Dream Destinations for Two: Bali & Thailand

This is the trip we daydream about in the middle of winter: jungle mornings, private pools, warm water and dinners with our toes in the sand. We haven't been to Bali or Thailand together yet. These are the hideaways and sunset tables at the top of our list.

Here's how we chose: every hotel had to feel like a private escape for two (small, beautifully designed, somewhere you'd happily never leave), and every restaurant had to feel like an occasion. Jump to Bali or Thailand. Craving cobbles and candlelight instead? See our Paris & London wishlist.

Bali: jungle mornings and sunset dinners

Why it's on our list: Bali feels like two trips in one. There's Ubud for jungle, rice terraces and slow mornings, and the west coast for beach sunsets, sea temples and long dinners. We'd split it: a few nights hidden in the green, then a few by the sea.

Where we'd stay

Capella Ubud · Keliki, north of Ubud
A tented jungle camp designed by Bill Bensley, with 22 one-bedroom tents and a single lodge, each with its own private pool and a copper bathtub. It's the kind of place that feels made for an anniversary. (It's part of the small Capella luxury group, the one exception to our no-chains rule.)
Official website · @capellaubud

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Bambu Indah · Sayan, near Ubud
Handcrafted houses of reclaimed teak and bamboo on a jungle ridge above the Ayung River, with natural spring-fed pools and permaculture gardens. It looks like a storybook village for two.
Official website · @bambuindah

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Bisma Eight · Jalan Bisma, central Ubud
A 38-suite boutique hotel with Japanese-inspired soaking tubs in every suite, a treetop infinity pool and rooftop dining, about a stroll from the centre of Ubud. For more privacy, its separate villas come with private pools.
Official website · @bismaeight

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COMO Shambhala Estate · Begawan, just beyond Ubud
Residences and standalone villas on a 22-acre estate of riverine forest above the Ayung River, with a sacred spring and a hidden water garden at the bottom of the jungle steps. It's part of the small COMO group, and it's famous for its wellness programmes, but we'd go for the jungle.
Official website · @comoshambhalaestate

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COMO Canggu (formerly COMO Uma Canggu) · Echo Beach, Canggu
For the by-the-sea half of the trip: an oceanfront resort on Bali's southwest coast with a lagoon pool, a beach club and two-storey penthouses with their own rooftop pools. Sunset at Tanah Lot is a short drive up the coast.
Official website · @comocanggu

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Where we'd book dinner

Locavore NXT · Lodtunduh, south of Ubud
A long tasting menu built around Indonesian ingredients, in a striking concrete building with rice-field views, a rooftop food forest and a fermentation lab. A once-in-a-trip dinner to dress up for.
Official website

La Lucciola · Petitenget Beach, Seminyak
An open-air Italian restaurant right on the beach, next to the 15th-century Petitenget Temple. Dinner is mostly walk-in, and the restaurant suggests arriving at 5pm for the sunset seating, which is exactly our plan.
Official website

Sardine · Jalan Petitenget, Seminyak
A seafood restaurant with an open-air bamboo terrace overlooking rice fields. Book a terrace table for a sunset drink before dinner.
Official website

Thailand: rivers, teak houses and limestone cliffs

Why it's on our list: we want the full sweep. We'd start with a few glamorous nights on the river in Bangkok, slow down among the temples of Chiang Mai in the north, then finish somewhere with turquoise water and cliffs in Krabi.

Where we'd stay

The Siam · Dusit, Bangkok
A riverside hideaway of just 39 suites and villas, designed by Bill Bensley, set in gardens on the Chao Phraya. The pool villas have their own private pools, and the hotel even offers Muay Thai classes if you want a date with a difference.
Official website · @thesiambangkok

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137 Pillars House · Chiang Mai
A 30-suite boutique hotel with garden-view balconies, Victorian bathtubs and indoor-outdoor showers. The top Louis Leonowens Pool Suites add a private pool.
Official website · @137pillars_chiangmai

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Rayavadee · Railay peninsula, Krabi
Two-storey pavilions tucked between limestone cliffs and three beaches, some with their own pools. It's the dramatic, end-of-the-trip beach finale we picture.
Official website · @rayavadee.krabi

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COMO Point Yamu · Cape Yamu, Phuket
A detour worth considering on the way to Krabi: a resort on a private headland on Phuket's quiet east coast, with Paola Navone interiors, pool villas and views across Phang Nga Bay to the limestone karsts.
Official website · @comopointyamu.phuket

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Where we'd book dinner

Sühring · Yannawa, Bangkok
Twin chefs Thomas and Mathias Sühring cook modern German food in a villa overlooking a tropical garden. The restaurant recommends dressing up for the occasion, and we'd happily make a night of it.
Official website

Supanniga Eating Room, Tha Tien · Tha Tien, by the river, Bangkok
Thai cooking with a rooftop terrace looking straight across the Chao Phraya to Wat Arun. Book a rooftop table for sunset.
Official website

The Grotto at Rayavadee · Phra Nang Beach, Krabi
A beachside restaurant set under a limestone cliff. If we only get one barefoot dinner on the trip, this is it.
Official website

What we'd pack for the tropics

A carry-on each, breathable linen, a cover-up that works for temple visits (shoulders and knees covered), reef-friendly sunscreen and one dress-up outfit for the big dinner. Our carry-on-only packing guide covers the rest.

Dreaming of something different? Our other wishlist is Paris & London: our city-romance wishlist. And here are trips we have taken: our Santorini itinerary and our favourite Greek island, Paros.

Photo credits. Cover: Sunset at Tanah Lot, Bali, photo by Zexsen Xie, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; cropped and colour-edited. Other photos are credited under each image. Photos show the destinations only, not the hotels or restaurants listed.

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