Hi! Having posted my first trip report (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/1335784-qatar-airways-business-class-qr638-sin-dps.html) on FlyerTalk earlier on Qatar Airways, I have decided to follow up with a review on my stay in Bali, at Alila Villas Uluwatu :)
Still a work-in-progress, I'll post it here as soon as I've finished each part.
Enjoy!
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Day #1
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Flying on Qatar Airways, we arrived in Bali right on time at 7pm. However, clearing the immigration and customs is another story altogether. The queue was pretty long, to say the least. Holding a Singaporean passport, we did not have to deal with Visa related matters.
By the time we got out of the airport, it was already 8pm. Stepping out, we were greeted by a sight of no less than 100 individuals, each holding some sort of sign or paper and waiting to meet up with his or her guest.
Ah, airport transfers. Kind of reminds me of the time when we were in Bangkok and headed for Cha-Am! Check out the mayhem!
We, too, were looking for a sign with our names on it. Took us a while but we finally spotted our resort liaison! After confirming our identities, he helped us with our luggage as we walked towards the pick-up area located a short distance away. So, where exactly are we headed? The answer is below -
Took us a while before the driver could get his car to us – bad traffic at the airport. Had a little chat with the Alila staff who had waited one hour for us (poor guy!), and it seemed like the situation at the airport is a daily occurrence. Bali is a very popular destination indeed! Meanwhile, our luggage were marked with Alila’s luggage tag that you see above. We were handed cold towels and bottled water as we set off on our 30-minutes ride to Alila Villas Uluwatu.
The short trip was uneventful – the two Alila staff sat in front, while we made ourselves comfortable in the backseat. The scenery was not unlike the ones we’ve seen while in Langkawi or Bintan. As we ventured nearer towards Uluwatu, the roads became narrower with limited street lighting.
The first sign that we’re near our destination is when the bumpy roads ceased to exist. Suddenly, we’re cruising on paved roads and little illuminated Alila signs point the way towards the resort.
We alighted to the warm welcomes of Alila! Not much paperwork to be done here – I handed over a credit card, our hotel voucher and passports before we were swiftly led to our one-bedroom villa. Along the way, we were given a brief guide to the facilities as we walked past them.
We hopped on a “club car”, which is basically a golf-cart-like vehicle they use to ferry the guests to and from their villas, which are located in rows on the gentle slope. Our villa number? 311. At night, outside each villa, the villa number is projected on the floor – sorry, the picture below isn’t that clear =)
Stepping in the villa, we took in the sight of the interior which was to be our home for the next three days! A brief run-through of the villa was given so at least we’d know what all the knobs and switches do, and how to get hot water etc. Alila had thoughtfully prepared a bubble bath with rose petals for us to relax in.
The lighting wasn’t that good at night, so you’ll have to wait for Day #2 post to check out the pictures! By the time we showered, it was pretty late (we arrived at Alila at 9pm) so we turned our attention to room service!
Went through the list of items and settled on :
Chicken Curry
Spiced chicken, green vegetables in curry sauce with white rice
Nasi Goreng Udang
Fried rice with prawns
Think it took less than 30-minutes for the food to arrive? The dining area was quickly set up for us in the villa before the food turns cold!
In case you are wondering what these are, they are two variants of chili, pineapples and cucumber/carrots. You may dip the crackers in the chili if you like – tastes pretty good that way!
Fried rice with skewered prawns. A quick language lesson :
Nasi means rice, goreng means fried, and udang means prawn.
If you’re ordering Mee Goreng, that’s fried noodles for you since Mee means noodles.
So far, the service and properties were what we’ve come to expect of Alila – excellent! We enjoyed our first taste of Balinese cuisine before turning in for the night – a brand new day awaits! Check out the subsequent posts for more details!
Alila Villas Uluwatu – Suprisingly Different
Nivek
Apr 22, 12, 11:13 am
Day #2 of our 4D3N stay at Alila Villas Uluwatu :)
The full trip report can be view at my travel blog (http://piggeeks.net/feng/index.php/alila-villas-uluwatu-bali-day-2-part-1/) as well.
