p58-59 ttg_lux_t&t reviews 4/3/10 13:08 Page 58
tried & tested
TRIANON PALACE
VERSAILLES
by Carlie Trotter
Having to fend off Parisian guests for a prime
aperitif spot would seem to suggest that the
royal domain of Versailles – just 11 miles from
L'Arc de Triomphe and home to the Trianon
Palace Waldorf Astoria – is as much a bolthole
from the stresses of running France today as it
was in Louis XIV’s heyday.
And if the unrivalled views of the Chateau
de Versailles from the Presidential Suite at the
hotel are not enough to give guests illusions of
grandeur, they need only walk five minutes
along the estate’s lime tree-lined avenue to
enjoy the Sun King's Hall of Mirrors.
The historic hotel celebrates its 100th
anniversary on May 31 and was the site where
world leaders gathered to sign the treaty that
ALILA VILLAS ULUWATU
signalled the end of the First World War.
BALI
It features a vast indoor swimming pool,
by Sue Ryan
tennis courts and a gym, and the $30 million
renovation completed in 2008 added a
O
nce in a while you come across a hotel which is perfection. Alila Villas 2,800sq m Guerlain spa.
Uluwatu sits high up along the southern coast of Bali on the Bukit HOW TO SELL IT Muted greens and sleek lines have updated
peninsula. As you approach it along a rough bumpy road with nothing all 199 rooms, 23 of which are suites, but
but scrubland in view, there is no hint of the glory to come. The first cushioned walls, mirrored surfaces and■ Peaceful, luxurious and
sight is even a series of unpromising geometric wooden cabanas. spoiling – a great idea for symmetrical landscaping throughout recall the
It is only when you turn into the simple reception that the full impact of its
couples seeking the ultimate
neighbouring palace. Half the roomstock is
spectacular location reveals itself; the view across the marble floor, lily ponds, and
romantic getaway
more affordably situated in the contemporary
infinity pool is of the ocean beyond and, more dramatically, below.
■ Good for gourmets - the chef
Pavilion building.
It is worth coming here for one feature alone – a long wooden cabana built into
comes from a two-Michelin
The hotel boasts a two-Michelin-starred
star restaurant in Europe
the limestone cliffs stretches out beyond the rocky foundations, on which you can Gordon Ramsay restaurant, and champagne
and the breakfasts are a
stand (or sit on the low slung sofas), and watch the sea crash beneath you.
masterpiece
cocktails from the Gallery Bar are not to be
The first time I stayed at Alila Uluwatu, it was for less than 24 hours, a snatched missed. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the
■ A good spa choice – excellent
night to review Bali’s latest five-star hotel and having been bumped off my flight
gym and spa, despite the
three-acre park – chic picnics are available on
from Singapore, I arrived tired and irritable. I was still bewitched enough that when
pseudo-sounding day-long
request. Golfers can test their credentials at
it came to talking about how to celebrate a big occasion last December, I booked a treatment “Journey Through nearby Feucherolles.
holiday for my family of six to return to Alila Uluwatu. My family took three villas, Myself” The hotel’s lavish Clemenceau ballroom,
three pools and one butler, but with the bank manager in mind, it was a relief to with original gold leaf, opens onto a terrace
discover that Warung, the Balinese restaurant was cheap as well as delicious.
How to book it
for the ideal corporate or wedding space. And
This time around, I fell in love with my villa, with its lack of distinction between
Azure Collection offers seven
the hotel’s own events are in high demand
inside and out and floor-to-ceiling doors which slide away and disappear giving an
nights in a one-bedroom villa
– whether opera in the Chateau’s intimate
from £2,745pp including
uninterrupted run of garden, king-size bed, stone floor, large square daybed, cool theatre setting or ballet in the Orangery.
breakfast. Tel: 01244 322 770,
blue pool and a cushioned cabana.
azurecollection.com
1 boulevard de la Reine, 7800 Versailles.
The hotel has 52 one-bedroom pool villas, plus a couple of two-bed and five Tel: 0033 1 3084 5120,
trianonpalace.com
three-bed villas. The dominant materials are wood, water, stone, rattan and black
Jl. Belimbing Sari, Banjar
lava rocks. Bathrooms feature indoor and outdoor showers.
Tambiyak, Desa Pecatu,
HOW TO BOOK IT
It’s not for beach lovers however, as access to the sand is only when the Bali, Indonesia Railbookers offers two nights from £495pp
tide is out and involves a long climb down; just as well Tel: 00 62 361 848 2166 including breakfast, return Eurostar tickets
there was such a choice of places to lie down on once
alilahotels.com
and limousine transfers (valid until May 8).
I got there. Tel: 020 3327 0801,
railbookers.com
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tried & tested
spring 2010
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