some of the best food in Uluwatu, and a short buggy ride from Padang Padang.

If you’re planning a group trip to Uluwatu – whether that’s a few families travelling together or a group of friends wanting a proper base for a week – Nisi Villas is exactly the kind of place I’d point you towards. It’s stylish enough that you won’t feel like you’re compromising on aesthetic, but practical enough with the buggy, the minibar and the dining table that a group with kids can actually function without stress.

We stayed as guests of Nisi Villas as part of a collaboration; as always, opinions, ideas and photos remain my own.

FAQ about Nisi Villas Uluwatu

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• Best Accommodation in Uluwatu
• Best Things to Do in Uluwatu
• Bali Itinerary for 10 Days
• Travelling to Bali with a Baby

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