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Did I mention I love the first morning of an overseas trip? As always, we didn’t wake up early for breakfast. Not to worry, breakfast is served at Cire until 11am. There are two restaurants at Alilas Villas Uluwatu – Cire (pronounced as “Seer”) and The Warung.
Cire serves “contemporary western cuisine prepared with regional produce”.
The Warung serves “traditional and wholesome Indonesian & Balinese cuisine.”.
Took a little bit of time before the camera lens literally warmed up, which explains the foggy picture.
Breakfast is served ala carte buffet style. Basically, you can choose from any number of items (food and drinks) from the menu, and the kitchen would prepare it for you.
Upon ordering our food, we were given a choice of having our food served item by item, or all at once – we decided on having them all at once.
It is interesting to note that on subsequent days, our food would always be served all at once without them having to ask us the same question again. Check out below for a selection of some of the food we ordered!
We ordered cappuccino. Pick from a wide range of drinks such as smoothie, fresh fruit juice, coffee and tea. One tip – ask about what juice is available! Sometimes, certain fruit juice don’t appear on the menu.
Some other items like baked beans didn’t make it into my pictures, nothing too special about them. Asian food such as black rice porridge and sticky rice dumpling are also available. Only a day ago, we were still living the 9-to-6 working life. It was a huge contrast to what we’re doing now – having a big and hearty breakfast at 10am in the morning, enjoying the view and serenity of the place.
After a satisfying breakfast, it is time to explore the resort and take in the surroundings!
There are a couple of cabanas like the ones below, lining along the cliff edge and facing directly at the ocean.
Another view of the postcard-perfect Sunset Cabana. On both Friday and Saturday, there was a wedding being held at the Sunset Cabana. We had a little chat with the staff, and were told that wedding ceremonies happen almost every other day at the Sunset Cabana.
Located at the southern coast of Bali, the Indian ocean lies ahead with absolutely nothing on the horizon except clouds. Seemed like bad weather ahead with some gray skies, even though there wasn’t a single drop of rain during our 4 days at Uluwatu.
From the higher vantage point, we could see the roof-tops of the lobby are actually littered with volcanic stones. These are supposed to an eco-friendly way of keeping temperatures down in tropical Bali by absorbing the heat.
Day #2 of our 4D3N stay at Alila Villas Uluwatu
The full trip report can be view at my travel blog (http://piggeeks.net/feng/index.php/alila-villas-uluwatu-bali-day-2-part-1/) as well.
Throughout our stay in Alila, we noticed that there are various kinds of Alila products (shampoo, bath gels, body lotions etc) like these. Feel free to help yourselves to them as they’re complimentary!
Pretty much of an overkill, but the library was huge and very well-stocked with the latest newspapers like International Herald Tribune and our very own, The Straits Times.
There is dedicated, spacious yoga pavilion, where there are free classes every morning. We didn’t manage to wake up early enough to drop by to take a look.
The Alila landscaping is beautiful with a terrace-like design. Plenty of green stuff! Every morning, gardeners would toil under the sun to keep these in tip-top conditions – removing algae from ponds, picking up fallen leaves, etc.
The “club cars” that I mentioned earlier. The only time we took them was on the day we arrived at the resort. The walk to/from our villa wasn’t that bad actually, and we chose to walk when we had to.
The directions to the villas are on slabs of stones in the ponds. Each villa number has 3 digits. The first one indicates the row – 1 for the lowest level, and 4 the highest. The second and third digit is the villa number at the particular row.
More pictures to come in my follow-up post!
In Part 2 of Day #1, I’ll be covering our pool villa, our lunch and dinner!
Alila Villas Uluwatu – Suprisingly Different
Nivek
Apr 26, 12, 10:46 am
STILL at Day #2 of our 4D3N stay at Alila Villas Uluwatu :)
Guess I've kind of underestimated the number of pictures I'll be posting, hope you're enjoying them so far!!
