Review: Alila Villas Uluwatu (Bali)
▲ Accommodation Review
Bali Itinerary Overview (2015). p.s. Read about our post of how to get a Taxi at Denpasar airport without being cheated – learn from our mistake!
“Perched at the edge of a dramatic cliff top along Bali’s Billionaire’s Row, an exclusive holiday destination on the southern most tip of the island, the villas of Alila Villas Uluwatu epitomise minimalist sophistication, blending the art of contemporary sustainable design with the magical landscape.
Incorporating cutting-edge green technology throughout the property, the notable environmentally friendly practices include using local plants to create the resort’s unique Bali savannah ecosystem.
There are 65 pool villas, offering one or three bedrooms each. Every private residence is meticulously crafted from the most luxurious materials, providing absolute comfort from the inside out.”
— quoted asiadreams.com
Pre Trip
Perfect place for a honeymoon.
With rates averaging US$800 per night, I really thank God for blessing my husband and I with a free stay at Alila Villas Uluwatu! Such an awesome honeymoon gift from God! Well, I won the stay from a contest organised by Honeycombers.
Price? Averaging at US$800/night
Accommodation Type? 1 Bedroom Pool Villa
When? 2 nights in January 2015
Website: www.alilahotels.com/uluwatu
We were over the moon when I got the email in 2014 that I was the winner!
When I arranged with Alila Villas Uluwatu to reserve a villa stay for my honeymoon in January 2015, they replied me with a link to login and answer a few questions.
This is for them to personalize my stay and make sure the villa has things I would love. Questions posed among others were the purpose of travel, personal interests (food, book and music), food allergies, preferred level of service, pillow type, relaxation preferences, etc.
Amazing! Talk about personal touch.
I’m now ready to holiday like the rich and famous!
p.s. Be sure to scroll to the end! Accompanying this review are breathtaking photos of the place. ;)
The Arrival Experience
We took a cab from Seminyak to Uluwatu, while passing through Jimbaran to lunch at Cuca Restaurant. Travelling past the local bustling activities of Uluwatu, the cab meandered through the small and rugged roads before we spot the entrance of Alila Villas Uluwatu.
Definitely secluded, private and exclusive.
Once we stepped out of the cab, we went WOW.
The sight that greeted us just took our breath away. It’s an infinity of waters to beyond.
Our luggage was carried in by the bell boy and we were ushered to a sofa facing the beautiful view. We were served with face mist, hand towels, and cold water. Good touch of coolness in the hot simmering day!
We waited a while and someone came to welcome us and lead us through a list of questions. The same questions I answered online before the trip??!? Did they lose my answers or didn’t bother checking them?! Except for this boo-boo, I must say the overall service here was impeccably good!
The check-in process was smooth and personable. No queue, no hassle. Didn’t even feel like a check-in at all! It was more like we were welcomed in to a friend’s place.
“Reception Area”
Posers blocking the awesome view
The 1-Bedroom Pool Villa
Our room is 401, “Level 4”.
Tip: We requested for a villa on the highest level for a great view, based on online recommendations.
Buggy rides are a norm to travel to and from your villa to the main lobby/pool/restaurant. Unless you don’t mind some good workout climbing up and down. We did walk down once, just for the kick of it.
Even the buggy drivers are friendly and know sufficient English to small talk with you. One buggy driver told us that we got the best villa – with nice view and privacy, since it’s a corner unit with only one villa on the side. Though even at full occupancy rate, you wouldn’t even feel the place is crowded. When we arrived at our villa,
a ‘butler’ was waiting for us at the entrance to give us a tour of the villa!
I felt I was in HEAVEN.
After the butler left, S and I turned towards each other and went “WOAH!“
We put down our bags in a jiffy and explored the villa and our private pool.
✓ The Picture Perfect View
The pool area overlooks the Indian Ocean and the patio comes with sunbeds, cabana with couch, a table and chairs. The thought that goes into the architectural design is meticulous and creative – which permeates throughout the room and resort.
With views looking out towards the Indian Ocean, it’s hard not to just quieten your soul and relax.
✓ Spacious Room
The size of the whole villa, excluding the patio, is probably in between a HDB 3 to 4 room flat. Sorry, it’s a gauge only those in Singapore can estimate. But basically, it’s huge!
Their full length glass windows and doors allow in sufficient natural lighting to brighten up the villa and our day.
✓ Ample of Shower Options
There’s the bathtub. There’s the normal handheld shower head. And then, things get interesting.
There’s this bathroom where you get 6 shower heads, 3 on each side, and a rain shower at the top. Blast it and you feel like you are in a car wash, with good massage capabilities. I love this the best.
