Bali’s charm reveals itself in an instant
IT TOOK just 60 minutes to discover Bali‘s charm.
Within an hour of having left the airport and made our way to the Novotel Benoa Bali, we were dining on a candlelit beach.
The waves seemed to keep time with the four-piece boy band belting out request after request, playing everything from Robbie Williams to John Denver, from The Beatles to Peter, Paul and Mary.
The highlight was a rousing rendition of Guns ‘n Roses epic, Sweet Child of Mine, complete with Slash-like guitar solos.
A drop of culture
The more they sang, and the more seafood barbecue I consumed. And the more I asked myself why I had waited nearly 46 years to come here.
One surprise of the evening was the wine. Bali is not one of the world’s great wine-making regions. And some early attempts to squeeze grapes into bottles had, I’m told by frequent visitors to the island, been less than successful.
But this new drop — Two Islands — is good. Really good. Made by Hatten Wines it is cheap by Bali standards.
Imported wine is usually very expensive here, something that has always been annoying for visitors. Not as annoying, though, as when the island runs out of wine, which I’m told sometimes happens.
The secret to this wine is that the grapes come from Western Australia. So the wine is made in Bali, meaning no import taxes, but the taste is very much Margaret River.
Anyway, several hours later the seabreeze, wine, lobster and song had done their duty. I was supine on a beach bed gazing at the mythical creatures created by Bali’s charm and the night sky.
The hotel
The hotel is an easy 20-minute drive from Denpassar airport. Well, the word easy, is relative to how well your driver can avoid the Bali bikers who think that road rules are more a suggestion than the law.
Tanjung Benoa, not as expensive as Nusa Dua, is a great place to try out the local restaurants or even learn to cook at the famous Bumbu Bali Cooking School. It is also just a short cab ride to Kuta ($5).
The entrance
We were greeted at the top of a small staircase by staff with cleansing, cool towels and a delightful coconut drink.
The entrance itself is grand and has that typical island holiday feeling. High timber ceilings and open space create the perfect retreat from the outside heat.
The resort, which straddles the main road (the hotel has a man stopping traffic so guests can cross from one side of the resort to the other), has the same open feeling that you would find in, say, a Fijian or Hawaiian hotel.
The room
The entrance to my room has a private courtyard with outside rain shower, tiled deck and dark-timbered day chairs. The decor inside contrasts white walls with dark timbers. There’s plenty of storage space, although this really is a shorts and T-shirt kind of place so you probably won’t need to order more coat hangers from the front desk.
Apart from a chunky old television (that I didn’t turn on) this room is stunning. Everything fits in well together from the three-person lounge to the king-sized, firm but comfortable, bed.
The bathroom
The room revolves around a stunning, white, oval-shaped bath. It’s hard to resist the urge to submerge yourself as soon as you walk in. The only complaint I heard was that there was nowhere to place the wine glass while bathing.
The shower and toilet are designed to be in private areas with frosted glass. On one side of the room there is a vanity basin with a small selection of toiletries.
Brian Crisp discovered Bali’s charm as a guest of Accor.