I have been to Bali so many times I am beginning to lose count. After graduating from hotels in Kuta and Seminyak to Nusa Dua, I decided to give private villas a go. I have stayed in villas in Seminyak and Tanjung Benoa but nothing compares to The Lotus Residence.
To begin with we booked The Lotus Residence through an agent ( in future we will book with the villa directly). The villa is located in a small village near Kediri within the regency of Tabanan. Tabanan regency is known as the rice bowl of Bali ( hence the breathtaking views). We came in a huge family group of 12 which included two nannas, parents, single and 4 kids.
The villa is located in a part of Bali that is yet to be overtaken by hawkers and tourists but still close enough to enjoy days out shopping and eating in the livlier areas. For those who haven’t access to google maps Kediri is a good 30 minutes drive from Seminyak.
Eco Beach and various retaurants is only a 15 minute drive away and I do recommend the Beach House for great food and drinks.
The villa privides a driver for the day time and his van can take 7 passengers. If you have a larger group they can hire and extra van at a good price.
We spent most of our nights in the first week eating out in Seminyak, Kuta or Eco Beach but during the second week we ate more at the villa. We had a cook at our disposal and he was fantastic at whipping up various Balinese and western foods when we wanted. The deal is that you tell them what you would like for dinner and they will shop for the food and give you the bill (not expensive at all).
The villa is set on a huge property and is on three levels. The top level is the living and dining and family area and main pool. The second level has a waterfall and great kids play house. The third or bottom level is the spa area, jacuzzi, sauna, cold pool (refrigerated and freezing) and yoga/workout area pagoda. The gardens are like paradise. Everywhere you look there are butterflies and tropical flowering plants. The photos really don’t do it jtustice.
The villa has six bedrooms (four kings and two twins) all with an stunning outdoor bathroom. They are all aiur conditioned and all the king rooms have a tv. The rooms are huge and cool during the hot days and I enjoyed the outdoor bathtub very much.
The staff are friendly and become like family as your stay progresses. They are professional when required and great with kids. Nothing is too much trouble.
The main living area is massive and has two lounge areas and two dining areas and a bar that they can stock for you or you can stock(we did this).
If you want massage or spa treatments they order them in from a local spa at very good prices. We paid 225 000 Rp for our Balinese massage which was great.
The local area has some great shopping and as it is not a tourist desination the prices are local prices. I bought fabric and snack food and drinks in the local area. Five minutes away is a big supermarket called Hardys which sells everything you can imagine.
Great staff, food, acommodations and beautiful surroundings!! What more could you ask for??
I can honestly say this is the best villa experience I have had in Bali!”