About two hours away from Singapore is another unique island, Bali. Part of Indonesia yet distinctly different.
Bali is a deeply religious and spiritual place. Spirituality permeates life; it’s part of living, this feminine and rather shamanistic energy. Bali is also home to many foreigners and seekers of spiritual truth and alternative lifestyles. You can easily find meditation and yoga centres and raw food restaurants like KAFE.
The island is a buzzing centre for tourism, catering to all kinds of vacationers. Bali was world famous, before Eat, Pray, Love.
Are you looking for culture? Relaxation? Outdoor adventures? Spas? Art? Beaches? Partying? Detox? Good food? Bali’s got it, especially the whole villa-with-a-private-pool experience. It’s no wonder Bali is such a popular wedding destination.
Where I go in Bali is Ubud, because I love the forest. The first visit was around this time five years ago, in 2007. We stayed at Kupu Kupu Barong. My husband liked the meaning of the name. Kupu Kupu means butterfly and Barong means giant. The resort was beautiful and our villa overlooked the Ayung River.
Our days of relaxation started with breakfast served in our room, with a generous spread of tropical fruits and juices. The mango juice was absolutely delicious! The rest of the day was doing nothing and more of nothing. Vegging out was what we came to do – we lounged in the outside pavilion or in the plunge pool.
We literally spent hours in the water, reading, or sketching.
We napped a lot.
Sometimes we would watch the locals in the rice fields below. A little voyeuristic, yes. Basically we just enjoyed the quiet and our random conversations.
This peace was only occasionally punctured by screams from the river rafters down below. We didn’t mind; we were in our own world, lazing about. And in between all that relaxation was more relaxing with spa treatments, like their Balinese massage. We tried the treetop spa; unfortunately the construction sounds were not so soothing. Hammering does not go well with kneading. So the rest of our spa appointments were at the main pavilion.
In our very unplanned and deconstructed holiday, we only ventured out of our villa to check out the rest of the resort, our numerous spa treatments, a day tour of Ubud, and a must-do dinner at Mozaic.
The resort offers a romantic dinner over the reflective pool, with front row seats to the forest. It was beautiful, and yes, romantic with candlelight and flower petals strewn on the pathway. It just didn’t resonate with us and frankly, room service rocked.
We love room service. We are room service people. We love staying at luxurious hotels because we always spend a fair amount of time in the room, lounging around and enjoying room service. Of course he still had his conference calls.
At Kupu Kupu Barong, we just puttered between our plunge pool and the air-conditioned villa (to escape the heat and bugs). We put the two-person tub to good use, drawing a bath almost every night. Everything was centered around our theme of pampering and relaxation.
The private-pool-villa experience is the perfect getaway, whether you are by yourself or with someone special. Time away from the bustle is so healing. Dialing down the volume is a great stress-buster. With Bali, you really are spoilt for choice when it comes to service, luxury, and price. If you are a foodie, Bali is the place to be! Check out Mozaic next time you’re in Ubud – reservations is a must!