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Pool Villa
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Before we take a look at our fabulous pool villa, let me explain the details on our key-chain. The villa we’re staying in is 311 – I had requested for a higher level one before we arrived but this was the best they can do. On the key-chain, there is three coin-like circular disc, representing 3. The 11 engraved on the top disc is obviously our villa number – a nice and simple way to remind us of our room number!
Entering the villa, our super-comfortable bed is just a few steps away. Prior to our stay, we had filled up a web-form indicating the type of pillows that we’d like. That is why we have three additional pillows in front, including the boomerang-shaped one. There are glass/wooden panels behind the bed that we can shift and slide to block out the sun.
The living area is actually pretty spacious. The round table is where we ate at last night after room service was delivered. The LCD TV is mounted, and can be turned towards the bed. Located behind the wooden console is the vanity area.
The day-bed area with plenty of sunlight. Again, entire glass/wooden panels can be slide out or kept depending on the time of the day. In the picture below, the wooden panels are kept, but the glass windows are still in place.
If you look closely at the picture above, you’ll notice that there is a concave slot cut into the bathtub. Opening the leather-clad container, you’ll find more Alila products such as sun tanning oil, sunscreen, mask, etc. Don’t worry if you forget to bring your own sun-tanning products!
The first of two shower area – the indoor shower with massage jets. Located on both sides of the bathroom walls, these massage jets can be powered up for more intense sprays. Forgot to take a picture of the ceiling – a rain shower is installed.
Full view of our private pool and cabana! The pool is actually big enough to swim in! We loved the pool, which was kept clean throughout our entire stay at the villa.
Our private cabana. In the previous post, the view of the cabana from the other side is shown. All three sides of the cabana has blinds that can be drawn.
The view from our pool villa – not too fantastic. Further down are actually rows 1 and 2 of the pool villas. The pool area is sufficiently private and discreet to be able to do some skinny-dipping and topless sun-tanning if you’d like to. Just avoid walking too near to the cabana!
The secret passage where the butler can access our villa. We had indicated that we wanted privacy during our stay (again, indicated in the web-form prior to our stay) so this wasn’t really used at all.
After our first night at the villa, we had placed our necessities (contact lens casing, spectacles, etc) by the side of the basin. Upon returning to our villa, we realized that their staff has placed a small white towel underneath our items on both sides of the basin to keep them dry – a very nice touch.
For sure, the design at Alila Villas Uluwatu is much more functional and practical than that of Alila Cha-Am (e.g. stylish but awfully shallow basin).
Each day, the toiletries in the respective holders are replenished as long as you’re taken any item out of it. The items provided are bath gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, soap and lip balm. You have no idea how much of these Alila amenities we carted home in our luggage!
No more living out of our suitcase! A very spacious wardrobe area. Hats are provided to shield the Mister and Missus from the sun. On the bottom, you can see a hand-carry bag which is a souvenir from Alila – useful for carrying stuff around in the resort, after which we can bring home after checking out.
Illy coffee pod (we have the same coffee as home!) and TWG tea are routinely replenished. Tried out the coffee machine during our afternoon swimming session.
One last thing to point out regarding the subtle aspects – if you look at the picture below, the top portion is actually of the ventilated wooden vents where the speakers are hidden in. This way, music (or audio) can be heard throughout the villa, even when enjoying a relaxing bubble bath!
great to know about QR SIN-DPS ^ (like EK HKG-BKK)
especially since SQ doesnt seem to have F at all, let alone newer layouts
ah, QR only has flatbed J, not F
The gym’s restroom has an open concept
Even the erm, toilet bowl .. has an open concept.
hmm...
Doubt any guest would actually want to WORK here at Alila
they do have residences :cool:
Forgot to take a picture of the ceiling – a rain shower is installed
you FORGOT? :D amazing number of pictures ^
illuminated Alila signs point the way towards the resort.
The glass windows being kept by sliding it to the sides. Now, you can leap into the pool right from the day bed
All three sides of the cabana has blinds that can be drawn
very useful details ^
At night, outside each villa, the villa number is projected on the floor
Breakfast is served ala carte buffet style. Basically, you can choose from any number of items (food and drinks) from the menu, and the kitchen would prepare it for you.
