Soothe the Soul, Indulge the Senses: Bali
Enter into an other-wordly experience in mystical Bali.
Ubud Hanging Gardens
When you arrive at a resort, you don't usually expect a sacred Welcome Blessing. But at the Ubud Hanging Gardens in Bali, this gesture of honour and warmth is our introduction into a mystical, sensual, tranquil place. Hadi, the head-of-staff, gracefully places his palms together in a bow as two young Balinese girls in golden-threaded sarongs present us with ceremonial weavings. I breathe in the cleansing rainforest air and am instantly relaxed.
A five-star resort, Ubud Hanging Gardens sits snugly on a hillside amongst coconut trees and dense tropical foliage. The 38 air-conditioned villas blend into the landscape and hang over the Ayung River in three levels: Valley View, Riverside, and Panoramic. The villas are connected to the resort's amenities by an ornate tram that glides smooth as silk up and down the cliffside.
Our villa is Riverside, with the gentle sounds of the Ayung rising up from below. Fresh papaya juice, snake fruit, and cool, lavender-scented towels greet us. Later, we snuggle into our king-sized bed, silken mosquito netting drapes around us, lending an undeniably exotic ambience to our evening. Nary a mosquito in sight, it seems the draping is more for romance than for keeping the bugs away.
Beyond a sliding door is the balé, an outdoor covered living space with lounging and seating areas. To our delight, a private, 29-degree infinity pool awaits and we waste no time plunging in, sans-suits. After our dip, we lay back and dry off on lounge chairs, absorbing the warmth and peacefulness.
If, for some reason, you want to spend time away from your villa, the resort has much to offer. Pluck a book off the shelf and spend a few hours in the well-stocked, open-air reading room. For an invigorating swim, two large infinity pools perch over the hillside. I hug the side of the pool after a lap and feel like I'm floating above the valley, above steeply-terraced rice paddies and the river below. The daily activities roster includes yoga, botanical walks, Balinese cooking and painting lessons. You can also book daytrips to Ubud's town centre and other destinations around the island. One activity you cannot miss is the "Secret Adventure" for couples. It's a private, spiritually and culturally rich outing that is only revealed as you experience it.
The Ayung Spa is a place to fill your senses and relax. We chose traditional Balinese massages, which incorporate swedish, shiatsu, and acupressure-style techniques and is centuries-old. All treatments use south-east asian ingredients such as lemongrass oil, sandalwood, ginger and chocolate.
During the afternoon, we dine at the Diatas Pohon Café which serves light fare exploring Indonesian flavours. It also serves up a taste of Bali's traditional handicrafts; as we eat, three young men deftly weave green-yellow coconut leaves into lovely creations as they chat and joke with each other. One boy presents me with his creation, a woven purse.
Under a dusky sky, our senses enjoy locally-farmed haute cuisine while our spirits are stirred by the dramatically-lit Pura Penataran Dalem Segara temple across the valley. French executive chef Renaud LeRasle accentuates his French fare with the spice-filled, multilayered flavours of Bali. Our meals begins with a silky Kabocha squash soup, finished with Balinese long pepper. We delight in a refreshing salmon mousse served like mini ice-cream cones. So fun to eat! Tender, Balinese beer-marinated beef cheeks and local king prawns excite our palates.
Jimbaran Puri Bali
The next day, our itinerary takes us to the the coast for a stay at Jimbaran Puri Bali. With a luxe-casual beach feel, the Jimbaran Puri resort exchanges the greenness of Ubud Hanging Gardens for white sand and turquoise ocean.
Located in subdued Jimbaran Bay, it's a luxurious sanctuary from the party and surf areas of nearby Kuta. Each of the 41 air-conditioned, Balinese-style cottages features indoor and outdoor sitting areas and a private garden.
After a light lunch of seared tuna nicoise and huahine salads, we kick off our sandals and stop at our lounge chairs just long enough to abandon our towels. Then we run full speed to play in the gentle waves. In the distance, silhouetted fishing boats slowly make their way to the shore after a day's work.
Jimbaran Puri's Beach Spa offers Ayurvedic treatments to centre the spirit and pamper the body. During our side-by-side, beach massages, the soft ocean soundscape lulls us into another world.
Sunset in Jimbaran Bay is a surreal display of neon pinks and oranges. We sit at our table right on the beach, savouring our seafood caught just metres away, enjoying the stillness together. Ever so faintly, we hear a ceremony from a nearby temple and the soothing slip-slip of nearby waves. In this moment, here in Bali, we are all that exist in the world.
