REVIEW – Villa Bulung Daya, Tabanan (Bali)
October 19, 2016
The definitive guide to Food, Culture and Nature in Ubud, Bali (October 2015)
October 19, 2016
Villa Amrita
- Location: Ubud, Bali – Indonesia
- Chain: Private Villa
- Cost: $400 per night for 4 people including breakfast and daily city transfers
Intro
After our superlative stay at Bulung Daya, we enjoyed Gusti the villa manager’s company for a couple of hours longer, as he drove us inland to the jungle town of Ubud.
I picked a villa with a very impressive website, including a full 3D tour and drone videos of the villa’s remote setting in the jungle. People don’t just build holiday homes in Bali, the island seems to draw people who want to express themselves artistically. The natural landscape is so beautiful, the cost of labour and materials so cheap and the art of such a high standard that building a dream home here is within the reach of a lot of people. It is something that I’d love to do myself one day.
Although this villa also had staff, they were definitely more hands off than at Bulung Daya. Ayu and Gecko were both really friendly and helpful people though and helped to make our stay very comfortable.
Villa Amrita is set amongst rice terraces at the end of a single lane road. Although we didn’t have a traditional welcome ceremony, the local ducks were out in force and belted out a very boisterous greeting.
The Villa
Past the dark wooden entry gate was a large outdoor bale, set on a beautifully kept lawn, surrounded by tropical, jungle foliage.
You enter the villa itself via the kitchen and dining area. We were given freshly squeezed watermelon juice upon arrival. My favourite!
Although wifi wasn’t exactly our chief concern with this amazing pool to relax in.
Much like Bulung Daya, Villa Amrita has entirely separate wings for each bedroom, that way groups travelling together can still enjoy privacy.
I really liked how high the ceilings were here, they added a great dramatic touch to the bedrooms. Unfortunately though, this bedroom is right by the field where the ducks were. The field is also home to a lot of roosters who start crowing at 2am and do not stop until 8am, even with earplugs in we had trouble sleeping.
Leading on from the bedroom was a dressing area with plenty of storage space (as well as a cupboard containing some basic weights and yoga mats).
Our bathroom featured a real showstopper of a jacuzzi bath
As is the case in many Balinese villas, particularly in Ubud, the bathrooms are all open air. It takes a little getting used to, seeing geckos on the wall of the shower but it is a great feeling, showering under the rainfall head with the sun beaming down on you.
Twin vanities to match the twin showers and double jacuzzi
Mr and Mrs R’s bedroom was in the wing on the other side of the pool.
Just before reaching their wing there was an extra twin bedroom, which we didn’t make use of.
The twin room also had its own outdoor bathroom
Buddha keeps watch between the second and third bedrooms
Mr and Mrs R’s room was very similar to our own, although it had a slightly brighter colour scheme.
Their bathroom was very similar to the one in the twin room. Villa Amrita even had its own branded amenities, I told you that villa owners go all out in Bali!
Conclusion
We only stayed for a couple of nights and had most of our meals outside of the house. The breakfast was ok but not great. Nasi goreng is Kamara’s absolute favourite and she was a little disappointed with this one. The freshly squeezed lime and watermelon juices were fantastic though.
Because a stay in Ubud involves a lot more eating out and exploration of the nearby area, this was far more of a ‘usual’ hotel-style stay (albeit one in a spectacular setting with private staff and pool facilities). We disappeared at around 10am and made it back just before sunset both days. This meant we were able to enjoy the pool for a quick morning dip…
…As well as using it as our venue for some sundowners, after a day spent exploring.
The view over the edge of the pool.
However most of the time we were on our way out…
…because the allure of life outside the villa was so strong.
Total cost $400 for 4 people, per night – including breakfast and roundtrip private transfer into Ubud centre each day.
http://villaamrita.com/
- Part 1:
- Cathay Pacific : First Class Lounge – London Heathrow T3
- Part 2:
- JAL : First Class – London to Tokyo Haneda
- Part 3:
- Park Hotel Tokyo
- Part 4:
- JAL First Class Lounge – Tokyo Haneda Airport
- Part 5:
- Cathay Pacific : First Class – Tokyo Haneda to Hong Kong (Take 1)
- Part 6:
- Ritz Carlton Hong Kong
- Part 7:
- Cathay Pacific : The Pier First Class Lounge – Hong Kong Airport (Breakfast service)
- Part 8:
- Cathay Pacific : Business Class – Hong Kong to Jakarta
- Part 9:
- Mesastila Resort, Central Java : Arum Villa
- Part 10:
- Garuda Indonesia : Economy Class – Semarang to Bali
- Part 11:
- Villa Bulung Daya – Tabanan, Bali
- Part 12:
- Villa Amrita – Ubud, Bali
- Part 13:
- The Definitive guide to Food, Culture and Nature in Ubud, Bali
- Part 14:
- The Edge – Uluwatu, Bali
- Part 15:
- What to do in Uluwatu, Bali
- Part 16:
- Garuda Indonesia Business Class Lounge – Bali Denpasar Airport (Domestic Terminal)
- Part 17:
- Garuda Indonesia : Business Class – Bali to Jakarta
- Part 18:
- Pura Indah ‘First Class’ Lounge – Jakarta Airport
- Part 19:
- JAL : Business Class – Jakarta to Tokyo Narita
- Part 20:
- Conrad Tokyo : King Executive City Room
- Part 21:
- Cathay Pacific : First Class – Tokyo Haneda to Hong Kong (Take 2)
- Part 22:
- Intercontinental Hong Kong
- Part 23:
- Cathay Pacific : The Pier First Class Lounge – Hong Kong Airport (Lunch service)
- Part 24:
- Cathay Pacific : First Class – Hong Kong to London Heathrow
