Following on from my previous post, I bring you our final two stops.
Our third stay was a place I've honestly wanted to try for many years -
Sun Island Boutique Villas & Spa Seminyak.
I've never stayed in a villa, mostly because we usually travel with extended family, and they prefer hotels (also...they don't have kids, so the prospect of a kitchen, dining area, lounge etc. doesn't really factor in for them).
We were in a Two Bedroom Villa with a plunge pool.
I was still being shown the features of the villa by one of the incredibly nice staff, and the kids had already donned their bathers and jumped in the pool.
And that is pretty much where they stayed for the next couple of days.
We're lucky enough that our kids can all swim, and it wasn't a large pool. So while they repeatedly practised diving to the bottom, #1Hubby was able to watch his beloved AFL football grand final in peace in the living room - where he could easily keep an eye on them thanks to the floor to ceiling glass bi-fold doors.
I was already out the door, hot footing it all of 3 minutes down the road to Bintang Supermarket.
I love Bintang Supermarket. I always go there.
A couple of hours later, satisfied I'd left no aisle neglected, I was back at our villa, filling the fridge with cheese, wine, fresh fruit and veg for the kids. Then I spent a good 30+ minutes swanning around, looking at all the appliances I had no intention of using, before calling room service and ordering dinner.
Kids still in the pool, obviously.
Can I just say, the food at Sun Island Boutique Villas & Spa Seminyak was the best I've had at any hotel in Bali. It truly was up to the famous Seminyak foodie standards. So much so that I was slightly alarmed when #1Hubby made some rather inappropriate noises for a dining table while scoffing his seafood pasta. And I may have threatened to chop off a chubby little finger that made its way onto my plate in search of bacon from my Caesar salad, which I was protecting with one hand while scoffing a different pasta of my own.
On our second night at the hotel, #1Hubby and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. We took a taxi to "Eat Street" in Seminyak, and tried out a bar and restaurant we'd never been to before.
Because Google informed me that they had fairy floss drinks and therefore there was no question that we simply had to try it out.
I was eloquently sipping a cocktail when the kids' non-alcohol mocktails arrived...
Not one to be outdone, or miss out on a good thing, I of course had to sample their adult version of a fairy floss cocktail....
It just screams class, doesn't it!
When it came time to grab a food menu, we were all kind of "myeh...it all looks good....but....how amazing was that dinner in the villa last night?!?!"
And so we went straight back to our villa and ordered room service. Once again, our meals arrived and were laid out on our dining table, and once again, we had one of the best meals we've ever eaten in a hotel.
And once again we had to force the kids to get out of the pool and eat before their dinner went cold. That said - bonus points for having a restaurant standard meal in your own private space, where the kids could be swimming and not annoying you at a restaurant table because they're borrrreeeddd.
I can't recommend Sun Island Boutique Villas & Spa Seminyak enough. Whether you have a private pool villa or a standard villa and use the main pool - you'll love it. The property really suits all travellers -
Couples who want a private space of their own, away from other people. You can enjoy the main pool for some company, or retreat to your own private pool and the space of your villa.
Families like us, traveling with kids - having that private area to relax, and the freedom for them to let loose in our own pool was invaluable. We did use the main pool once, and it was nice when they wanted to swim around in a larger pool, and we could enjoy chatting with some other guests.
Villa upper deck - not to be outshone by the lower deck, has a large open area with a fantastic bale.
Complete with lights and fan. Because it's all about comfort.
The villas are very spacious, modern and well kitted out - especially if you love a large bathroom - from the outdoor rain shower, to the rest of the massive bathroom with separate indoor shower, toilet with 2 doors so you can access it from the living room as well as the bedroom, and huge double sink with lots of storage space.
Speaking of storage space - the wardrobes in both bedrooms were huge, with lots of shelves, cupboard and hanging space. The kitchen, if you're less lazy than me and you are interested in cooking for you and yours (but why bother, the room service is amazing), has everything you need and lots of place to store your supplies. I have to admit, I really did like that I could prepare my kids their daily school style "Crunch N Sip" snack of carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, capsicum, cucumber and the like (and appease my parental guilt about all the chips and nuggets that were being consumed at night).
