Nothing is stopping the Bali train, with Australian families flocking there in numbers.
Helen Hayes and her family test-drive a boutique resort, a villa, and a resort with everything… |
Semara Resort and Spa Seminyak
There’s something exciting about staying in a new resort and this one is very new, opening in April this year. We check in, then stroll down the cobblestone pathway that has two storeys of rooms to the left and a huge pool with rooms opening onto it, Georgies Restaurant and a swanky spa to the right. We are in a Deluxe Suite, which is indeed deluxe with a huge bathroom and a wide patio with a daybed that is perfect for reading.
Over the next few days we manage to swim in the pool, read by the pool, dine by the pool, have a feast in the beautifully designed restaurant, Atrium, and chill out on the daybed after a few hours spent trawling through Seminyak’s swag of shops.
The Resort’s spa is beautifully zen and offers an impressive list of treatments. Fortunately, mums and dads can partake of some pampering without worrying about the kids – all thanks to The Cubby House Kids Club. It would have to be the best kids club I have seen – and I have seen a lot! It caters for kids from two to 12 years old with a playground full of fun stuff. It has an unbelievable selection of arty-crafty bits and pieces, a huge dolls house, a separate toddlers zone that has everything from dinosaurs to transformers, two separate movie rooms complete with funky beanbag chairs to cater for different age groups, a bank of Apple computers and a wall of PlayStation 3s. With only 58 rooms and suites, Semara Resort and Spa is small and friendly, making it easy to relax into the Bali way of life.
Ayana Resort and Spa
There is only one word to describe Ayana and that is ‘wow’! We are dropped off at the villa lobby and straight away we see that this is no ordinary resort. From the moment we are presented with cooling drinks and frangipani leis, and drink in the beautiful surrounds, we are in love. One of the best things about Ayana is that even though it is massive – it covers 7.7 hectares – everything is spread out so you don’t feel as though you are one of a crowd.
We stay in two different types of accommodation while at Ayana – a two-bedroom Ocean View Villa and a Cliff Villa – and both are jaw-droppingly beautiful. The two-bedroom villa is almost as big as our house, and has a decent-sized plunge pool. The beds are huge and each one is a four-poster with plush mosquito netting around. We feel like royalty! The boys take a shine to the bale with a massive day bed outside, which looks over towards the airport and the reefs off Kuta.
We also check out one of the Cliff Villas, and once again we are blown away. These villas are perfect for couples wanting a romantic break, with one of the highlights being a massive bathroom with king-size bath, oils, flower petals, candles … and a view. The pool is beautiful, bedroom just lovely and the lounge area ultra luxurious.
The best part about staying in a villa at Ayana (they also have rooms and suites) is that we have a butler. He makes dinner reservations, answers questions about the tide and the surfing conditions for the kids, transports us around the resort in an electric buggy and one morning he delivers us a Pool Brunch, a stunning brunch served on a floating tray while we are in the pool. It is a ‘pinch me, I must be dreaming’ moment.
There are quite a few of these moments really. We have drinks at sunset at the Rock Bar – thought by many to be the best bar in the world; we have amazing meals at Dava and are serenaded at Sami Sami; we swim in the pools and watch the kids have a ball on the waterslides; we love the fresh mango cheeks at Padi and eat way too many satay sticks cooked on an authentic Javanese cart just outside Damar Terrace. The kids still rave about them.
There is plenty for parents and kids to do at Ayana, with the spa offering a range of treatments, a putting green, cooking classes, tennis courts, pool tables, waterslides and a kids’ club that offers many cultural but fun activities. Young girls and their mums will love visiting L’Atelier – where you can create your very own perfume and take a bottle home with you.
Villa Sadia
Villas are definitely becoming increasingly popular, especially with families that have been a number of times or who have young kids and want to have a break. We have never stayed in a stand-alone villa before, so we are excited as we pull into our Balinese home – Villa Sadia, which is located in Canggu. We are met by the staff, who show us around the two-storey house and make us feel very welcome.
