BALI TRIP: Ubud, Bali Indonesia Part 2

UBUD, BALI INDONESIA
Part 2

Ubud

Ubud.  You know the city in the book/movie, “Eat, Pray,Love”.  Ubud is this bohemian mishmash of art, kitsch, shopping, yoga and spirituality.  The streets are insane with scooters zooming past you.  Watch out where you walk because the “sidewalk” is unsafe and not level.  The sounds, the crowds ... that's Ubud.

Ubud Street Shopping

So, why visit Ubud?  Well, there are a surprising amount of 5 star properties in the surrounding area of Ubud.  Touring includes trekking around a Monkey Forest or visiting an Elephant Safari Park.  There are temples and museums to visit.  A fun thing to do is to watch the local Balinese dance and cultural performances.  There was a dance school at Amandari for children wishing to learn the local dances.

If you are interested in yoga, spa or cooking classes, you will be able to find them in and around Ubud.

Ubud Yoga

Shopping, well there are a few nicer shops – I especially liked Biasa but most of the shops are pretty average.  The better shopping is in Seminyak about one hour south of Ubud.

Jewelry designer, John Hardy and his wife opened The Green School with the proceeds from their jewelry line.  The school's goal is to connect learning with creativity.  The emphasis is on environmental responsibility with scientific knowledge and respect for one's self and the many local cultures.

John Hardy factory in Ubud

We stopped at the John Hardy factory which employees local Balinese people to manufacture their jewelry that is sold at most high end department stores.  The factory is actually a compound.  You need an appointment.  Once we entered the compound, we were escorted by our guide.  You can visit the showroom, factory or enjoy lunch with the staff eating at their communal table.  They have an organic farm within the compound.  There are two levels in the showroom.  The lower level offers current styles without a discount and the upper level offers older styles with a 30% discount off of U.S. Retail prices less the local taxes. BEWARE: the walkway through the compound is composed of large rocks. 

Please wear comfortable walking shoes for your visit. Once inside the showroom, you will be asked to remove your shoes and walk barefoot on bamboo.

Ubud Street Shopping 

My final stop in Bali will be in Nusa Dua at Amanusa.

Stay tuned!

The World is Our Playground!

Mari

BALI TRIP 2014: Amandari - Ubud, Indonesia Part 1

AMANDARI – UBUD, INDONESIA

Amandari Pool

From Amankila to Amandari, the drive takes you through rice paddies and ends in the Ayung Valley.  There are two ways of getting from Amankila in East Bali to Amandari near Ubud.  The fast route which takes 1.5 hours versus the slow and I mean slow route through the small villages sometimes driving at 15 km which takes 3.5 hours unless you want to see the local culture and the picturesque rice terraces.  My recommendation is take the fast route – we didn't due to a communication disconnect.  In Bali, there are very few traffic laws and signals.  Traffic is hectic and most of the locals drive scooters like in Vietnam.

Young girls learn their dancing and music crafts
early on as a way to honor the Hindu g-ds

Amandari is known as the art center of Bali.  You are in the middle of a living culture where the Hindu g-ds speak and the people offer simple offerings of woven banana leaves, flowers and rice left daily at the temples.  The intent of 24 year old Amandari is that is has been designed true to the look and spirit of a Balinese village.  You will find the surrounding villages house local painters, woodcarvers, jewelers and potters all practicing their traditional crafts.  Dance and music is an art form in this part of the world.  Young girls learn their dancing and music crafts early on as a way to honor the Hindu g-ds.

Amandari means “peaceful spirits” and I can understand why Amandari was named this way.  Amandari is located 10 minutes from central Ubud with complementary shuttles available throughout the day.

open air lobby designed to be a “wantalon”
or village meeting place

When you arrive at Amandari, you immediate are amazed by the open air lobby designed to be a “wantalon” or village meeting place.  You have a sense of where you are from this moment forward.  The pathway that runs through Amandari down to the Valley is sacred and there are 3 modest shrines honoring this on property.

