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Bali has seen its share of new and glamorous resorts since Amandari opened in the village of Kedewatan, just outside Ubud, in 1989, but this pioneer, perched on the edge of a river gorge, still reigns as one of the island’s landmark properties. Designed by architect Peter Muller, Amandari was inspired by the layout of a traditional Balinese village, with river-stone walkways, thatched public spaces and high stone walls. If you don’t stay here, be sure to stop by for lunch. The restaurant serves an array of Indonesian and international dishes, with most of the ingredients sourced from local organic farmers, and the views are exceptional. Rooms from $600.

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It’s not easy to compete with the resorts on Bali’s southern coast, like the Four Seasons, the Ritz-Carlton and the Bulgari, but fifteen-year-old Amanusa, in the resort area of Nusa Dua on the eastern Bukit Peninsula, more than holds its own. The hotel’s thirty-five suites incorporate tropical woods and marble and romantic four-poster beds in a series of stone buildings that have thatched roofs and are framed by manicured lawns, trees and reflecting pools. Golfers should book the Golf Experience package that offers complimentary use of the Bali Golf and Country Club next door, considered one of Asia’s top five courses. For a fee, it also allows you access to the Greg Norman–designed course at the Nirwana Bali Golf Club, about an hour’s drive away, and the Bali Handara Kosaido Country Club (about a two-hour drive), an eighteen-hole course beside an extinct volcano. Amanusa is not on the beach, but there’s a private beach club with thatched-roof cabanas a quick shuttle ride away. Rooms from $700.

While people have mixed reactions to the UFO-like architecture of the island’s second Four Seasons resort, everyone loves the view once inside. Upon entering the top floor from a bridge, guests encounter a breathtaking panorama of the surrounding jungle, terraced rice fields and the Ayung River. Eighteen one- and two-level suites are located in the main building, and forty-two one-, two- and three-bedroom villas are scattered below by the river (the best are the 2,000-square-foot riverfront villas). The resort’s service and its intimate spa are top-notch, but the restaurants are nothing special—a good excuse to have your meals in Ubud, a fifteen-minute drive away. Rooms from $460.

SEE ALSO: Bulgari Resort (Newcomers); The Chedi Club at Tanah Gajah (Newcomers); Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay (Family Friendly); Ritz-Carlton, Bali Resort & Spa (Family Friendly); Como Shambhala Estate at Begawan Giri (Most Indulgent).