The Villa has four huge bedrooms – three in the house and one in a studio behind – so can sleep eight in absolute comfort. The bathrooms of each bedroom are simply stunning – two of them have outdoor showers. There is a lovely big lounge area downstairs, which opens up to a terrace with outdoor lounges, a big backyard, a bar area and a 12-metre swimming pool. There is another big lounge room upstairs, with a big patio, comfy lounges and beautiful views over the rice paddies and cane fields.
So how does staying in a villa work? Villa Sadia has a chef – Nyoman, a supervisor – Dayu, two attendants – shared between Ayu, Arin and Putu and security guards. We give Dayu a shopping list of breakfast items, snacks, drinks and so on, and have a look at the menu to choose what we will have for dinner. Alex has spaghetti bolognaise but the rest of us choose local dishes.
Over the next few days the girls cook our breakfast when we want it, make tea, endless smoothies and answer our questions about life in Bali. Nyoman, the miracle man, appears in the afternoons to prep for dinner and then comes back to cook up a storm, à la Masterchef, in our kitchen. He is brilliant.
Families with younger kids are well catered for with some outdoor toys including a little slippery dip, while inside, there is a safety gate at the top of the stairs. The girls are fabulous with kids, and you can ask them to babysit for an extra fee.
Wave hunting
It’s been a while since we’ve been to Bali; last time the kids were aged six and nine and had a ball whooping and hollering at Waterbom, had macaws standing on their heads at the Bali Bird Park, went snorkelling at Nusa Lembongan Island and went whitewater rafting on the Ayung River. This time the plan is to tackle the iconic surfing breaks that Bali is famous for, including Uluwatu, which attracts surfers from around the world with its walls of water rolling in like locomotives in peak hour. From Seminyak we test the waves out the front of KuDeTa and the many breaks around Kuta Reef. From Jimbaran we explore the beaches on the Bukit Peninsula, ticking off Bingin, Dreamland, Padang Padang, beautiful Balangan Beach and legendary Uluwatu.
We also have a fish spa (you’ll stop laughing at the tickling sensation after a few minutes!), visit a temple and watch as kites of all sizes and shapes soar and bank in the skies everywhere we go. We talk about doing the mountain bike tour down from the volcano, riding quad bikes and visiting the Bali Safari and Marine Park, but somehow time just gets away from us as we relax by the beach or by the resort pool. But there is always next time ... |
Report Card
Getting there
Garuda, Jetstar and Virgin Australia fly to Denpasar. The flight is approximately 5.5 hours from Sydney.
Stay
Semara Resort & Spa Seminyak – www.semaraseminyak.com
Ayana Resort And Spa Bali – www.ayanaresort.com
Villa Sadia – www.villasadia.com or to see more villas around Bali,
Thailand and Sri Lanka visit www.marketingvillas.com
Eat
At Ayana, Dava is excellent and the Italian at Sami Sami is superb, while at Semara Resort, Atrium is lovely. For a special meal out just for parents, book early for Sarong or Metis – expect to pay Australian prices. We ate at warungs at several beaches, with the kids loving the mi goreng and nasi goreng. They even ate it for breakfast!
Don’t miss
Have a drink at Ayana’s wonderful Rock Bar at sunset. What an amazing setting!
Thumbs up
Taxis are cheap in Bali and if you want to go out for the day, I recommend hiring a driver. I can personally recommend Made. Email him at padma_made@yahoo.com or phone +62 (081) 2395 2267. Made speaks very good English, is reliable and charges about $50 for 8 hours. He’ll drive you around and wait for you.
Do
Go to Balangan Beach. It’s a beautiful place with deckchairs and some warungs. And even if you don’t surf, you will love watching the action at Uluwatu. Sit up in the lovely Single Fin café at the top of the cliff and watch man vs the ocean. The banana smoothies here are divine.
Hot tips
You’ll need US$25 per person for your visa, payable on arrival at Denpasar Airport. For departure tax, keep 100,000 IDR (Indonesian Rupiah) per person. Take tissues with you as you might need them for toilet paper. Don’t drink the water and use bottled water to clean your teeth. Don’t take a taxi that doesn’t have a meter. |
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