We had never stayed in northern part of Seminyak before and on this holiday, we decided to do just that. We actually saw a good deal of this place from Group*n and when I emailed them for availability prior to book via Group*n, they offered us the same deal for direct booking, which was what we ended up doing. We stayed at one of their villa for three nights before heading back to hubby’s hometown.
As mentioned before, I emailed them with queries about the availability and whether there are going to be any constructions nearby, which they replied promptly. This factor was what had pointed me to book with them, because out of a few villas I emailed, Bali Island Villa was one of the very few that replied within the same day. Even after we booked with them, for every time I had questions, they would replied in the same manner and time frame. The only worry we had was that due to its location (it is right next to Potato Head Club), would it be too much noise? And as always, try to refer to as many past reviews as possible, which in our case we checked it out on TripAdvisor and it sure doesn’t look too bad. Looking at all the pictures, hubby was concerned that the villa seems to be too big for just both of us, this turned out to be just perfect size!
We arrived at around 2 pm and were greeted by the staffs who showed our way to our villa directly. We got Villa No. 2, which is very close to entrance/parking area. The air conditioner was already on when we got to the villa and the lady showed us the switches and whats in the villa, then served us some fresh fruit juices while we filled in the forms – all in the comfort of our villa. Yes, we were impressed and especially thankful for the air conditioner part!
So, of course the first thing we did after the lady left us was SWIMMING! The pool was nice, although the water could get fairly cold where there was no direct sun. I was told that the pool size is 2 m x 10 m, with such length you could totally do laps; but due to the width, we couldn’t really swim side by side; not a big deal, we can always take turns because it was holiday and we had all the time at hands ¯_(ツ)_/¯
I especially love the walk-in wardrobe, so many shelves to put your stuffs in, it is bright with a floor-to-ceiling mirror on one side of the wall where you can do your make up. I find the bathroom is too dark, maybe due to the dark-coloured wall. The bath tub is huge, however I only used it once, it took too long for the water to fill up due to its size. Water pressure was good, we didn’t have any issues here. The master bedroom is huge, spacious, and filled with sunlight, or you can close off the double-layered door and totally blocked out any sunlight ♥‿♥
As for entertainment in the villa, there are some novels (some in Japanese), magazines, and DVDs collections; which we didn’t make use of since we went out most of the time and if not, we would just watch TV. There is a massage bale in the rooftop, which we also didn’t make use of since we had arranged our massages else where. We went up in the first afternoon we got there, and it was so hot; never bothered to go again up ever since, it probably is nice in the morning, though. Wifi worked very well throughout the villa and can be connected straightaway without the need to sign in with user name/password; hassle-free!
We don’t like the bedding, despite the size that we love, the mattress is way too soft for us that it feels like you sink in to it. Thanks goodness we didn’t wake up with back pain during the three-night stay ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ There were signs of wear and tears in the villa, but nothing major that annoyed us. Whenever we had problems (not sure how to turn on the stove, or air conditioner couldn’t be turned on), we rang their reception and promptly someone will show up to solve the issues. We ordered breakfast the night before and they will deliver it the next morning at your specified time. Breakfast consists of one choice of fresh fruit juice, one choice of main, and one choice of espresso or tea per person. Overall breakfast was ok, but not great; best to just get the fried rice and fried noodle. Fresh fruit juices are excellent, very refreshing and a great start for the day.
On the second day of our stay, the staffs knocked on our door in the afternoon with a chocolate cake. How sweet of them! I asked them months before our trip whether they could arrange something for our wedding anniversary day and they sent me a brochure of in villa dining options, which looked really nice. Unfortunately, we didn’t go ahead with the in-villa dining option because we went else where that were recommended by some friends. And even so, they still remember our wedding anniversary date and being so nice to surprise us with a lovely heart-shaped chocolate cake. That was nice gesture and we truly appreciates that (っ˘ڡ˘ς)
We tried the laundry service there and it was fast! We left it off to the reception in the morning and when we came back after lunch, they are already freshly washed and ironed. They also offer free shuttle to Seminyak area, which we didn’t get to use because we rented a scooter. Hubby tried out the gym and he said it was not bad either, there are basic gym equipment and not big, but we think the villa deserves extra points for having the facility in house.
Overall stay experience in the villa was ok, the staffs are friendly and they had always tried to help, the lay out of the villa is good and very spacious, everything worked, location is fantastic, and we didn’t get the noise from Potato Head at all, in fact we had relaxing time in the villa. So, there really is nothing to complain about the place, and I would not hesitate to recommend this place to my friends and family. Whether or not we are going to go back, I think probably not only due to the fact that there are so many other options that we can try.
