Boutique Hotels in Bali

The basic idea is to combine the conveniences of a five-star resort with the cultural richness of a Balinese private home.

Over the years this type of accommodation has increased vastly in popularity with travelers looking for something special and The difference between large hotel chains and Boutique hotels is that they don't provide 100's of rooms but instead secluded luxury in small and intimate resorts.

A "home away from home" is a bit a stressed expression, but it describes quite accurately what you may find. A really private space in a total different location, thousands of miles away from home.

All amenities are usually provided in these resorts to make you feel comfortable. Individual service with a personal touch makes all the difference, and a villa with an selection of
things you don't want to miss like sound system and satellite TV, several cozy in- and outdoor areas for relaxation, and refreshingly different styled bathrooms surely add to the
ingredients to make you enjoy your stay.

Some icing on the cake may be a private jacuzzi, plunge or
swimming pool. What would be life in the tropics without it.

A resort in Ubud was ahead of its time and has been copied by new ones a few times since then. It's the Pita Maha, build by a member of the Royal family of Ubud. The concept of a
river view resort with spa is taken from the Tjampuhan hotel and refined with adding more privacy by establishing a exclusive luxury villa concept. More about this resort later.

On the ocean side it was Four Seasons in Jimbaran who first successfully introduced the private villas concept within a hotel. Of course they also went to Ubud to build The Four
Seasons Sayan. Overlooking the Ayung river it became too small for the demand recently, new villas have been added in the second stage.

The leading resorts in this field try to accomplish a secluded setting of each villa, permitting undisturbed outdoor life with outdoor dining areas. So life within nature can be experienced in Bali style. Some of the villas have outdoor bathrooms and private plunge pools.

Many known hotels and resorts are renovating and redesigning themselves to follow this trend. Alam Kul Kul in Legian added boutique elements, The Villas in Seminyak are a good example to fully mature this concept, all villas have a private swimming pool and offer the privacy and seclusion needed.

In Jimbaran the Pansea is a strong contender, and must be booked early. The negative side of Boutique resorts is really the limited availability of rooms. It seems that a few years back the success of small high end resorts wasn't guaranteed, some of them are maybe build a bit too small.

Now the situation is very much different, travelers looking for that special place to spend a vacation, and are willing to pay for the extra luxury. The Ubud area is leading the way with resorts such as Kamandalu Resort, Kupu Kupu Barong, The Chedi or the Natura Resort, one of the latest and most convincing additions.

Pita Maha Resort, the unofficial leader of the trend is establishing a second resort to stay on top of the wave. By end of this year, Pita Maha 2 will open its gates with an increased size of about 80 villas. The reality will show if the intimacy of the original Pita Maha resort with its 24 villas can be preserved.

Religion in Bali

Many visitors who arrive in Bali do not realize that Bali is

very different religiously, to the rest of Indonesia.

Balinese people have been Hindus for eight hundred years,
since the remnants of the Majapahit empire were forced from
Java by the spread of Islam. They follow a branch of Hinduism
that owes a lot to that of India, but is quite different. The
most obvious discrepancy is that the Balinese eat cows, but
there are numerous others. 

Religion in Bali is interwoven with everyday life. Time and
time again, Balinese friends cancel appointments because they have to attend a ceremony, or take other family members to a ceremony. And, ceremonies seem, from the foreigner's
viewpoint, to be never ending. As well as the obvious ceremonies for births, deaths and marriages, and celebrating aspects of the rice harvests, there is a day for blessing machinery, one for blessing education, etc... A neighbour recently told me that he has a ceremony every fifteen days!
Many of the tourist attractions that busloads of travellers
attend have a religious origin. For instance, the Barong dance
tells a story of good versus evil, which, actually, is the
basic theme in most Balinese dances and legends. It is
performed as a part of many holy events.
Numerous visitors watch segments of the Ramayana Ballet, a
Hindu epic story about good and evil, and love, in many venues
around the island. Travellers with a little extra time should
consider a side trip to Prambanan temple in East Java.
Watching a performance of the Ramayana in the amphitheater
there, under a full moon, is truly a religious experience.
In Bali, cremations in particular, are popular with visitors.
Personally, I avoid funerals of all religions, but...
Recently, in Ubud, I observed street sellers convincing
tourists of the need to buy a sarong to watch a cremation.
Sarongs are not necessary for watching a procession, but are
mandatory when entering the grounds of the temple where the
actual cremation occurs. Because most visitors visit a temple
at some stage, the purchase of a sarong early in a trip is a
good investment.
A common occurrence in Bali is the traffic jam. Most traffic
jams are caused by a Hindu ceremony of some sort, because, as has happened in villages, since before Hinduism took root, the road is blocked off, even if it happens to be the main street
of Kuta, Sanur or Ubud! The Balinese understand priorities,
and expect non-Balinese to do likewise.
The important thing for visitors to understand, and remember,
is that cremations and other ceremonies are not tourist
attractions, but are genuine religious events. That the Balinese allow outsiders to be part of them does not detract from their religious significance.
There are many major dates in the Balinese calendar, which is
much shorter than the Western one. Late September, this
Western year, sees the arrival of Galungan, the celebration of
good fighting evil in Bali, and ends, ten days, later with
Kuningan. This period of the Balinese year sees a slow down in
some businesses, because the owners are involved in far more
important things. The morning of Kuningan sees most of Bali's
Hindu population visit the temple at Turtle Island, near
Sanur. It is a fantastic sight, if you can get near it.
Besakih temple, in East Bali, is the "mother" temple of Bali.
The other three important temples are at Uluwatu, Kintamani
and Tanah Lot. All of them are fantastic to visit. There are
other important regional temples, then, in each village there
is a temple for life at the mountain end of village, and one
for death at the end nearest the sea. Then, there are family
temples, temples in particular sacred places, and shrines
everywhere, including most houses.
Recently, near Pemuteran, in north Bali, I took a wrong turn
into the hills, and found myself at the bottom of some steps
leading up, out of sight. The 710 steps (I counted them on the
way down) lead to a small temple half-way up a mountain.
Despite being exhausted, I was exhilarated by the views across the hinterland and out to sea. The Balinese who carted the materials for building the temple, and the steps, up that path
were amazing.
An incredible experience, for me, was a trip to Tirta Empal,
the holy bathing pools in Tampaksiring. A Balinese friend said
she was going there to be "purified". I asked if I had to do
something wrong first, to accompany her, but she assured me
that all ordinary mortals can do with some occasional
purification. We were accompanied by a woman from Tabanan, who, while not a priest, is recognized as an expert in helping people carry out the ritual.
In the moonlight, we bathed under the water jets, and then
followed the old woman in carrying out the purification
rites. In the silence, punctuated only by the running water,
with the smell of incense lingering, I could sense a
"presence". It was magical.
Lastly, the daily evidence of the importance of Hinduism to
the Balinese is shown by the innumerable offerings everywhere. As well as the three main manifestations of God, Siwa, Wisnu and Brahma, there are other incarnations. Dewi Sri, the goddess of the rice harvest, is a major Balinese deity, and is still paid homage in Muslim Java. Ancestors, former kings, and guardians of sacred places are other deities. Almost every house, business, road intersection, government building, etc., has offerings to the gods and spirits of Bali placed in a shrine everyday. The small banana leaf baskets, containing flower petals, rice, and other gifts for the gods (even Oreos!) demonstrate the way that the Balinese daily live their religion.