There was an amazing basket of tropical fruit, some of which I had never seen, and all were delicious and exotic. There was a welcome note, two sarongs for wearing, particularly to cultural events in nearb villages and Ubud, a great outdoor bathtub complete with bath salts and other amenities, plentiful towels and robes, a bose sound system, 24 hour room service from an extensive and awesome menu, an upstairs bedroom, and a downstairs day bed or "bale" (pronounced I believe, "bal-aye"). It was ever so comfortable, and on the first day I enjoyed the private dining for lunch near my pool. I had delicious nasi ogreng, a stirfried rice dish with shrimp, chicken, egg, and hot samba olek. It was the best I had ever had. And throught my stay at Amandari and Amankila, I was uniformly surprised by how fast they delivered the orders and how they got the order right, even down to details, every time. Furthermore, it was the best food I had ever had.
For dinner, I also had the private dining, with a tasty satay plate, french dries, and banana fritters. Whoa what a great meal. This was NOT hotel food by any means. This was inspired and experienced cooking for people who loved food.
I was sad to leave Amandari, as I was only there for 24 hours before departing to Amankila as part of a "3 day Bali Break" which includes transfer between the two resorts, one activity, and breakfasts.
Prior to leaving however, I went into Ubud, which is a massive, massive, assortment of shops lining seaming-less endless streets, selling all manner of handicrafts, and interspersed with an innumerable number of temples and shrines. I even made it to the sacred monkey park which was a hoot.
I even had a Starbucks coffee, but the backyard of this Starbucks was like no other.....
Lastly, I had a good lunch of my favorite Bami Goreng at a local Ubud restaurant which as extremely cheap and was recommended by the Amandari literature left in the villa for me.
Throughout Amandari and Ubud, there are small offerings of flowers and incense left outside shops, homes, and temples, for good luck. These are beautiful to see and a constant reminder of the faithful Hindu that live here.
The drive to Amankila was fantastic. I got a great tour of the rice terraces, the mountains, the lake, and rustic Balinese villages, together with a knowledgeable and authentic narrative from the excellent driver. The rice terraces in particular, were breathtaking...
The fruitstands were outstanding.
I even got to see a small Balinese coffee plantation where they sold home grown and roasted coffee, including an expensive variety which is produced by creatures which eat the coffee beans, digest them, and then excrete them....No thanks!