Upon ordering our food, we were given a choice of having our food served item by item, or all at once
Every morning, gardeners would toil under the sun to keep these in tip-top conditions – removing algae from ponds, picking up fallen leaves, etc.
staff has placed a small white towel underneath our items on both sides of the basin to keep them dry
BENLEE
Apr 26, 12, 8:05 pm
Fabulous trip report^ This is one of the resort I want to try in Bali. Thanks for sharing.
NYBanker
Apr 27, 12, 2:50 am
This looks great. Thanks for sharing.
Ericka
Apr 27, 12, 5:00 am
Wonderful report. There are so many great places to stay in Bali!
Thanks.
deer
Apr 27, 12, 11:26 am
Alila Villas are doing a great job.
Stayed at AV Soori, really liked it.
They should only hire lifeguards to make the magic black sand beach swimmable...
vuittonsofstyle
Apr 27, 12, 12:08 pm
I suspect that Alila are doing a better job these days because their CEO is Guy Heywood (ex Aman for years and years, and before that FS). However, not all Alilas are equal - you have to be careful which one you choose.
Kagehitokiri
Apr 27, 12, 12:18 pm
not all Alilas are equal - you have to be careful which one you choose.they do have two brands - alila villas and alila
Nivek
Apr 28, 12, 12:31 pm
Thanks Kagehitokiri, BENLEE, NYBanker, Ericka for your comments, hope u all enjoyed the pictures!
amazing number of pictures
Yeah, I tend to take too many pictures when I'm travellling :D
This is one of the resort I want to try in Bali. Thanks for sharing.
I actually came across your other FlyerTalk thread on Alila in Balia prior to my trip. Where did you eventually stayed in Bali?
Nivek
Apr 28, 12, 12:48 pm
Alila Villas are doing a great job.
Stayed at AV Soori, really liked it.
They should only hire lifeguards to make the magic black sand beach swimmable...
I totally agree, enjoyed my experience at Alila Villas Uluwatu very much. I guessed you have stay at Alila Soori previously? Do you have any trip report or photos to share?
I had a hard time deciding between these two!
I suspect that Alila are doing a better job these days because their CEO is Guy Heywood (ex Aman for years and years, and before that FS). However, not all Alilas are equal - you have to be careful which one you choose.
they do have two brands - alila villas and alila
Ah, I didn't know about Alila CEO. The only Alila property I've visited previously was back in Nov 2009, in Cha-Am. (no longer under Alila management now, the place is now known as Hotel de la Paix) Alila Cha-Am back then was fabulous, relatively new and stylish. Service on the whole was good, but not quite at the level of Uluwatu.
I do know that Alila would be opening a new resort at Bintan in 2014 : http://alilavillasbintan.com/main/villas
Meanwhile, hang on while I get ready the rest of the pictures! I'm not quite done yet! Still got a few other things to cover e.g spa, more food, etc. ;)
Kagehitokiri
Apr 28, 12, 1:55 pm
oh wow, i would have waited to reply :D
upcoming alila http://www.alilahotels.com/about-alila/upcoming-developments
cool rendering of bintan http://afr.com/p/lifestyle/life_leisure/buy_your_own_bali_villa_aoW90UhShYmgxsG8fl92PP
thanks for linking bintan
kind of odd - beach looks close in pics, farther away in resort plan >
http://alilavillasbintan.com/miscellaneous/AlilaVillasBintan_BeachVilla.pdf
looks like other 2 dont have sites yet
theres also (on hold?) >
http://alilamusandam.com/overview.htm
great looking villas, although huge development
ngfan
Apr 29, 12, 4:39 am
Fantastic report, thanks for sharing ^
Haven't made it to AV Uluwatu yet but stayed at AV Soori last year and loved it (sharing deer's sentiment). As it was designed by the same architect I may be sold to the PH Maldives then...cannot wait to see other AV's being developed.
BENLEE
Apr 30, 12, 8:35 am
Thanks Kagehitokiri, BENLEE, NYBanker, Ericka for your comments, hope u all enjoyed the pictures!