Suite Bedroom Interior View

There are 30 private free standing villas each with a Balinese stone gateway.  Some offer private pools.  We are staying in "Villa 14".  Villa 14 has an enormous bedroom area and it's bathroom is the traditional Aman design of dual sinks, a separate toilet area from the shower all leading outside to the sunken bathtub.  Outside, there is a dining pavilion overlooking the Ayung Valley as well as a private pool and lounge chairs.

There is a restaurant and bar on property as well as a library, fitness center, spa tennis and wonderfully stocked boutique.

Suite Bathroom View

The staff at Amandari can arrange your day with tours ranging from visits to the local villages, markets and Monkey Forest.  Many guests enjoy learning about the flat or terraced rice paddies.  Believe it or not, there is Class II river rafting available down the Ayung River. Temple tours and cultural exchanges can also be arranged.

During our visit, Jeff and I were honored to spend time with Amandari's General Manager, Mr. Siddharth Mehra.  I wanted to understand why people love Bali so much as well as learn more about the Aman culture.  Siddharth was a wealth of insight.

First, why do people love Bali so much? Simply, it is all about the Balinese people and culture. The people are kind, gentle and so friendly. It is in their nature to be so as they follow the Hindu faith and culture.

Spa Treatment Room

Aman fits in well with Bali. Aman's philosophy of being a part of the local community allows the GM to hire local staff, use local artisans, serve products from the local farms and thus become an integral and harmonious part of the local society.

I also learned that Aman properties in Bali, Indonesia want your experience to be seamless.  The Aman properties are Virtuoso properties with programs allowing you access between the properties, upgrades – sometimes at the time of booking, one activity per visit and more. 

For anyone staying in Ubud, I would ask that you consider staying at Amandari.  You will be pleasantly surprised and come away from the experience more insightful and relaxed!

Local Landscape

Tomorrow, we will be leaving Ubud for Amanusa in Bali's Bukit Peninsula.

The World is Our Playground!

Mari

BALI TRIP 2014: Amankila - East Bali

AMANKILA – East Bali

Amankila Beach Club

It takes 1.75 hours to get to Amankila from DPS airport.  The drive is not pretty.  In fact, it is a terrible way to be introduced to such a lovely country.  Helpful hint: take a nap!

During our time in Bali, I will be staying at 3 Aman properties.  Amankila, Amandari and Amanusa.  Amankila is located in East Bali.  

View from our Room

Amankila means “peaceful hill”.  This small, quiet resort on a hill with expansive views of the Lombok Strait.  The Lombok Strait connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean (“we are not in Kansas/California anymore!”).  Amankila is a Virtuoso property.  The hotel is 22 years old and is immaculately and lovingly cared for by their over 200 staff members.  The hotel is exquisite in it's simplicity.  Upon your arrival, you feel at ease as the open air reception area overlooks the water.  Looking down, you can see Amankila's three-tier, blue tiled pool.  There is a private black sand beach resort with a separate pool at the base of the cliff accessed by the hotel's buggy or a 5 minute walk down the stairs.  The area surrounding the resort is more authentically Balinese.  Each village boasts a mastery of a specific craft such as wood making, jewelry design and of course, Batik. 95% of the residence in East Bali are Hindu.  The general atmosphere is peaceful and friendly.

Three-tier blue tiled pool

There are 34 free standing villas at Amankila.  Some can be made into 2 bedroom villas with a pool.  Each has beautiful views of the Sea.  The rooms are simple and authentic using natural products from the area.  Guests enjoy a sense of place at Amankila.  The king size bed is comfortable. The huge bathroom area is exceptional with separate sinks, shower and tub. The bath amenities are local and I especially loved the cinnamon scented soaps.  Everything is comfortable and spacious.

Balenese Bed

WARNING ... every location on the property is reached by stairs.  A LOT OF STAIRS!  The hotel helps get you from one place to another via their buggy but you must be prepared to take a lot of stairs.  If you have mobility issues, Amankila is not for you.

While on property, the staff will help you organize your day.  They offer a wonderful 2 room spa and a small but efficient fitness center.  Both are located in villas and must be reserved in advance to assure your privacy.  If the spa time that you would like is taken ... no problem, they will send the masseuse to your room.  We did this at sunset and I can't begin to tell you how wonderful the experience was especially when it was time to turn over and look up at the stars from our private veranda (MAGICAL).

