Seminyak has long been Bali’s buzziest neighbourhood. It hums with bustling hotels, restaurants, stores and clubs, and whirs with traffic from scooters, taxis and shuttle buses. Which is all very well until you crave a little tranquillity. In the past, you might have escaped to Canggu for a vinyasa retreat, or to Ubud for spiritual enlightenment. But a recent arrival in Seminyak makes it easy for you to have your rice cake and it eat it, too.

If, like me, you like the idea of being adjacent to the action yet cossetted in a relaxed setting, then Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach might be your favourite new haven.

The resort has 270 well-conceived rooms plus 19 breathtaking villas with private pools. Its eclectic interiors, a blend of traditional elements and playful touches, evoke the pulsating district outside. Your first hint is the inviting lobby. It’s arrayed in intricate Balinese woodwork and filled with brightly coloured furnishings, gold lighting fixtures and myriad objects, from dragon masks to monkey figurines, by local artisans.

At the end of the elevated entry hall are staggering views of two pools (there are four in total), tropical gardens and the beckoning Indian Ocean. I arrived on a respite from chilly Melbourne, so I wasn’t dilly-dallying at check-in. In my room, shedding layers of clothing, I appreciated how much the designers had crammed into 50 square metres. There was a walk-in wardrobe, an elegantly tiled shower and a generous balcony with a day bed. After an ocean swim and a walk around the leafy property, stopping to admire the ‘secret garden’ pool with its dramatically high walls, I got changed for dinner.

The hotel has seven dining options and Salon Bali is its most adventurous. Here, Nic Philip, the preternaturally calm Australian executive chef, can do his most experimental cooking. Philip, who arrived in Bali after stints in London, Copenhagen and Singapore, is expanding the notion of modern Indonesian cuisine with inventive dishes such as quail goreng with peanut dashi and young papaya. At SugarSand, the hotel’s beach club, Philip oversees a Nikkei-style menu (Japanese-Peruvian fusion) with offerings such as red snapper ceviche with huacatay and tiger’s milk – a citrus-based marinade.

The next morning, following an endorphin-boosting workout in the gym and a herb-laced body treatment at the spa, I camped out by the pool for a few restful hours. I tried to order a cocktail I had enjoyed the night before, but failed miserably in my foggy recollection. Soon, a gaggle of helpful staff gathered to solve the mystery. Turned out it was ‘The First Ritual’, an energising mix of arak infused with sambiloto (a local herb), grape reduction, tonic water and slices of orange. It tasted like a Balinese holiday.

Fuelled by my new signature drink, I made it to the bustling opening party for SugarSand. It’s Indigo’s answer to beach clubs such as Ku De Ta and Potato Head, complete with international DJs, but it didn’t feel as sceney as those venues. By day you can nab a poolside day bed, and at night you can marvel at the psychedelic sunsets. Later that evening, I did finally leave Hotel Indigo for a taste of Seminyak’s legendary nightlife, but I made it back in record time. Everything I desired was already in reach.