ABOVE AND BEYOND IN BALI
Above And Beyond In Bali - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Above And Beyond In Bali | |||||
| By: Susan Borham and Katia Iervasi, Issue 47 – Winter 11 | |||||
| Bali | |||||
| HERE ARE SOME CLASSIC BALI RESORTS WHERE EXCELLENT SERVICE IS SEAMLESS SERVICE, RESORT RESTAURANT DINING IS FINE DINING AND THE STANDARD ROOM-SIZE IS SUITE-SIZE BY ANY OTHER STANDARD. THESE RESORTS GO ABOVE AND BEYOND BALI LUXURY. BY SUSAN BORHAM AND KATIA IERVASI | |||||
| An increasing number of the 2.48 million visitors each year to Bali are looking for high-end accommodation and the tiny island’s hotel industry, with the help of some international chains and investors, is ever-capable of meeting that demand with a new luxury resort seemingly springing up every few months. Perhaps because there are so many of them, the room rates of luxury resorts in Bali are affordable. For around A$200 per room per night, guests stay in fairly spacious quarters with beautiful views and enjoy superior dining along with all the usual high standard facilities of a luxury resort anywhere in the world including horizon pools, sometimes even private pools, well equipped gyms, professional spas, excellent and obliging service. But for those prepared to pay a higher room rate in Bali, the luxury ratchets up quite a few notches. Here are some of Bali’s most luxurious resorts. | |||||
| At Aman’s three Bali properties, Amanusa, Amankila and Amandari, the above and beyond luxury includes complimentary transfers to and from the airport in a luxury car by a staff driver with cold towels and refreshments at the ready, a small snack and your choice of music for the ride. Poolside guests are delivered scented cold towels, iced water, sunscreen, woven fans and an occasional treat from the kitchen. Your shoes, if left outside your door, are cleaned nightly and returned within 24 hours. Fresh fruit trays are delivered daily to the rooms. The complimentary Aman tea service is served at around 4pm daily at every Aman resort around the world with local teas, coffees and sweet snacks. Room servicing occurs when guests are away from the room requiring much coordination on the part of the staff. In fact, the delivery of this kind of seamless service at any resort only happens when there’s a high staff to guest ratio and at Amanusa and Amandari the resort claims five staff to each guest while at Amankila, it claims an eight staff to one guest ratio. Nightly turndown gifts are special locally made objects you might like to take home and you get to keep the rattan carry bag provided for your use while there. Rates at Aman’s Bali properties are the same for single or double occupancy. | |||||
| AMANUSA | |||||
| Amanusa’s 35 tropical-style suites are set on a hillside on Bali’s southern peninsula overlooking the Indian Ocean and Nusa Dua. The retreat is very private but guests are close to the vibrant shopping and nightlife in Kuta, Sanur, Legian and Seminyak. | |||||
| RATES Prices start at US$850 (about A$805) for a Garden Suite and go up to US$1,650 (about A$1,565) per night for the Amanusa Suite. | |||||
| AMANDARI | |||||
| The Amandari resort of 30 thatched-roof suites is in the village of Kedewatan, very close to the cultural capital of Ubud, set above the Ayung River Gorge. Every suite enjoys the privacy of its own walled garden. | |||||
| RATES Prices start at US$850 (about A$805) per night for a Village Suite, and range up to USD$3,750 (about A$3,555) per night for the three-bedroom Amandari Villa. | |||||
| AMANKILA | |||||
| Amankila is a secluded seaside resort in Karangasem with views out over the Lombok Strait and Mount Agung. All of Amankila’s 34 Balinese-style suites are elevated so that guests can get the best possible views. | |||||
| RATES Prices start at US$850 (about A$805) per night for a Garden Suite and range up to US$2,950 (about A$2,795) per night for a two-bedroom Amankila Suite. | |||||
| COMO SHAMBHALA ESTATE | |||||
