My Bro-in-law made all the arrangements and I just agreed with whatever accommodation(s) that he chose. Simply hand over the cash when it's due. Haha.
Can't help it, I was up to my neck with work at the office and ended up pretty jaded when I reached home. No way am I gonna rack my brains further and plan a trip for the whole group!
Whoa!
The villa that we stayed for 4 nights was located in Pantai Seseh, Canggu. Somewhere in the South-western region of Bali. Around 1/2hr drive from Kuta - when there's NO TRAFFIC JAM (can be pretty bad, there). In fact, our villa is located pretty close to the famous Pura Tanah Lot (around 15mins drive).
On the 3rd night, we stayed at Mara River Lodge that's located within the grounds of Bali Safari & Marine Park in Gianyar (more on that in another post). Seeing that no one else will be coming by during that 1 night, the villa staff allowed us to keep our remaining stuff there as we only bring whatever is necessary for a 1 night's stay.
It's a gorgeous 3-bedroom villa with individually attached bathrooms. The furnishings & design is very modern and aesthetically pleasing. There are a total no. of 7 staff, including 1 in-house cook. The Seseh Beach is a mere 5mins walk away. And it's neighbouring some really interesting 'pura' (temples). There's also a grocery shop right across the road (where my hubby gleefully purchased his daily pack of ciggies).
Alas, I have to admit that the villa has seen better days. Some visible cracks can be seen on the glossy white walls (reminiscent of lacquer finish). And some parts of the floorboards sometimes creak under our weight. However, if you can close one eye on those minute drawbacks; this really is a great villa to stay in!
Oh, it'll be best if you can ignore the 'other residents' of the villa as well. Nothing spooky here. I'm actually referring to them reptiles. Which all seem to come alive with nightfall.
I had a frog stationing itself on the shelf under the vanity in my bathroom, for 3 nights straight. Then, his fellow friends seem to rejoice in taking a dip in the pool at night, too. Kept hearing the *plop* sounds. Haha. Then there's those house lizards, which the Balinese consider as good luck (I consider it my bad luck if I ever encounter any). My MiL even saw a small snake slithering across her bathroom.
That's the price you pay for staying in a villa that's located in the far-flung, rural areas. The wilderness got a tad too close for comfort. In case you're wondering, we only jump into the pool after the staff got down to cleaning it every morning. :P
Whoa!
This was the sight that greet us when we first stepped through the small door into the premise.
Water feature wall
Staff serving welcome drinks
I was worried about those tuber roses (bunga sedap malam) that can give out a pretty strong scent as they bloom, come nighttime. Surprisingly (and thankfully), the scent wasn't too defined.
View of pool from the living area
On the left is where one can lie down in the shallow water. Very, very therapeutic- that one. On the right, that white tringular thingy is a table-top for drinks and the area surrounding it are seats for some chillax-ing in the water.
Right then, I was secretly hoping that the pool be fenced-up instead. The babies were delirious! So delirious that they heed no objections!
These kids are to be supervised AT ALL TIMES! Hmph!
The 2 bedrooms on the ground floor
The one on the left was taken by my MiL & niece. The one on the right was taken by yours truly & family.
In my bedroom
I love how the bedside tables and the base of the king-sized bed itself, are constructed cast-in-situ, in cement and given a white lacquer-like coating.
I can never find a sturdier bed. No such thing as a creak, whatsoever.
The mattress was soooo comfy. As with the King Koil pillows. And the I-dunno-how-many-thread-count sheets. Ahhh...
View of pool from the bed
We kept the curtains fully drawn, mostly. For privacy's sake.
We kept the curtains fully drawn, mostly. For privacy's sake.
Vanity counter in the bathroom
Imagine a frog stoically sitting on the glass shelf, beside the hairdryer. 3 nights in a row (it disappear come daytime).
And can I say just how much I love, love the WC? It flushes quietly, yet efficiently. And with less water, even. Not surprisingly, it's one of those 'branded' (I can't seem to recall what!) ones which I might not be able to afford for my own use. :(
And they regularly top-up the 2 bottles of Aqua drinking water for tooth-brushing.
And they regularly top-up the 2 bottles of Aqua drinking water for tooth-brushing.
The large bathtub
Please ignore that painting, ya? Thankfully, my son is still young enough to think of 'milk' instead of anything else when he saw that.
Please ignore that painting, ya? Thankfully, my son is still young enough to think of 'milk' instead of anything else when he saw that.
The large bathtub is of similar construction as everything else so it was customised to be large enough for 2 persons to lie in it, side-by-side. It has the slant-profile that's similar to the one at the pool. Oh, being that big also means that it took me aaaaages to fill it. So I never really soak in the bath during my stay there.
What I really enjoy, though is the rain shower on the other side of the bathroom. Rain-showers ftw! In case you're wondering, the bathroom is even bigger than the bedroom that we slept in! It's actually the size of my living room here in SG. Wowwee!
The staircase
Now, this was another nightmare for me (aside from the pool, that is). I try not to be one of those paranoid mums but have you seen the way my son gleefully climb these stairs??
Now, this was another nightmare for me (aside from the pool, that is). I try not to be one of those paranoid mums but have you seen the way my son gleefully climb these stairs??
Cue next pic:
The OPEN staircase
It looks into the living room and my dear son, being my offspring, had the same thought as I do.
It looks into the living room and my dear son, being my offspring, had the same thought as I do.
"Wow, I can JUMP into the living room mid-way!"
(yes, I would have done that had I been younger and single. It'll help if my bro was around too).
I saw with my own eyes; him with his knees bent, trying to leap off that step. Horror of horrors! And that was on the 1st day. Goodness help me, I have 4 more days to prevent him from attempting something similar....
The stairwell & rooftop lawn
Lounge area at upper level
The generous seatings
Heavily under-used, that's all I can say. I was too busy watching over the kiddo to fully utilise this space.
Heavily under-used, that's all I can say. I was too busy watching over the kiddo to fully utilise this space.
I mean, there's so many things to do below, who bother with what's above! Except for my BiL's family who reside in the master bedroom, maybe.
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For more pics and to see how the master bedroom on the upper level is like, check out their WEBSITE here.
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