Staying in villas is becoming a trend in Bali, as it offers much different holiday experience compared with staying in normal hotels. Generally, people get more privacy and more personalized service if they stay in villas, which are mostly run like a boutique hotel.
Another new trend is the growing popularity of Ubud, as tourist destination in Bali.
Why Ubud? The answer is because Ubud is unique. The first timers to Bali will definitely choose to stay in Kuta, Nusa Dua or Seminyak. But in our opinion there are many places all over the world that offer beautifull beaches like Hawaii, Florida, Gold Coast, Maldives, Mauritius, etc. But a place like Ubud with its rich, unique can not be found anywhere else in the world.
Ubud has been known as the heart of bali's cultural center. it has always been an enhancing place for many artist, even foreign artist like Blanco, Le Meyeur, Aric Smith and many others, choose to live in Ubud until the end of their lives. It has always been a source of inspiration for artist and art lovers. Ubud especially appeals to wealther and more sophisticated tourist, as these people are more attracted to arts and cultures. It is famous for its art galleries.
Another factor that makes Ubud a great place to visit is its cool weather and beautifull scenery. Ubud is also famous for its beautiful sceneries of the mountain, paddy field terraces, tropical rain forest, and the rivers are breathtaking.
During our honeymooner trip to Ubud, Bali we discover Anahata Villas & Spa Resort, a paradise lost. This luxurious boutique resort is located right in the heart of nature far away from noise and disturbances. It lies on a hill surrounded by tropical rain forest besides Petanu Rivers. this resort is blessed with a natural beauty, wonderful landscape and scenery, the sounds of the swirling water and birds singing within the resort as well as the cool breeze of the mountain. Interestingly, sometimes you see monkeys, the native inhabitants of this forest, visiting Anahata properties.
Onnie, the owner of this beautiful resort exaplains to us her vision about Anahata. She said " I name this resort Anahata, which in sanskrit means love and harmony. We want this resort to be 'A Natural Retreat for Mind, Body and Soul,' whereby, we want to treat our guest wholly so that they completely fresh when they go home."
Our first impression: this is a perfect hide away for honeymoon. The resort was built using modern balinese architecture. Though it looks very stylish and contemporary, the balinese elements appear very strongly here through the use of traditional balinese ornaments, artworks, woods and natural stones.
It is obviously that the architech wants to make the most of the majestic environment. From the open air lobby bar and restaurant, we can gaze outward across marvelous landscape of the tropical rain forest.
The view from our villa is breathtaking although it's obvious that actually every villa has a beautiful view of landscaped garden merged with mother nature.
After resting for a while, we can't wait to walk around the resort and to know what we can do in this resort. First, we go to the main pool and then dip in the hot whirlpool. It's just so relaxing. And then we go down to the river bank. We feel totally immersed with the serenity and beauty of the nature, bringing back the harmony in our mind, body and soul. We sit around for hours on the river side. the water is so clear and cool; it's so irresistible that we decide to jump into the water and swim in the river. It's just so refreshing.
From the river bank we walk up to the spa pavilion located by the river side to try the spa treatment. It's a different experience, indeed. As your body is enjoying the massages, you feel like your mind drifting away flowing with the sound of the river. It's rejuvenating.
For our dinner, we try Anahata's famous Balinese Rijstafel served in candlelight dinner. The crispy duck is delicious to the bone; the sambal is just tasty; the desert is really yummy. Unfortunately, we have no more space in our stomach to try all the dishes in Anahata menu. "Anahata is totally aware that delicious and healthy food is a must for a successful holiday. We include not only authentic balinese food but also western and asian cuisine as well as vegetarian dishes," said Onnie. We end the night feeling great with that we have done the whole day. It's time to enjoy our beautiful room and cozy bed.
The next morning before breakfast, we took a time to walk around the neighborhood village. breathing the fresh morning air while enjoying the view of the rice fields with a mountain of Gunung Agung in the backdrop give a peaceful and happy feeling.
We figure that as a honeymooner we must try the kamasutra yoga class to make our experiences in Anahata complete. The class was lead by an experienced yoga instructor. Being a yoga lover herself, Onnie said: " yoga is a central theme in Anahata." I guess this is a part of her program to treat her guests mind, body & soul. Because even as beginners, we do feel the benefits of this wonderful exercise which make our whole being relaxed and energized.
After staying two nights in Anahata, it's time for us to go home. We must go back to a real world. Our experiences in Anahata may be one of the most romantic and unforgetable holidays we have ever had. We can't wait to go back there.