Bali Tourism News

The beauty of Bali

November 7th, 2008

There are few more inner emotions felt than when you are privileged to see the sunset over Bali By: John Nielsen Bali is widely regarded by many visitors as the “ultimate” island and is regularly voted by major travel magazines as the most enchanting travel and holiday destination in the world. My second visit confirmed why Bali is now also one of the best luxury destinations to visit, anywhere.

The Indonesian island is located between the large island of Java and Lombok. Bali - www.balitourismboard.org - is one of the smaller islands in Indonesia’s amazing archipelago. Stretching 140 km from east to west 80 km north to south, the island is just 8 degrees south of the Equator and boast year round average temperatures of 28 Celsius or 83 Fahrenheit, all in all just perfect!

The rugged coastline is home to sweeping views and clear blue warm waters, where fish frolic to the delight of divers and snorkelers. The wide and gently sloping southern region play host to Bali famed rice terraces, in the hilly northern coastal regions the spectacular terraces are host to coffee, spices and a plethora of vegetables.

It is the wonderful people that make this place so special, their warm personality, friendliness and always wanting to help the gives a very different meaning to personal service. Through out the island and it’s excellent hotels that superb service is felt. As you arrive and are escorted to your car smiles all around you greet you to make you feel welcome. The driver happily chats away in English and offers you his services should you wish to explore the island and its many wonders.

We ventured off to Amankila located one hours drive from the airport. We arrived to a remote part of the south east coast to the wonderful boutique resort of Amankila, www.amanresorts.com. Tracey Atherton, the General Manager of Amankila, greets us at the entrance. Her big smile and warm welcome says it all, we have arrived at a very unique resort, where 250 staff await to serve you in the 33-stunning villas. The lobby looks out on the stunning coastline with three infinity pools that all seamlessly integrate in to one beautiful picture. The pool suite villa has its own 10 meter lap pool and the natural stone colors are blended in with cooling whites and cream. The resort’s peaceful cliff-side setting, beneath the towering Mount Agung, is surrounded by the tropical spoils of the region, the volcanic beach and even a 41 meter lap pool set in lush gardens with an open dining venue creates quite a unique setting. My family boggy board in the warm waters and feel the thrills of the almost perfect waves, as I sit back and look on with a big smile. We cool off with a few laps in the pool and test the food… very nice!

Tracy has arranged for us to tour the coastline and we board the Amankila 16. The stylish outrigger designed after the “jukung”, a traditional Balinese fishing craft boat is decked out with white lush towels and we gently sail along the spectacular coastline, seeing Amankila from the sea. The resort is almost hidden in the hills and is beautifully integrated with the coastline. We stop at the blue lagoon and begin to snorkel around the area, admiring the many tropical fish and the coral. As we snorkel my wife asks me to dive down and collect a plastic bag on the seafloor. I am reminded how sad that in these tropical waters we encounter human rubbish that will kill the natural wonders of the sea. This frail eco system must be protected at all costs to save the sheer beauty below. As I arrive back to the boat, I have amounted a handful of rubbish that I throw out. Over a perfectly served healthy lunch we ponder how this can be stopped, Tracey remarks with sadness that the Indonesian government must educate the population in order to stop this disaster from escalating and ruining the eco system.
As we arrive back to Amankila we relax under the bale by the pools, few sounds are heard, apart from playful children in the pool and the soft Balinese music that welcomes sunset. Candles are being lit on the stairs to create a perfect setting for one couple that will dine alone by the sea and soak in the ultimate romantic atmosphere with dinner for two!

We wave goodbye and set out for Nusa Dua, an area that was established in the early eighties, with a vision to offer tourism a complete destination. Over the years the influx of top hotel chains have opened up and created an ideal venue.

Nusa Dua is not the only tourism destination in Bali, but with the newly developed coastline towns of Legian and Seminyak to compliment the more traditional areas of Jimbaran, Kuta and Sanur the island is now offering a great selection for any traveler. Eat street in Legian is the perfect venue for all types of modern dining and shopping. The two towns of Legian and Seminyak are linked and seamless integrate with each other. At nighttime the candle lit café’s and restaurants along the beachside open up and create a wonderful atmosphere. It has to be said that this once rice paddy fields has been developed slightly too fast and without much infrastructure so the streets don’t quite match the stylish boutiques and dining venues, but as with all things in Bali, this is all part of the charm.

The beach of Jimbaran Bay is a favorite of many for a night of dining on the beach. Watch the sun set as you feast on local seafood and see locals play in the warm waters. As dark descends, lantern lights light up the beach and the music begins to fill the area with the local disco’s dance floors filling up. The sunset is a magical setting to also watch the planes arrive into Bali’s international airport, whose runway separate the two beaches of Jimbaran and Seminyak.

The local food scene is an array with such excellent Indonesian specialties as Nasi Goring, Satays etc, but for those just wanting international food, simply walk down any of the main street and you will find a cuisine to tempt you (I have to admit that the Balinese make brilliant flat-based pizzas and are very innovative with their toppings).

The wonderful part about Bali is that the island offers so much more then just an island vacation on a beach. As the jet takes off and heads south towards Australia the family are all smiles and ask when can we return to Bali? There seems little doubt that Bali is back to its best and now a new and re-invigorated destination for all luxury travelers.

Source: http://www.kiwicollection.com/

Entry Filed under: Bali Tourism News