If you’re looking for a once in a lifetime luxury trip, Alila Hotels & Resorts has got your sorted. With three locations in Bali (Uluwatu, Ubud, Manggis and Soori with another opening in Seminyak next year) there’s always an Alila close to where you want to be.
Our resident Travelbug was lucky enough to visit the Soori and Ubud locations.
Alila Hotels & Resorts fits the luxury quota in all the ways your expect: outdoor king size baths, private pools, incredible views, delicious food, excellent service, luxury spas and gyms, insanely comfortable beds. But unlike most luxury hotels, Alila prides itself on being sustainable and part of it’s local environment and community. Buildings are made Green and water usage, heat & cooling is kept to a minimum. Most of the staff come from the local community, which makes them the perfect candidates to take you on any of the Alila Journeys.
During our stay in Alila Ubud we tried the Balinese Lifestyle journey and visited the local rice paddies, the holy temple where people bath in the waters, as it is believed it contains magical and healing powers, then onto the coffee and cocoa plantation where we saw the crops and tasted all the local coffees and teas (Ginseng coffee is now a new favourite). And to finish the day off, we made it to one of Bali’s largest volcanoes, Kintamani, on which also sits Bali’s largest lake, Lake Batur. Spectacular views, which we ate our lunch by, in one of the restaurants that looks out over the crater. What makes this journey even more special? All throughout the trip our driver was pointing things out to us, little local touches about religion, history and how the Balinese community works. It felt personalized and authentic- and therefore impossible to forget.
It was during our stay at Alila Villas Soori that we got to truly relax and (quite literally) bathe in luxury. With a pool surrounding your villa (yes you can do a hop skip and a jump into the pool straight from bed), ocean views, pastel sunsets and delicious food this may well have been one of the most calm and relaxing places I’ve stayed. The relaxing was helped, of course, by a couple trips to the spa to experience the Relaxology package. Back-knots gone and skin rejuvenated, you can head to the Reading Room below which has it’s own coffee bar, big lush sofas and all the books you could ever read. Or if you’re feeling lazy -which you should be- head back to your villa for a quick dip and an outside shower before heading to dinner at Cotta. Perhaps (read: definitely) the best food I tried in Bali, Cotta brings together the best of Bali and Indonesian cuisine, which fits perfectly into the ocean view surroundings.
Have a look below at Travelbug’s photo diary. As if you needed any other reason to book your stay right now…
Just some of the Alila Living range of beauty products, available in the suites and in Spa Alila.
Tasting locally grown and made coffee and tea on the Balinese Lifestyle journey
Take a bath with a view of the pool, ocean and sunset at Alila Villas Soori.
Words and photography – Emma Hoareau
