GT: A Balinese Honeymoon
I got Laura, my sister-in-law, to write about her amazing honeymoon in Bali. Enjoy the read!
For our honeymoon, my Husband chose Ayana Resort and Spa in Jimbaran Bay in Bali. After a 20 hour flight, we were met at the airport by our transfer and driven 20 minutes to the wonderful Ayana.
On our arrival, we were greeted with flower garlands and a delicious blackcurrant drink, and after signing a few forms were driven to our villa by our very own Butler.
The Villa was breath-taking with our own pool and a view out towards the ocean. The staff had filled our bath with rose petals and we were given a mobile phone to contact our butler whenever we needed anything.
As we had a short stay (5 days/4 nights) we resisted the urge to go to sleep and spent the rest of our afternoon in the pool.
In the evening we ventured to Sami Sami which was one of the many restaurants on site, stopping for cocktails en route. The staff at Ayana are incredibly friendly, polite and welcoming and we befriended a couple on the first night with one treating me to a free cocktail. For the rest of the trip, I was referred to as Mrs Chino and would be greeted with a smile and a wave.
Ayana has a main hotel complex and also villas. A short drive away on the same site is Rimba hotel and as a guest, you could use the pools and restaurants on all sites.
There are many pools to choose from: H2O pool which was near the villas, this had many levels and waterfalls and with a bar attached where the friendly staff would serve you drinks and food as you sun bathed on loungers.
There was also the main pool with views of the ocean, the Ocean View Pool at a lower level which was more secluded and exclusive, and also a big pool at Rimba with an in pool bar where you can swim up to get a drink.
There were two bars at the hotels which were famous throughout Bali. The Rock Bar is built into the cliff and overlooks the Ocean. It has a cool vibe and is exclusive. As we were staying in the Villa we got guaranteed sundowner reservation between 5 pm to 7 pm. There is also a rooftop bar with a pool in Rimba called Unique, this is owned by the same people as Rockbar and has a nice chilled out atmosphere.
We sampled food at quite a few of the onsite restaurants and there is a large variety to choose from with each restaurant offering different styles of food and its own unique eating environment. We also had the opportunity to try a Balinese evening with traditional food and entertainment.
The attention to detail at Ayana is second to none, everything has been thought of and the surroundings are beautiful.
They also throw in unlimited use of the 18-hole golf putting course and tennis pavilion, as well as a choice of 30-minute Balinese massage or sunrise yoga for Villa guests, with a buggy service if you don’t feel up to walking around the resort.
At the end of our stay we didn’t want to leave.