Yeah, I tend to take too many pictures when I'm travellling :D
I actually came across your other FlyerTalk thread on Alila in Balia prior to my trip. Where did you eventually stayed in Bali?
I eventually choose to stay at the Amankila. Still plan to try out the two Alilas resorts ( Uluwatu and Soori ) though, perhaps later this year.
Nivek
May 8, 12, 9:27 am
oh wow, i would have waited to reply :D
theres also (on hold?) >
http://alilamusandam.com/overview.htm
great looking villas, although huge development
Alila Villas Musandam definitely looks interesting to me. The only other resort I know of in Oman is Six Senses Zighy Bay.. Oman is a long way from SG..
Fantastic report, thanks for sharing ^
Haven't made it to AV Uluwatu yet but stayed at AV Soori last year and loved it (sharing deer's sentiment). As it was designed by the same architect I may be sold to the PH Maldives then...cannot wait to see other AV's being developed.
Thanks ngfan. Hopefully I'll drop by Soori for a stay in future ;)
I eventually choose to stay at the Amankila. Still plan to try out the two Alilas resorts ( Uluwatu and Soori ) though, perhaps later this year.
Ah, I see. Hope I didn't spoil it for you by posting too many pictures of Alila Uluwatu!
Nivek
May 8, 12, 9:37 am
A little delayed with my updates here as I went on short 2-night cruise to Malaysia's Pulau Redang, which wasn't really that interesting. (maybe I'll do a mini-report next time) Finally got the time to complete the rest of the trip report here!
Head over to Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali : Food, food, food! (http://piggeeks.net/feng/index.php/alila-villas-uluwatu-bali-day-2-part-3/) if you wanna read with some proper formatting. Enjoy!
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We decided to go for some local Balinese cuisine for our first Lunch at The Warung. Dropped by the restaurant pretty late (seemed like we’re always avoiding the peak dining hours), and there was no one else but us. Chose to sit outdoors, and it was not long before a staff came over with menus. Check out the menu here (http://www.alilahotels.com/uluwatu/dining).
Personally, the top two reasons why I would give any resort a good review (and potentially a second visit) are the level of service, and the little details. I can come up with numerous examples, here’s one for Alila :
Bali, as a tropical destination, is obviously pretty hot and humid at all times of the year. What does this means? Hot and sticky = Eww. We’re pretty familiar with the weather, coming from sunny Singapore. Alila is very thoughtful in this aspect – providing all diners with cold towels and refreshing sprays before every meal. Kudos to them.
Ordered our food and the first item to come wasn’t something we had ordered. Alila took a refreshing spin on the idea of Congkak (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congkak)- a game of Malay origin. Check out the Wikipedia article if you’re interested. Using the Congkak board, they placed the complimentary starters in the individual slots. The waiter who brought it over gave us a little explanation as we listened and nodded.
At the two ends are two types of deep fried crackers, while the individual dips were in the middle – a total of twelve of them! Most of them were some variant of chili, which we love! The spiciest of them all is really good! There were also other stuff like pickled vegetables like cucumber and pineapple, onions and soy sauce.
There are actually three types of rice to choose from – white, red, and yellow. The red rice actually tasted kind of like whole grain rice. The texture was a little bit raw and chewy.
Our verdict? Delicious! Special mention for the Balinese grilled duck which was very tender. We were pretty surprised to find duck on the menu here, as it isn’t that common in Singapore. We’re not big-eaters, and together with the complimentary starters, we were pretty stuffed by the end of lunch.
Our dinner at Cire for the day was actually a complimentary one, part of the package deal (air tickets, accommodation, etc) we purchased from our local agent. I have absolutely no idea why it is called “Dining by the Edge”. Cliff edge, perhaps? Sorry, the lighting at night was horrible. These pictures were the best that I managed to take =)
I’m not sure if it is Alila’s practice to serve complimentary items prior to dinner. We had the same experience when we stayed in Alila Cha-Am in 2009 and enjoyed many varieties of pastry! Tonight at Uluwatu, we were given some complimentary pastry with sour cream.
