The ever popular tourist destination of Bali – Indonesia has the preconceived notion for Australian travellers and holiday makers as being busy and chaotic. {Which it can be! No doubt about that!}
But alas, there are some hide-away places where one can escape the craziness that is people and traffic, and hide away in quiet, solitude…you just have to know where to go! Even in one of the busiest and trendiest areas in south Bali…that of Seminyak!
And one of those places is at The Elysian – Boutique Villa Hotel.
For years and years I have travelled as a backpacker and looked for all the bargains and stayed wherever it may be cheap just to save a few bucks to extend my adventures. But over the last few years I have started to splurge on my accommodation and I love to book something special, especially for my last few days in Bali before departing. Perhaps it’s because A) when I travel to Indonesia I generally tend to have long holidays and I travel around a lot and try to get off the beaten track as much as possible such as; my big journey to the jungles of Kalimantan in Tanjung Puting National Park or maybe when I ventured off unknowingly to the beautiful Rote Island in West Timor or maybe even my road trip through Flores…after big adventures like these where travel is rough and tough at times, it’s really nice to have some luxury at the end of it all or B) I’m just getting older and enjoy the finer things in life and have been lucky enough to have the funds to splurge a little once a year! I’m not sure the reason, perhaps it’s a combination of the two but I love to book myself into a private villa for my last three days of holidays before heading back to reality!
So, on my last journey to Indonesia, after travelling to Java, Kalimantan and the Gili Islands, I headed back to Bali for my last few days before my journey was over…and I had made the decision to book 4 days and 3 luxurious nights at The Elysian Seminyak.
I arrived in the late afternoon, after travelling all day by boat and car from the Gili Islands {which included a boat that broke down and a lot of road works along the East Coast of Bali}…so I was dirty, tired and looking like a scruffy backpacker but as soon as my hire car turned down the driveway lined by bamboo, I was soon transported into a truly unique oasis, one which was far from the hustle and bustle of Seminyak and one that was to be my one bedroom private villa amongst the beautiful serene grounds of The Elysian.
Elysian means ‘paradise’ and that’s exactly the message that was portrayed throughout my whole experience staying here. A stay I have to say that was a treat for all the senses.
We meandered our way through the lush, tropical gardens to find our private villa and as soon as I opened that big wooden, private doorway, I was definitely transported to my own little unique oasis, ensured absolute privacy in a luxurious hide away. {Yay!} As the name suggests; each villa comes with a private plunge pool accompanied by big sun lounges in a tropical garden setting. And once I wandered inside my beautiful villa, I was greeted with complimentary welcome drinks, fruit platter and special treats, home-made cookies by The Elysian.
Step inside your villa to find a luxurious bedroom with a king-sized bed with spacious wardrobes, a kitchenette with dining area, a spacious lounge/living area that features doors and windows that fold away to become invisible virtually inviting the beauty of the tropics into your living space, and a stylish modern bathroom with a glorious sunken bath/shower, separate toilet and vanity. There is even a small work-station if you need to mix a bit of work with a lot of pleasure. And it’s also completed with all the modern technologies you’d expect to see in a 5 star luxury property, including a flat screen tv, Apple TV system, sound system, ipod dock, and more.
