64 I Escape to... Bali
bottle openers, knock-off Ray-Bans and leering masks. In the evening we stop at Hujan (
hujanlocale.com), a stylish cocktail bar and restaurant that also hosts cooking classes. Opposite is Fair Warung Bale, a simple setup serving delicious food in generous quantities. All of its profits go towards providing free healthcare for locals. While Ubud is fun for a day, the main draw for me is escaping to the steamy climes of the Alila Ubud, set high above the tree canopy, with a jade infinity pool that offers a staggering panorama of the misty, verdant valley. (If you’re after sun, bear in mind that the dry season is between April and September.) Apart from the squawk of monkeys and birds, the resort
is wonderfully peaceful, days beginning with a traditional breakfast on the terrace – chilled watermelon and red chilli juice, and a bowl of nasi goreng ayam (fried rice with chicken, a fried egg and pickles). While standard rooms are comfortable (the outdoor rainshowers are the highlight), the palapa-roofed villas with private pools are very special. If you are staying for more than a couple of days, you
may be tempted to book one of the excursions that the Alila organises, such as quad biking, VW jungle safaris or morning bird watching. You can even hike to the summit of active volcano Mount Batur (potential eruptions notwithstanding). The onsite spa specialises in traditional massages to leave even the most stressed-out business traveller feeling reborn after meetings in hectic Jakarta, just under two hours’ flight away. We take the hotel shuttle 55km to the Alila Uluwatu,
perched on cliffs at the southerly tip of the island (only 35 minutes from the international airport). The focal point of this minimalist, all-villa resort is the enormous pool and gravity- defying cantilevered Sunset Cabana bar, although guests also have the pleasure of their own personal plunge pools and hyper-modern residences, accessed by golf cart. Apart from a
tricky hike down hundreds of narrow steps to the beach, there’s nothing to distract you from relaxing. During the day, staff set down poolside hampers of iced water, menus and sunscreen (use your own factor 30 though, as the ozone layer is thin
NOVEMBER 2017
in these parts). In your personal 291 sqm villa, you can lounge on a day bed and have a butler wait on you around the clock. In contrast to Ubud’s more rustic eating, the
Uluwatu offers fine dining. In concept restaurant Quila, we embark on a ten-course “sensory journey” that starts with us being blindfolded while eating a cube of rock lobster covered in green foam, then consuming a mushroom meringue enclouded in dry ice. By now, I can safely say that my traumatic experience in the monkey forest feels far behind me. n A two-night weekend stay at the Alila Ubud starts from US$358 for a Superior room
Pictured: Alila Uluwatu
in December. The Alila Uluwatu starts from US$630 per night for a one-bedroom villa. Visit
alilahotels.com,
destination-asia.com,
garuda-indonesia.com
businesstraveller.com
JENNY SOUTHAN
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