Following the first 3 nights of my relaxing Bali adventure at the Grand Mirage Resort, the next place I was staying at had a lot to live up to.
I took a short 15-minute cab ride to the Samabe Bali Suites & Villas on the southern coast of Nusa Dua and believe me when I say that this place was on a whole new level of luxury I didn’t even know existed!
Driving into the lusciously landscaped secure grounds and rocking up to the porte-cochere was like being transported to a perfect little oasis. With my bags quickly ushered to the private villa, I was personally greeted with a selection of refreshing juices and a personal introduction to all the resort had to offer.
Once again, taking advantage of the all-inclusive package which not only included unlimited food and drinks amongst the resorts many bars and restaurants but also one activity per day such as a massage or body scrub at the Galangal Spa, cooking or art classes, or even cultural day tours exploring significant areas around Bali.
But before figuring out how I was going to spend my time here, I was escorted and given a tour of the private villa I would call home for the next 2 nights.
OH. MY. GOODNESS! Absolutely speechless.
Pushing through the enormous double doors like it was the cave of wonders was the sight of my very own private pool. With a cute thatched wicker roof and stepping into the double-height living room with wall to wall windows showcasing the pool and view out to the ocean in the distance.
Opening up into the enormous bedroom, walk-in robes and bathroom with freestanding bath, I was just amazed at how much space this villa had to offer! Not only that, I was left a cute little message on the coffee table to welcome me to Samabe Bali.
Now to the food … the two main restaurants were the Rempah-Rempah Dining Room where they set up the buffet breakfast in the morning and turned into a traditional Indonesian restaurant for lunch and dinner but my favourite here had to have been the Crystal Blue Ocean Grill.
Overlooking the stunning resort pool with the ocean being the perfect backdrop, this place served up some of the most amazing seafood I have had in years.
I opted for the lobster entree, I mean it’s all-inclusive so why not, followed by the biggest grilled prawns I have ever seen in my entire life! They were each the size of the palm of my hand and grilled to absolute perfection.
Looking for a place to lay down and recover from the meal proved difficult with so many options available. Do I lay by the pool in my villa or the resort pool by the bar? I decided to make my way down the cliffside to the beach and use one of many day beds set up on the sand.
It was a relief the resort has its own inclinator so I was able to bypass having to walk up and down a couple of hundred stairs built into the cliff.
But to ensure I wasn’t completely relaxed, aka lazy, this entire trip I thought I’d try my hand at stand up paddleboarding and surprisingly I did alright at it. After a few wobbly starts and only one complete fall off into the ocean, I got the hang of it pretty quickly, which was aided by the calm ocean sheltered from a sandbank about 100m out.
For what ended up being such an incredible little getaway for my first time to Bali, 5 nights just didn’t do it justice with it seemingly going so quickly. But I achieved what I set out to do, which was to have a relaxing holiday where I could completely switch off and not think about work or life back home.
I was spoilt, I was pampered, I was fed and I was well looked after by the amazing staff at both the Grand Mirage Resort and Samabe Bali Suites and Villas.
It certainly resonated with me upon leaving the resort what the check-in host said on arrival. Come as a guest, leave as a friend, return as family. I’m pretty sure I will be back.
Our writer visited Samabe Bali Suites & Villas as their guest
Samabe Bali Suites & Villas
www.samabe.com
@samaberesort
Last Updated on Nov 11, 2019
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