Ah. I had forgotten to take a photo of the menu. You’ll just have to take my description for it! The starter is some sort of Potato Cream, which had a foam-like texture.
No worries – the waitress offered to, and proceed to cut up the Roast Chicken into smaller pieces. It was plated together with mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, etc) and diced mushrooms.
Dinner was pretty alright, nothing surprising but definitely satisfying.
Check out the subsequent posts for more food @ Alila!
Alila Villas Uluwatu – Suprisingly Different
Nivek
May 8, 12, 9:45 am
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Day #3 : Food and .. Stuff (http://piggeeks.net/feng/index.php/2012/05/07/alila-villas-uluwatu-bali-day-3/)
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Rise and shine! A brand new day awaits us, and we’re particularly excited to check out Alila’s spa treatment today!
Before I go on with today’s activities, remember I mentioned about being able to indicate our preferences (music, pillows, level of attention by the butler, etc) prior to check in? To give you an idea, you can click on the Alila Villas Uluwatu – Personal Preference Menu link (http://www.ppm.alilahotels.com/uluwatu/) to take a look. Go ahead and input a fake name/email address – nothing is saved until the form is submitted. I love the fact that I could customize my stay before I even land on Bali.
Today’s breakfast menu (Saturday) is different from yesterday’s, and so we took the opportunity to try out different items!
Personally, I feel that the service (and the food of course) here at Alila is excellent. To be honest, there isn’t really much that I could fault. And yes, they remembered our preference to serve all our food together. After we’re done with breakfast, a lady (who seems to be the one in-charge) would drop by to make sure the food was okay, and whether we wanted to order any more food!
Every staff here at Alila greets us with a smile, and we’re not just referring to the ones who picked us up at the airport, at the spa, or the waiter or waitress at the restaurants. Down to the guys who deliver our room service and even the gardeners, it seemed like it is their mission to make us feel special.
Prior to making up our room, a call would be made to our villa to check with us what would be a suitable timing, so as not to disturb us. I appreciate the little things, such as bookmarks like the ones below that they would leave by our bedside after tidying up our rooms.
I’m not sure if you noticed – only at night would the tables be covered with table cloth. In the afternoon, we saw the restaurant staff patiently putting on all the table cloth. At first, we were perturbed as to why he was spraying water onto the table cloth, and giving it a gentle rub with his fingers. We realized that he was trying to wet, and then smooth the crease caused by folding! Such things probably wouldn’t matter to me at all (I mean, a crease is just a crease) but it just shows the level of details they pay attention to.
I could probably come up with more examples, but I shall leave it at that for now. We spent some more time roaming around the resort and took more photos. This is a view of the Cire and infinity pool from the Sunset cabana.
The main lobby when guests could hang around, with more complimentary Alila products! Interestingly, there seem to be no need for any insect repellent during our stay.
Quite a number of guests were arriving on the weekends, perhaps to attend the wedding. We were told that there are people who would visit just to get their spa treatments done here. As advised by the staff at the spa, we have already booked our half-day treatment yesterday, just in case the slots were full.
Made our way to the spa to start our Journey to You (Half Day – Afternoon) spa treatment. At the spa reception, one side of the wall is lined entirely with spa products.
A welcome drink was served to us as we confirmed the treatments that we are having today. The drink is an unique blend of lemongrass, lemon, ginger and honey which was pretty refreshing. The taste of ginger needs a little getting used to, though.
The treatments are done at the designated spa villas at Alila.
The treatments we chose are a little different from the ones on the menu (http://www.alilahotels.com/uluwatu/spa-alila)though – you are free to customize your spa journey. I was getting some minor sun-burn, and was recommended not to do a Warm Stone Massage – I chose the Therapeutic Massage “using fluent strokes of different depths and intensity” instead.
Well, it isn’t called the Half-Day Journey for nothing. Not gonna go into details on how the massage is done, apart from saying that it was simply amazing. Besides a Therapeutic Massage, I would also be getting a Head/Hair Stimulation Massage, followed by a Scrub/Wrap.
