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By lifestyle + travel
Bali lures travellers into a state of immobility, especially at Villa Kembali. Be prepared to come, and never leave. Beware the Bali bug - everyone catches it on the first go around. And if the stricken visitor ever manages to leave the island he or she will have to come back for treatment. It is infectious, and the effects can be devastating. For many, the only remedy is permanent residency. This writer caught the bug in a place called Villa Kembali, a privately owned villa within Cepaka ‘town’ (a handful of streets, temples and as many bougainvillea bushes as residents). In Bali, villas are like villages: a collection of sleeping quarters surrounding a common area in which inhabitants meet, eat, and socialise. But at Villa Kembali this common area – most of which is outdoors – has a TV and couches, a pool, and outdoor seating. Upstairs is the dining pavilion, and a large round table that sits 12 (as many bodies as the villa accommodates).Sleeping quarters are a comfortable distance away from the main area. One is a two-story house, others are attached, and all are thoughtfully furnished with Bvlgari bathroom goodies and iPod docking stations. One – the Master Suite – is perched above the dining pavilion, overlooking the rest of the Villa. If the bug renders you unfit for socialising, recuperate in its private gated garden, complete with plunge pool and sunloungers, or take to your canopied bed like Camille. Warning - this may aggravate your condition. Needless to say, I found accommodations perfectly suited to the convalescence of one whacked hard by the Bali bug, with little to do but relax, swim, eat and read, and contemplate the kind of therapy I’d need back home – if I made it home. Would I ever leave? ‘Checking out’ was unimaginable. This wasn’t a hotel; formalities were nonexistent. If I stayed on, would they notice? Others in my group –10 of us altogether – also caught the bug. One friend spent her days tucked into the canopy bed-cum-lounger down by the river. Another spent hours in the kitchen each day studying local recipes from the staff, who cooked for us every night. Even the littlest members of our tribe, toddlers and babes, showed signs of succumbing when presented with their own menus, provisions and the beaming indulgence of the staff. One guy just watched TV – insisting that alfresco tropical TV-viewing beat anything his apartment’s home entertainment centre offered. Looking back, I think our collective illness was exacerbated by the fact that we felt ‘at home’ here: how could we leave Bali when we could barely manage to detach ourselves from the villa? Not that there was much distance between Cepaka and Ubud or Seminyak, Bali’s oft-visited realms. The staff would drive us, if we wanted to go. It was no problem, leaving. It was just impossible to think of it. bali-villakembali.com
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Regional Round-Up
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Calendar
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High Society
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A Bathroom With A View
Exhibitionist bathing - Veranda’s Sky Villa spa-chic bathrooms move into the bedroom and the big blue beyond.Smart design can transform… Read More
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Living in the Past
Heritage preservation is not confined to Angkor. Across Cambodia, lovingly restored French-Colonial buildings take visitors back to the gracious era… Read More
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The Sandcastles & Sandwiches Issue
Why is it that people flock to the beach for their holidays? A shared, universal definition of playful paradise? Or… Read More
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Issue 38: Jul / Aug 2010