For shoppers, Amankila offers a small boutique filled with unique local treasures.  All the non-motorized water activities are available at the Beach Club.  Lessons on wind surfing for example are available.  You can even order a light meal while you relax on one of eight private bales set in the sand.  Amankila offers tea at their wonderful fully stocked library for those who want an escape from the sun at 4:00 pm daily.  For those of you looking for a unique romantic experience, Amankila offers an outrigger which can be reserved for cruising, snorkeling and/or diving.  Private dining and picnicking can also be arranged.

View of the Restaurant

There are two restaurants directly on property.  We enjoyed dinner last night at The Restaurant overlooking the Sea.  There was plenty of food options to choose from ranging from “Mexican style” corn tacos to French style baby chicken with mashed potatoes to local Indonesian specialties.  This morning, we ate at the Terrace Restaurant overlooking the pool.  At both locations, the service was perfection.  Friendly but not intrusive which pretty much covers Aman's philosophy.

My goal with this trip to Bali is to see what "Aman Junkies" see.  Later today, we are venturing up to Ubud, the cultural and artistic center of Bali and will be staying at Amandari.

Stay tuned...

The World is Our Playground!

Mari

BALI TRIP 2014: Cathay Pacific to Bali

CATHAY PACIFIC TO BALI

Cathay Pacific

I'm crazy about Cathay Pacific!  In fact, I'll say that it is the best airline that I have ever experienced and here is why ... THEY CARE!!!

From the moment you arrive into the craziness that is Los Angeles's International Airport (LAX) to Cathay Pacific's Business Class line you are treated like a valued customer.  The woman that checked us in came around her counter to personally greet us and thank us for choosing Cathay Pacific.  She then escorted us to her counter.  The process was easy and efficient.

Both of our flights from Los Angeles to Hong Kong (14.5 hours) and from Hong Kong to Bali (4.75 hours) were on time.  The flight attendants were just so nice and helpful.  They even assisted people by lifter their luggage into the overhead compartment ... talk about old school, right?!!

 

 Cathay Pacific's Business Class

For the Los Angeles to Hong Kong flight, the aircraft was divided into 4 compartments.  First, Business, Economy Plus and Economy.  Economy was just economy with the seats configured at 3-3-3.  Economy Plus had more legroom and took out 1 seat.  The seats configured at 2-4-2. I didn't try the food but was told that the food was more similar to Business Class.

We enjoyed Business Class seats.  The seats were 1-2-1.  Each seat was in it's own compartment.  I was noticing that once you were seated or reclined (the seats totally recline), you couldn't make eye contact with anyone else.  There was plenty of storage for your personal items.  Cathay Pacific's entertainment was quite diverse and included 2 current Oscar nominated films that I hadn't seen.  I loved the food on the plane ... yes, LOVED. It was tasty, with options and plentiful.  When I asked for a breakfast dish that did not have pork on it they created a freshly made cheese omelet for me to enjoy.  Talk about service!

 

"I loved the food on the plane" an example of food in business class

First class seats were 1-1-1.  They were wider than Business Class.  Because we are using frequent flyer miles to fly, our return flight to LAX from Hong Kong will be in First Class and I will write about the experience later.

Upon our arrival into Bali, we were greeted as we arrived into the arrival hall before passport control by a representative of AmanHotels.  He asked for our passports and the $25 per person Visa fee and jumped the line that had probably 300-400 people in it!  Within 5 minutes, we were finished and our luggage came off soon after because of the priority status of our tickets.  (FYI, in Bali, there are porters galore to assist you and complementary trolleys.)

We were escorted to the car pick up area outside of the newly created (October, 2013) Denpasar Airport (DPS) to our Aman driver and drove 1.75 hours to Amankila which is where we are now.  Bottom line, get ready to spend an entire day getting to Bali.

Tomorrow, I will begin writing about Bali.  Weren't you surprised that this entire blog was about a happy story about an airline?  I wonder how many of those exist?

The World is Our Playground!

Mari