Absolute bliss.
The only other time it felt as good was when I was at Alila Cha-Am in 2009, but this is definitely better. After being bombarded by the variety of treatments, we got to take a shower ..
My wife and I couldn’t really stand the heat with the sun-burn going on, so we left the Steam Room early. The masseuse was surprised to see us when she brought in two glasses of electrolyte (i.e. isotonic) drinks, meant for hydrating us after the Steam Room treatment.
Briefly showered again before getting dressed and heading out. Prior to starting our massage, we were asked whether we wanted some fruits after our treatments, because it is going to take three hours or so. Little did we expect to see a huge platter of honeydew and watermelon waiting for us when we emerged from the changing area, complete with another glass of chilled lemongrass drink. Surely, this was overkill.
After we freshened up, we left for dinner at The Warung, which was included in the programme. According to the spa menu, our dinner was supposed to be “romantic but healthy and delicious dinner”. Well, I could see what the “delicious” part was referring to, but “healthy”? *laughs*
Finished off with a single scoop of coconut ice-cream. A pretty smart way of serving ice-cream, with the little dish resting on a glass filled with ice to keep it from melting.
Interestingly, we never saw the sunset at Sunset Cabana. However, we did see an amazing moon-rise! The bright dot you see below is the moon, and not the sun. I left the camera shutter on for 15 seconds =)
Just when you thought our day was over, we returned to the spa villa for the last treatment – Reflexology Massage. Did another feet wash – wow, I’m getting used to this! The massage wasn’t just meant for the feet, but also covers the ankles and calves, which was fantastic yet again. After being pampered for half a day, we reluctantly returned to our villa for undoubtedly, a good night’s rest.
Alila Villas Uluwatu – Suprisingly Different
Nivek
May 8, 12, 10:03 am
The last part of the trip report! Hope you have enjoyed it :)
Let me know if you'll like me to post future trip reports :p
Once again, you can read the same trip report here (http://piggeeks.net/feng/index.php/alila-villas-uluwatu-bali-day-4/) with "nicer" formatting.
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More Massage! And Checkout ..
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We woke up to the realization that we’re going to be leaving this little slice of paradise.
Nothing like a good breakfast to make us feel good!
This morning, we ordered a couple of different things, like potato wedges with sour cream, scrambled eggs, sunny-side-up eggs with toast, iced frappuccino and latte.
Another nice touch at Alila – they would provide little stools, not for sitting on, but for placing our bags and little gadgets etc so they wouldn’t take up space on the table. Have I mentioned I love these little details?
A couple of shots of the tranquil area in front of the Cire restaurant. If you were to hang out at the sun-loungers here during the day, the folks from Alila would come along with a picnic basket filled with stuff like towels, sun-screen, sun-tanning oil and bottled water. Perfect service.
After a light breakfast, we headed to the spa again! This time, it was a little less extravagant – a complimentary 90 minutes treatment when we signed up for our 3-night stay.
Feet Wash. Balinese Massage. Warm Herbal Bath.
Lovely experience yet again. How I wish I could do this every single day!
More swimming. More sun-tanning.
Check-out timing was actually supposed to be 12pm. A day before, we had enquired at reception whether we are able to get a complimentary late check-out as our flight is at night. Unfortunately, a late-checkout at 6pm is going to cost us a bomb (they charge half the price of a night’s stay). Luckily, they sort of relented and let us check out at 2pm, which was better than nothing!
After checking out, we left our luggage at the reception area and headed for lunch at The Cire. Once again, they brought us their home-made bread which tasted great with passion fruit and olive oil dips.
Having settled the bill (which was entirely accurate, no mistakes, no phantom mini-bar items), the staff from Alila could have left us alone and not cared about us at all. It was nice when we were approached twice by them – once to offer us wet towels to freshen up, and another time to give us bottled water even though we could have gotten them ourselves from the library or the gym.
The return transfer to the airport went without a hitch – the car was already waiting for us when we headed to the lobby at 6-plus in the evening. Double checked our luggage, took one last look, said our goodbyes and hopped into our car.
