Every single one of us has asked themselves, at least once, how paradise looks like… I constantly search for it everywhere around me, whether in certain moments of my travels, in small nature details, in works of art, or in small details of the history each place carries.
I feel blessed for being able to find paradise so many times, better saying, what I consider as my paradise!
But, this definition of paradise has taken uncontrollable proportions in the moment we arrived at Banyan Tree Ungasan in Bali.
Bali was, on its own, one of my dream travels (yes, obviously Eat, Pray Love helped a lot!) but what I didn’t know was places like that actually existed, so idyllic, mystical and divine!
The Banyan Tree Ungasan is located, as the name indicates, in Ungasan, at the South end of Bali, and just 35min away from the Denpasar airport. Very close to one of the most famous temples in Bali, Pura Luhur Uluwatu, located on top of a cliff and is said to be the protector of Bali against evil.
Try to visit this temple, if you can leave Banyan Tree! I dare you!
This imposing and majestic hotel has the detail of being located right on the top of a cliff with an astonishing view over the Indian Ocean, and very close to one of the most beautiful beaches in Bali, Nusa Dua.
The typical Asian bell that welcomes us at our arrival
First Impression
I guess you already know what my first impression was, right? But i’ll explain it in detail.
For starters, the hotel organized everything in order to pick us up at the airport, after a short flight coming from Singapore (see), and so there was an employee waiting for us, with a nice smile and a typical Balinese uniform (the most elegant one in the middle of all the look alikes waiting for future guests!).
When we arrived at the hotel we were received with a celebration ritual that blessed our life and prosperity (we were super cute with rice in our forehead and myself with a lotus flower in the hair)!
We were invited to relax in the huge sofa while served a fresh welcoming drink and doing our check-in. The contemporary style Balinese architecure, mixed with the surrounding nature had already got to me and in this moment I was already far away in that which would reveal to be the most perfect paradise I’ve ever seen.
Those who read the articles about Thailand (see) know I’m passionate about Asia, the people, the smells, the architecture, the nature… it’s something that moves me and elevates my senses to other worlds. And I felt just like that when I arrived at Banyan Tree, of course being in a land so spiritual as Bali was also an influence!
Well, let’s not digress any longer! From the reception we were transported (in the true meaning of the word! In one of those golf cars) to our bedroom, I’m sorry! House!!! And what a house, ladies and gentlemen! Yes, because a space with 403m2 is not a room, is a house! Right?
The door to the small paradise that was our Villa
Bedrooms
Banyan Tree Ungasan has 73 Villas, categorized in three types, the Pool, the Sanctuary and the Presidential. We stayed in a Pool Villa Sea View, meaning, with a breathtaking view to the ocean.
The usual letter and the welcoming tropical fruits I like so much!
And if I already thought the hotel was a paradise, here things took divinity like proportions! A wood door opens into the house of Gods! From there, a path, among floating stones in the lake, takes us to the entrance of the house itself or to the garden and the the infinite pool that invites us in and to never get out.
We chose to first enter the house. Balinese music was making the ambiance, and in this moment I went away from the rest of the world and created a very distant and bucolic place, just for myself.
The living room and the kitchen, Kitchenette like, had a contemporry style allied to the Asian style, with very marked details of the Balinese culture. High ceilings assured a unique, imposing style, giving an even more Oriental look to the place. A window from the floor to the ceiling with garden and pool access filled the room with light and colour.
At the table we had waiting for us some delicious tropical fruits (I could live here just for these fruits!).
Continuing to discover the house, we went down a hall that had a service bathroom (as if needed!), until we arrived to the bedroom. It followed the style of the living room, high ceiling above the comfortable bed, surrounded by glass doors and windows from the floor to the ceiling, opening to the garden and the pool, and when I say pool, I mean it! The door in front of the bed opened directly to the infinity pool which horizon was the sea!
On the back of the bedroom, the beautiful bathroom and the functional closet stole my heart in a blink, the bathtub surrounded by glass allowed in the beauty of the garden in, and was the ex-libris of this area.
Finished this tour of the house, it was time to meet the garden and the pool.
Two sunbeds were waiting for us, but the tropical rain in that moment didn’t let us enjoy them.
I rested a bit in the round couch that was covered, and entered the jacuzzi that was calling for me, hot enough water and the rain in my face, with the pool next to me and the nature and the ocean as my confidants! Probably one the dreamiest moments ever!
Restaurants
The hotel has four gastronomic options, being one of them closed by the time of our stay, the Tamarind.
