Short Luxurious Bali Getaway

[Review]

Yours truly took a shot at an AirAsia Instagram photo contest recently and was lucky enough to win a short 3 days 2 nights holiday for two to Bali with accomodation thrown in. The problem then, was deciding on which kid to bring along. In the end, we decided that perhaps mommy and daddy should have a little "private" time together this time. It has been a long time since we went on a holiday together, and even our "honeymoon" was a just a Genting trip sponsored by a good friend and we ended up going as 2 couples.

The photo taken by my wife, which won the contest!

I initially thought that the free holiday was all inclusive, and only found out later that we actually had to pay airport taxes and check-in luggages upon booking. But heck, free holiday still rocks and besides, we needed no check-in luggages for this short trip! Our accommodation was actually a newly opened place in Uluwatu called the Hidden Hills Villas which consists of a cluster of 6 villas ranging from single to 3-bedrooms, and is like only about 30mins away from the airport. Airport transfers were provided and so we were covered. No need to think so much. In fact, we only packed our stuff the morning before our 9.20am flight. My wife was kinda scared taking AirAsia, but I always feel that when shit happens, it happens. Anyway my wife did comment that the pilot flew the plane well and the flight to Bali was really smooth. But the return trip was a little "shaky" for liking.

The front entrance of our single bedroom villa.

The high ceiling and beautiful canopy bed in blue and white setting. The mattress and pillows were especially comfortable too! 

The living room where one can simply relax in air-con comfort, read (online) articles and have a cuppa.

The private pool and coffee table by the poolside. 

Another relaxation area with a big round pool seat just beside.

These deckchairs offers the best view of the sea and the sunset!

The villa we got was a single bedroom villa named Villa Santorini and it was gorgeous to say the least! I did had a quick look at the photos in their website before the trip and was ready to discount 50% from the photos I saw then. But when we were definitely wowed when we first set our eyes on the villa! Decked in white and blue, the villa looked almost like one of the houses in the original seaside town in Greece, or what I would have imagined. Would be perfect if it was a few kilometers closer to the shoreline though but the villa looked exactly like how it was pictured in the website. We were given a tour around our villa by the friendly butler who spoke great English and was also shown the adjoining Villa Grande, which is a 3 bedroom villa that's huge for 3 couples. In fact, the one bedroom villa I got was already big enough for my entire family of 2 + 4! Ok, I just checked out their website and found out that one night stay at the villa I am in, would cost $400usd! No wonder the service level so gilat! They do have promotional price of 30% off till 18 December 2015 though.

The villa offers free transport to any places within 5km with this comfortable ride.

Just one of the many decors found around the villas.

Adjoining bathrooms side by side in Villa Grande which we toured.

Driver and transport were provided, and it's free if the places you want to go is within 5km of the villas. This would be great if you knew exactly where you wanted to go and if you did your research beforehand. The driver was definitely really friendly but if you travelled well enough, you would know that nothing is for free.  And if you needed any help, you can be sure that almost every recommendation for food, dining or entertainment would involve some form of commission. In our case we paid double for our 2-hour massage (around $32sgd per pax) when we could have walked the 10mins out to the same place and paid the normal price. But then again, it is still cheaper than having it in-villa or back in Singapore! However if price is of no concern and that you would like to while your time, relax, enjoy the villa amenities and the excellent view, almost everything, such as meals, massages, private tours etc can be arranged with the butler, and enjoyed at your villa.

You just need to place your order the night before and the staff will set up the table for you to enjoy your breakfast right in your villa!

The villa offers luxurious spa treatments inhouse as well but they looked a little pricey for me.

Or you could walk out and explore the nearby massage parlours like we did. These are REALLY cheap (less than $9sgd for 1hr massage) but do not expect SPA treatment. It's really just no-frills massage.

[Sponsored Review]

The villa provides free WiFi as well and I guess it worked both ways since I couldn't help it but post all the awesome photos of the villa onto social media! However, when we need to get out of the villa and roam on our own, I would definitely feel safer and more "garang" with my trusty WiFi connection, courtesy of Changi Recommends. Picking up the set from the airport just before our departure was hasslefree and it was instant internet connection the moment we got off the plane in Bali. Google map is all so important lest we get lost in the foreign land! And it also helps that we can always rely on online reviews just before we decide on the place to go for food or leisure! 

You can't miss Changi Recommends outlets at the airport terminals. In our case, it was Terminal 1.

The set came with all the necessary cables and charging adaptors you will ever need!  

Thank you Changi Recommends for the loan set! We had a wonderful experience using it in Bali, had the peace of mind checking on the kids via our IP camera any time we thought of them and even managed to save $29 by navigating our own way to another massage parlour!

Do you know that Changi Recommends offers convenient portable WiFi connection at $15 per day for up to 3 Asia Pacific countries? Especially great if you are country-hopping! Check out their website for more information!