Umana Bali review: a warm welcome to the island of gods

Umana Bali on the island in Indonesia is a resort unlike any other, offering wonderful food and a vibrant culture

Umana Bali aerial view
(Image credit: Hilton Umana Bali)

I took a single frangipani flower and held it between the tips of my fingers, against my forehead. The Balinese Hindu priest – a slight, old man with a wide smile – turned back to face the altar and he began to mutter the next in a series of prayers. 

He rang a little bell, which he held in his hand, punctuating the end of one blessing with a crescendo of pealing. He then picked up a small bottle of alcohol and squirted it at a small shrine on the floor – an offering to the demons, because as it was explained to me, without the bad there can be no good. 

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Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

You can follow Chris on Instagram.