T+L Reports: Bali is Back

These days, the fashionable set is flocking to Bali's beachside village of Seminyak, just north of touristy Kuta but miles away in its refreshingly grown-up vibe. HOTELS The minimalism of the Downtown Villas (9D Jalan Lalu Village; 62-361/736-464; www.downtownbali.com; villas from $250) wouldn't look out of place in Palm Springs. • At the Club at the Legian (Jalan Laksmana; 62-361/730-622; www.ghmhotels.com; doubles from $600), a private enclave within the venerable Legian resort, each of the 11 suites has its own pool and personal butler. RESTAURANTS Down the shore is Ku dé Ta (9 Jalan Laksmana; 62-361/ 736-969; www.kudeta.net; dinner for two $70), a hyper-designed compound that has a restaurant, beach club, and Cuban-cigar bar. A breezy poolside terrace—stainless-steel chairs, red umbrellas—is filled until dawn with expats whose idea of beachwear is spangled sandals. • Try the signature wasabi gelato after a dinner of goat cheese tortellini at Axiom (18A Jalan Raya Seminyak; 62-361/738-820; dinner for two $70), a nouvelle Australian dining room opened by the original chef from Ku dé Ta. NIGHTLIFE At midnight, the style crowd heads to Jalan Dhyana Pura for the two-story club Space (No. 17; 62-361/732-102; www.spacebali.com), a favorite for runway shows by local designers, and the stark white chill-out lounge Oxygen (No. 4; 62-361/730-885), whose ambient sound track is reminiscent of the one at Paris's Hotel Costes.
—Peter Jon Lindberg