So we were left with three quite nice options, the Ju-Ma-Na, the Bambu and the Pool Bar.
The first one is one of the most famous in the hotel, known for the great celebrations it helds, like weddings, birthdays and other parties. Moreover, during our stay there was a 25 years of marriage celebration, with fireworks and all! It’s located in the end of the cliff with a wonderful view over the horizon, with the Indian Ocean doing the honors. It’s a charming and sensual place, with a Moroccan style, assuring an elegant and cosmopolitan environment.
The balcony of Ju-Ma-Na over the cliff
Bambu, right in front of the magical infinity pool of the hotel, serves all the meals of the day, here we had the chance to have our breakfast with options to every taste, from the most traditional Balinese to the most western possible.
Breakfast at Bambu
And to finish we have the Pool Bar that works in association with the pool, as the name indicates, and serves snacks and drinks during the day. Here we had the chance to taste a 5 o’clock tea with some snacks, pastries and iced tea with a wonderful view over the ocean.
The 5 0’clock tea at the relaxing Pool Bar
To those who can’t leave their villas, the hotel takes the gastronomy to them, with its concept In Villa Dinning, with a Chef cooking just for us!
Services
Besides all the splendour of Nature we have all over the hotel complex, of the magical and elegant infinity pool assuring a unique relaxation and the ambiance of our Villa with jacuzzi and private pool, the hotel has other options to transform each client’s stay in a Godlike moment!
One of those options is a dinner for two, in a romantic environment, in one of the various idyllic places of the hotel, for example, a completely isolated place, with the Indian Ocean as witness!
Another one of the most acclaimed options of Banyan Tree is its Spa, one of the most astonishing spots of the hotel, in which relaxation takes care of us and makes us believe there’s nothing else besides that moment.
I had the chance to try a 90min treatment, with foot ritual, body and head massage and final relaxation, in which is served hot tea and typical fruits. A moment like no other, in the hand of an excellent terapist, in one of the most beautiful and calm spaces ever.
Gym
Another service of the hotel is the organization of an authentic Queen or King bath in our own Villa, during which our bathroom is transformed in a luxury scenario and imposing as a royal bath, with sensual aromas, candles, flowers and foam, creating a romantic environment in which not even wine is missing!
“White Dove” the beautiful space over the cliff, created especially for weddings
This is one of the most requested hotels in Bali for weddings and to spend honeymoons, and so this immense choice of romantic activities makes perfect sense!
But, the Banyan Tree is also prepared for a wider public, being able to satisfy any family. The Turtle Club is proof of that. A fun space, full of activities, for kids between the ages of 4 and 10.
Yes, it’s true! They got me cooking!
Another quite appreciated activity is the cooking class. We had the chance to try one (yes, I cooked and João loved it! But it was an isolated act, of course!) in which we learned to cook one of the typical dishes of Bali, the Nasi Goreng, basically, fried rice with vegetables and egg, which was quite good, I must say!
The hotel also has a Gallery, full of pieces of Balinese art, handmade, or amenities of the signature of the Spa that personify Banyan Tree and allow us to take home a bit of this small paradise.
Those who wish to stay active, even on holidays, can count with the gym and Yoga classes.
And those in business trips, not that I believe someone has to work in this paradise, the hotel has 3 rooms, for meetings, events or conferences.
Service
Bali reminds me of Thailand concerning Hotel Service, meaning care elevated to another dimension.
The motto is to assure we feel special from the first to the last second of our stay. And it happens from the first moment, when we are welcomed by a nice team, with honest smiles, “baptizing” us with love and prosperity.
Nothing fails during the stay, friendliness and kindness are a constant, the capability of attending every single need is always present and the smiles are clearly true.
Hindu Temple inside the resort
Banyan Tree Ungasan is much more than a hotel or luxury resort, it’s a refuge that brings us close to the Gods, it’s an authentic sanctuary allowing us into paradise, a place that frees us from the conflict of the crazyness of living and opens our soul to eternity!
I wanna stay here forever!
Banyan Tree Ungasan
Bedrooms from 450€
Jl. Melasti, Banjar Kelod – Ungasan, Bali
+62 361 300 7000
ungasan@banyantree.com
Photos: Flavors & Senses
Disclaimer
Flavors & Senses in Bali with the support of Samsonite.
We were at Banyan Tree Ungasan by invitation, whereas this not alter our work, being the opinion and the text of the exclusive responsibility of the author.