Then, there’s this seductive outdoor rain shower. Walk out to an outdoor shower surrounded by a lush of greenery and with a stone bench for you to sit on. The rain shower head hangs about 4 meters up from the ground. Switch it on and step into the rain. Rain that stops at our command. ;) S loves this the best.
✓ Personalization
In the toilet, there are magazines inclined to my interests – for reading during my poo poo session. :D
I also found 2 envelopes with my name, placed in different parts of the room. So I opened and found greeting cards addressed to my name, one personally signed by the resident manager and another to congratulate us on our special union! *Honeymoon Stay*
✓ Technology
Strong Wifi signal.
Television with pre-installed movies. There’s also a tablet for you to play pre-loaded music through the villa’s soundbar or download from a selection of movies to play via the television.
Oh and with a few taps on the tablet, you can request for room service, drinking water, dental kit, etc etc.
✓ Alila’s Signature Bath Amenities
When we first entered the villa, it smelled of lemongrass. Soothing.
Soon I realised, all their bath amenities have this lemongrass smell as well, which smelt really good.
They have a wide selection – sunscreen, suntan lotion, mask, lip balm, bath bubbles, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, etc.
There’s even aromatherapy, and yes, it smells of lemongrass.
✘ Manual ‘Blinds’
We wanted to sleep in and not be pierced by the morning sun rays. So we had to slide these big and heavy doors or manually pull down the blinds to cover the windows. Good if they have automatic blinds instead.
Hence the only good solution for our second night is to call for a turn down service. Save us the effort, and they turn down areas we didn’t even know. And with a sweet touch, they turned on slow music to welcome us back. It felt as if we came back to a spa room – the relaxing atmosphere of smell and sound.
✘ Wear and Tear
Inevitable wear and tear caused by natural elements,
✘ Pool Waters
As one who loves swimming, a private pool is incredible for me! But the waters were not particularly clean/clear. But wait till we go to the main pool. It’s worse. Murky.
✘ Not so Private (Outside)
Because you hardly see people living around you, you tend to forget that there are people living beside you. We first went out to our outdoor patio talking in excitable and loud voices.
It’s only when I explored further and went to the hanging Cabana protruding out of our villa, that I spotted a lady reading her book in the Cabana next to us. Oops. Anyway, this is the most not private part of the villa.
SWIM ON, GIRL
The Dining
Restaurants
The villa is quite a distance from the local eateries, and hence if you are lazy to travel, you can choose to dine in at the two restaurants at Alila.
Cire that serves East Asian cuisine and The Warung that serves traditional Indonesian and Balinese fare.
Room Service
Or if you are like us, who want to eat in the comfort of your room, there’s room service!
Set up with proper cutleries and table mats, there’s nothing casual dining in the room.
p.s. There is an unlimited supply of glass bottles of drinking water in the room, or throughout the resort, be it at the pool or library. Complimentary.
Breakfast
Buffet with a menu. Order anything on the menu and wait. Your food will be plated and served to you.
The food tasted deli- deli- delicious! Too bad we couldn’t finish all that’s on the menu. What’s more, their menu varies from day to day, so you wouldn’t get bored eating the same stuff. But there’s this egg dish I love on the first morning, and they couldn’t make it again on our second morning. :(
We couldn’t finish the cake bread we ordered and so I tried my luck to see if they allow takeaways. And yay I saved some food from going to waste!
The Infinity Pool
Infinity Pool: In the Vogue, Style and Trend
Looks good on the outside, but murky inside.
Let’s Stand At the Edge of Infinity
Perfect Match
The Infinity Pool juxtaposes with Alila’s famous Sunset Cabana/Pavilion
The Pool Boy
He is worth a mention.
While we were still settling down at two of the sunbeds around the infinity pool, a super tanned guy donning white cap, polo and pants carried a basket (as below) towards us. He was quick to notice the people coming to the pool and attend to them.
Basket of cold drinking water, face mist, sunscreen, suntan lotion, food/drinks menu.
I love this service.
But my heart goes out to the boy, he had to stand under the scorching sun the whole day. The Management should consider having him stand in the shade during his idle waiting time.
THE IDEAL LIFE
Walking Around
Other than the infinity pool, there are other places worth popping by: multi award-winning Spa Alila, European style library, and the iconic Sunset Cabana.
And if you are a nature trekker, ask the staff for the off the beaten track down the cliff, through the vegetation and to the beach.
‘Chess Up in the Library
In the Iconic Sunset Cabana
a spectacular open-air lounge area hanging at cliff edge towards the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean
MATRIX OF LIFE
A SUNSET VIEW TO BEHOLD
ONE MORE TIME, PLEASE.
Travels During January 2015
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