The large fridge was a pure joy - lots of ice for my wine, and lots of wine in the fridge amongst #1Hubby's beer, and the kids' water...and Miss11's endless supply of soda water...because she's 11 now and she's fancy and soda water is how she rolls...
I can honestly say that I will definitely be staying here again. On my own dime. Totally worth it.
Our final stay was the newest addition to the group, Sun Island Hotel Kuta.
Another prime location, just a short walk down from Discovery Shopping Mall, (also the newer Lippo Mall in the opposite direction), plus everyones favorite Bali day out - Waterbom Park.
We often stay in Bali over Christmas and New Year, and the traffic at that time gets pretty horrific for about a 10 day period when Indonesians have their holidays. I love me some Discovery Shopping Mall. If I don't get there every couple of days, I start to panic that somebody will nab a bargain that I've somehow missed on my previous 287 visits. It really pains me to either spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to get there, or forgo visiting for that 10 days of crazy traffic each December/January. Never again - I'm going to book in at the Sun Island Hotel Kuta, and walk there. Multiple times a day. Because I can. #1Hubby is less jazzed by the prospect of this, and has threatened to hide the credit card if I follow through on this plan for future Christmas / New Year trips. Game on.
We stayed in a Family Suite, and were once again afforded a massive living room between our two rooms. I blissfully set about unpacking and attempting to fill up all the space we had....and then it all turned bad...
Mstr7 (not me, just to be clear) had accidentally left his beloved companion, "Goggy" at the villas.
Hysteria ensued (a little bit me too, at this point).
#1Hubby sped off to Reception to ask if they could possibly call the villas and see if it was there.
Of course it was.
Before he could grab Mstr7 and jump in a taxi, the staff had organised with the villas for them to bring Goggy to us.
Yes. A villa van and driver were going to drop everything to bring a stuffed toy to us, in peak hour traffic.
They wouldn't hear about us going there and getting it, or even letting us pay for a taxi to bring it over.
So while I busied myself with a glass of wine in my OUTDOOR GARDEN BATH, #1Hubby and Mstr7 waited for the VIP guest to arrive, with strict instructions for Mstr7 to thank them profusely when Goggy pulled into the driveway - strapped in to his own seat and all.
Seriously you guys...that's the level of care and service at Sun Island Bali.
Back to our hotel, and what I absolutely LOVED here was not just the proximity to shopping malls, but the pool.
Image Source - I do not have the photographic skillz to capture this image myself.
As it is, this is a large part of the pool, but not the whole thing.
Check out that bad boy! Free form, large enough for everyone to enjoy without a kick in the ribs from your kid. And the entire pool is the one depth - we could all stand, even the twins. Again with the peace of mind that nobody would paddle over to a deeper area where they couldn't stand if they got in trouble.
Breakfast also deserves a mention - the restaurant area is massive, and there are different stations throughout. It was one of the largest breakfast spreads I've seen in Bali. Whether you were after Western dishes, eggs cooked to order, European style cold meats and salads, a huge range of bakery goods and fresh fruits, or Asian style soups, porridge, noodles and the like - it had everything. You certainly didn't need to worry too much about lunch after making your way around all the food stations.
So, all up - Sun Island Bali - I would definitely go back. Particularly to the Villas in Seminyak, as they were my personal favorite. If it had the infinity pool of Sun Island Legian, and the prime shopping mall-friendly location of Sun Island Kuta....I would probably move in and never leave.
Each property is in a prime location, whether you're after close proximity to Seminyak's restaurants, Legian Road's bar and club scene, or Kuta's shopping malls. There are styles of accommodation to suit those on a budget, couples seeking a private villa, or families after something with a little room to spread out and relax.
Rooms are modern, clean and comfortable. Villas are full of space and all the mod con's you'd expect.
The staff are extremely friendly, helpful and accommodating.
As endorsed by this guy and his beloved Goggy.
