The Meru in Sanur a luxury escape for medical tourism patients

West Australian

10-05-2025

If you travel often enough or for long enough, sooner or later you're going to get sick overseas. The last time it happened to me was in Bali when I felt a tickle in the back of my throat while waiting in the queue at immigration. By the time I checked in to my hotel, it had developed into a full-blown cold: runny nose, burning throat and inescapable lethargy.
But as luck would have it, I'd booked a stay at The Meru, a luxury resort that opened last year on the beachfront at Sanur that was designed not only to please the eye but for the convalescence of discharged patients at the new Bali International Hospital. A private facility specialising in cardiology, oncology, neurology, gastroenterology and hepatology, and the first hospital that allows foreign doctors to practise medicine in Indonesia, the hospital is only 500m from the Meru and is projected to turn Sanur into a world-class medical tourism destination.
Hotel rooms generally range in size from 20sqm to 60sqm. But at The Meru they range from 83sqm to 160sqm. Normally I find large hotel rooms over-the-top, as I spend most of my time outside, exploring the surrounding area or doing activities at the resort. The itinerary for my two-night, three-day stay included sunrise yoga classes, a Sanur cycling tour, a 60-minute Balinese 'Apun' massage, a sound healing ritual, chef-cooked meals at The Meru's restaurants plus a candlelit seafood feast on the edge of the beach.
All of that went out the window when I got sick — I spent 90 per cent of my time at The Meru inside my room. But because of its size and the different sitting options: there were two lounge settings, one inside and another on an outdoor terrace overlooking a private tropical garden, I didn't have to spend all day in bed. Soaking in the bathtub, which faced glass sliding doors overlooking a rock garden, offered another distraction and sinusitis relief. It didn't take a great leap of the imagination to see how much more pleasant it would be for someone to stay here while recovering from surgery compared to being holed up in a standard hotel room.
When the hotel ambassador at The Meru heard I cancelled my massage because I was sick, she brought me ginger and turmeric tea, an age-old Indonesian recipe that did wonders on my throat. The room service menu was extensive but I ordered the same item for every meal: a delicious laksa soup with egg noodles, baby roast chicken, bean sprouts, spring onion, egg and a coconut curry chicken broth exploding with goodness and overflowing with flavour.
After two nights my health had improved, and I was able to spend my last day walking around the resort, taking in the impressive architecture, the marble and wood-panelled walls, sculptures and indoor water fountains, and cooling off in the 50sqm oceanfront pool.
The Meru is in Sanur, a beach town popular among grey nomads and young families, on Bali's south-east coast, 40 minutes' drive from the international airport. Room rates start at $389 per night, including breakfast for two and free activities. See
themerusanur.com
.
+ Dave Smith was a guest of The Meru. They have not influenced this story, or read it before publication.