| The COMO Shambala Estate is on the fringes of Bali’s culture-rich Ubud. COMO chose this location in line with its philosophy on holistic holidays, which holds that the most ideal holiday is about quiet, comfort and activity in culture-rich locations. At COMO Shambhala Estate, the super luxe offering is a personal assistant assigned to each guest to help guide them through the experience of the estate’s holistic wellness programmes which are themselves administered by a team of wellness consultants and personally tailored to the guest’s requirements. The PA’s role is to ensure guests experience all the estate has to offer. They schedule additional treatments and massages, deliver the pre-prescribed juice on time during a juice-fast and perhaps help to find a secret place to sit and enjoy the view. PAs oversee the housekeeping in guest rooms (which includes pressing, packing and unpacking) and make sure guest likes, dislikes and quirks are all noted. They’ll sort out schedule clashes and even turn up at your door to give you a five-minute warning that your next appointment is due so that you can completely relax and forget entirely about what time it is. | |||||
| RATES At the Como Shambhala Estate, programmes run for three, five, and seven nights, and accommodation is priced accordingly. Prices are per person. For individual rooms and suites, prices start at US$1,400 (about A$1,325) for three nights. For private villas, a two-bedroom villa starts at US$3,500 (about A$3,320) for three nights, while a three-bedroom starts at US$5,000 (about A$4,740) for three nights. Finally, the one-bedroom retreat villas start at US$3,500 (about A$3,320) for three nights, while prices for the two-bedroom option start at US$4,500 (about A$4,265) for three nights. | |||||
| INCLUSIONS: Breakfast, lunch, dinner; wellness consultation on arrival; massages; return airport and Ubud transfers in a luxury car with refreshments and a staff driver; participation in the estate’s daily activities; complimentary use of steam room, sauna, and lap pool; the service of a personal assistant. | |||||
| THE ST REGIS BALI RESORT | |||||
| The St Regis Bali resort is in Nusa Dua, a leisurely drive from Seminyak, Ubud, and Lovina. Since its opening in February 2009, the property has expanded to 124 suites and villas. All options, from the St Regis Suite to the Cloud Nine Villa and Strand Residence, fall into the ultra-luxe category. The St Regis ultra-luxe treatment begins at the airport with VIP airport arrival assistance so there is no need to queue for immigration clearance. Guests don’t even have to wait at baggage claim as luggage is whisked straight to the waiting limousine. Inside the staff driver has stocked up on complimentary mineral water, truffles and scented cold towels for the trip. At the resort, guests receive 24-hour on-call butler service including unpacking and packing luggage. In the rooms there’s unlimited imported mineral water on offer and luxurious imported bathroom amenities. At breakfast, yum cha trolleys deliver delicacies that include lobster. | |||||
| RATES There are 10 levels of accommodation in the St Regis resort including suites, villas and residences. Rooms start at US$750 (about A$710) per night for the St Regis Suite, and range up to US$8,500 (about A$8,055) for The Strand Residence. | |||||
| BULGARI RESORT | |||||
| The Bulgari Resort on the Bukit Peninsula in southern Bali is around a half-hour drive from Kuta. Of the 59 ocean-view villas the highest level of accommodation is the Bulgari Villa with its own spa treatment room, private cinema, 20-metre pool and meditation pergola. When a highly desirable luxury brand puts its name to a resort, you’d expect above and beyond luxury. At the Bulgari Resort in Bali guests sleep in luxurious linen and enjoy Bulgari bathroom amenities. Taking inspiration from the Balinese village style structure, the Bulgari Resort is divided into seven communes called Banjars. Each Banjar is attended by Banjar butlers whose job it is to anticipate guest needs and offer an invisible service. The resort’s leisure concierge exists with the sole job description of attending to the guests’ stay in Bali by organising day trips to neighbouring islands, volcano visits by helicopter, local market tours and personal shopping ensuring a smooth transition from one activity to the next. Full secretarial services are available for those who wish to do business on holiday and a beach butler brings towels, sunscreen and snacks to those who prefer to relax poolside or on the beach. | |||||
| RATES: There are five types of accommodation at the Bulgari Resort. Prices start from US$1,300 (about A$1,320) per night for an Ocean View Villa and range up to US$8,000 (about A$7,585) per night for The Bulgari Villa. Breakfast is an additional US$35 (about A$33) a day. | |||||
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