Breakfast is undoubtedly THE BIGGEST highlight of this property and will leave you feeling full until the early evening. The Elysian offers an alternative take on the typical resort ‘buffet breakfast’, instead offering a daily menu of which guests can enjoy unlimited offerings {Yes, that’s right folks! As much as you like! And we certainly made the most of this!} right in the comfort of your own villa. Typical offerings include fruit juices and fresh fruit platters which also include yogurt, muesli and honey, oatmeal porridge, french toast, ricotta pancakes, basket of breads including; toast, croissants, danishes and muffins served with butter and jam, minute steak breakfast with fried egg, herb-roasted potatoes and watercress, 2 eggs cooked any style accompanied by sausage, bacon, mushroom, spinach and baked beans {!}, traditional eggs benedict {I think this was my fav!}, eggs florentine, egg white omelette, smoked salmon omelette and great cappuccino {which absolutely made my day! I can never find a good Italian style coffee in Indonesia! Even Starbucks don’t do it for me!} and The Indonesian style menu consisted of bubur ayam {chicken rice porridge} and the ever-popular nasi goreng and mie goreng, and so much more. You can see why breaky would fill you till dinner time! 😉
If you can tear yourself away from your private villa to enjoy the rest of The Elysian property, you will be greatly rewarded by what you will find. After having a good, long, hot shower and putting on some nice clothes {out of my travelling, dirty island gear}, we first made our way to the Rush Bamboo Restaurant and Bar where on a Wednesday night guests are treated to complimentary cocktails at sunset hour! {Wowza! Perfect for me, who loves cocktails!} The Rush Bamboo Restaurant and Bar is the place to relax and unwind, with intimate traditional live music playing and the options for drinks or dining revolve around the couches in the bar area or in the restaurant poolside or even enjoy the intimacy of a private cabana around the pool. The Rush Bamboo Restaurant also offers specialties during the week such as; Monday nights – Seafood Dinner, Wednesday nights – Flaming Hot BBQ’s and Friday nights – Indonesian Ristaffel, just incase you don’t want to leave the serenity of The Elysian Resort.
Hunger and Thirst don’t sleep, so The Elysian’s 24-hour “Villa service” is at your beck and call too. You can have an icy cold cocktail delivered to sip while you hang out in your pool, choose an any-time snack from the menu {which we did take advantage of…who doesn’t love room service!}, book a meal to celebrate that special event and you can even enjoy a fully catered barbeque in the privacy of your own villa. So you don’t ever have to leave your villa – if you don’t wish to!
Although The Elysian sits in the perfect location, with a short walk to Seminyak Beach and sitting in between the famous Jalan Laksmana aka ‘Eat Street’; where all the best restaurants can be found and the party street of Jalan Dyana Pura. Guests have their pick of where they want to wander to and if and when they do decide to leave the luxury of their villa.
The final highlight and absolute must-do of The Elysian would have to be the spa. Having visited many luxurious spas around the world {it’s a bit of a hobby of mine!}, I was particularly impressed with the spa menu and high level of service at The Elysian spa. I thoroughly enjoyed my 60 minute full body massage, and my pedicure…my only complaint would be that I didn’t have time to enjoy a full body scrub as well!
The Elysian Seminyak really is an absolute delight and will make you totally forget about the hustle and bustle that is Seminyak as it quickly grows in popularity.
The Elysian Seminyak is also guaranteed to make you never want to leave!
Have you ever stayed at a luxurious five-star private villa? Where was it?
I may just add it to my list for my next holiday splurge!
Today I’m linking up with My Brown Paper Packages – Wednesday Wanderlust #wednesdaywanderlust
{Note: This is not a sponsored post – I fully paid for my stay at The Elysian and all views and opinions are my own, as always!}
Malinda @mybrownpaperpackages says
I stayed in a 5 star villa in Seminyak for a wedding and it was just glorious and very relaxing. I really love the idea of having a few quiet days of rest before returning home, too often people get back after a trip and say they ‘need a holiday after their holiday’ because it can be so exhausting racing about to everything.
Thanks for joining in #wednesdaywanderlust this week.
indospired says
Thanks for stopping by Malinda! So true…I think it’s really important to have some down (relaxing) time during your holiday! It generally only comes once a year for me so I have to make the most of it…by exploring & relaxing! 😉
Kerryn says
One of the best spa treatments ever at the Elysian…and I do a lot of spas when I’m in Bali. This place is absolutely wonderful. I might add, the service by the staff here is second to none. Friendly, proeffsional and welcoming. Angus, you are a star.
indospired says
Totally agree with you on that! I also love a spa treatment in Bali and I love to try out different places! The Elysian is definitely up there as one of the BEST I have ever experienced. Oh how I’d love to get back there right now for a massage or three! 🙂