Prior to setting foot on Bali, it was a nightmare trying to decide on which resort to stay in. Despite everything I have written and gushed about, Alila Villas Uluwatu is definitely not perfect.
For instance, the view at our pool villa can be better. The relatively new property did have a couple of broken tiles (five, in fact) at the bottom of our pool. Things are definitely pricey around here – a order of Fried Rice with Chicken costs SGD$17 before taxes, when the same thing costs around SGD$5 in Singapore.
Are these critical flaws? Absolutely not. The things that mattered most to me were of 5-stars standard. Alila Villas Uluwatu has definitely met our expectations, and I would be tempted to check out Alila Villas Soori if the opportunity comes along.
Till then, there are Aman Resorts that I’ve yet to try..
Alila Villas Uluwatu – Suprisingly Different
Kagehitokiri
May 8, 12, 10:56 am
again, amazing number of pictures - very enjoyable and informative ^
food pics are helpful for foodies, probably even moreso for nonfoodies like me
Let me know if you'll like me to post future trip reports
Till then, there are Aman Resorts that I’ve yet to try
of course, look forward to your aman reports :cool:
interesting, including from perspective of all guests >
stools...for placing our bags and little gadgets etc so they wouldn’t take up space on the table
re late checkout >
alila villas are visa hotels, with 3pm checkout if available
american express platinum has 4pm checkout guaranteed, noon checkin if available
can negotiate in advance with management, or have virtuoso/etc travel agent do so
also, it seems unlikely a hotel would assume youre NOT going to spend any money in the 4 hours you are there after checking out, especially when youre leaving for airport around dinner time, and you mentioned this hotel does a lot of nonguest business
gallagher
Jun 10, 12, 5:39 pm
excellent report ^
brings back happy memories of the many excellent stays we've had at Alila Villas Uluwatu ^^
Nivek
Jun 11, 12, 7:01 am
excellent report ^
brings back happy memories of the many excellent stays we've had at Alila Villas Uluwatu ^^
Thanks gallagher, I have lovely memories of my stay @ Alila Villas Uluwatu as well :)
BENLEE
Jun 11, 12, 7:50 am
Once again, great trip report! You have done a fabulous job. ESP like the food pics ^. Your trip report convinced me to try out the Alila Uluwatu ( already booked ) :)
Btw, any tips on which villas will offer the best views?
Musken
Jun 11, 12, 2:56 pm
Wow. Amazing trip report with great pictures. I am getting hungry for Indonesian food now! Thank you so much.
Nivek
Jun 13, 12, 7:35 am
Once again, great trip report! You have done a fabulous job. ESP like the food pics ^. Your trip report convinced me to try out the Alila Uluwatu ( already booked ) :)
Btw, any tips on which villas will offer the best views?
Thanks BEELEE! I don't think I'm that good with words, but pictures don't lie :p
Whenever I post any reviews, I hope they help people to decide, as pictures from official websites / brochures can be deceiving at times. At least when people see my pictures, they know what they're getting for sure :D
On the best views, I found these online :
DestinAsian (http://www.destinasian.com/countries/east-southeast-asia/indonesia/bali/alila-villas-uluwatu-how-to-stay/):
Villas on the highest row begin with the number 4, and in general they have the best views. Of all the one-bedroom villas, units 408 and 409 have the best views. If those are already booked, try units 404 through to 407. On the third row, units 310, 311, 312, and 313 have the best views. On the second row, try for 220.
Mr and Mrs Smith (http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/as/luxury-hotels/alila-villas-uluwatu) :
Villa 409 commands the highest point of the resort, so it’s the pick for couples in pursuit of total privacy with a 180-degree ocean vista. Sleek modern design, care of Singaporean architects WOHA, embraces the outdoors, harnessing natural stone, wood, rattan and water.
I tried requesting for the villas on the top row, but didn't manage to get any. Ended up staying at 311 which wasn't too bad. Having said that, these are not cliff-edge villas so the views will never be that great :rolleyes: