My eyes are still sparkling and my soul is still singing from my three days at the wonderfully decadent and glamorous Sandat Glamping Resort in Ubud.  As a young girl and even in my 20s I camped out in tents at the Colorado River on the Cali side of the California/Arizona border but Bali’s first (and presently the only) Glamping resort is night and day different to any camping experience I’ve had in my life.

Why You’ll Love It

• A midnight swim under the stars with a glass of wine will light your soul on fire (trust me, it’s one of the best memories I carry with me from Sandat)
• You’ll feel at one with nature
• The experience is unique and the service is 5-star fabulous
• For foodies it’s a dream destination…and the cocktails tasted like they were made by a mixologist

Designed and built by Emanuela and Federico, the friendly Italian owners of Italy’s very first Glamping resort Canonici di San Marco in Venice, Sandat Glamping launched to much acclaim in the summer of 2013…even landing them a full page write up in Conde Nast Traveller magazine the month before they opened, and for good reason.  It is a special property that should be on everyone’s bucket list.

Ylong Ylong Suite – my fabulous tent!

Imagine a room with art, gorgeous leather chairs, delicate lighting, rugs, a bathroom so posh it has a lamp atop a gorgeous wooden table and a rain forrest shower.  Now transport all that inside a tent, add amazing hard wood floors, a deck out front and a private infinity pool overlooking a little slice of jungle heaven.  You are at home…at Sandat Glamping!  There are five tents and each one is decorated differently, with its own colour scheme and shape of the bed.  In fact, the only thing each one has in common is the shower, that’s it!

Dining Room, Chill-out Zone and Bar

As a concept, the owners wanted to create a small corner of the world where people could simply relax and it’s working well for them because it is indeed a happy place to come and feel at home.  There is an 8-metre dining table that the entire room was built around.  They’ve maintained the original rice paddy field plateaus so there are various levels within the room, adding texture and depth to a room with only 2 walls.   Plus, that wall of mirrors is mesmerising!  I didn’t actually have to count them in the end because the owners shared that there are 101 mirrors on that wall!  Aaaaaamazing!

The Food

Breakfast is a short but very sweet selection of fresh grain bread that is brought in each morning, decadent pastries and cakes, fresh fruit, fresh yoghurt – again that is brought in each morning from a local provider. They also serve teas, coffee and amazing fresh-in-the-moment juices. I had been out for a walk before breakfast and was still overheated so I asked for an iced green tea and for the sweet waitress to blend her favourite fruit juice combination for me (which turned out to be mango, watermelon, papaya, banana and orange) and they both 100% hit the spot!

Lunch and Dinner are both kicked off with a palette teasing sampling of goats cheese salad with black olives, tomato, cucumber and hint of sweet red pepper served in a martini glass. There is also a bread tray that is piled with hearty yet healthy wheat and grain sliced bread that has been lightly toasted that is accompanied by either a flavourful tapenade or pesto and also finely sliced fresh tomato salsa that is a bit sweet and not at all spicy.

• Tom Yum Gourg Soup – the authentic Thai hot and sour soup wasn’t as spicy as I was preparing myself for (thank you!) but they can spice it up for anyone who likes it hot, hot, hot. The broth is perfect and it’s filled with pearl onions, fresh mushrooms, bamboo, baby prawns, cilantro and more.
• Prawn Salad – this healthy number is absolutely perfect as a stand-alone lunch if you went a little overboard the night before…or perfect to share as a starter! The river prawns are delicately breaded with grated coconut, which is soooo yummy. And the mixed salad is perfectly bathed in a bit of vine grappe dressing.
• Thai Pumpkin Soup – their version is flavoured with ginger and it’s delicious (although a bit sweet so be prepared).
• Grilled Fish with Onion Basil Sauce – the delicate sauce is tangy and fresh and the white fish was great.
• Tuna Skewer (my favourite dish of the trip!) – I could have eaten this at every meal! It’s served with mashed potato and mushrooms in a cream and black pepper sauce

• Spaghetti alla Carbonara – this is the first time I have eaten pasta in more months than I can remember (diet!) but I saw the owner order it the first night I was there and the dish did not disappoint. So decadent and I realised I needed both a nap and a bit of exercise to burn off the calories but man were they worth it. Thick, creamy, rich…savoury perfection!

Location & More Info

There are 5 tents and 3 bungalows (see pics of the 2-story bungalow below) at Sandat Glamping for you to enjoy.  Nestled in the heart of some gorgeous rice paddy fields, the resort was the first set of structures constructed in this area.  That makes morning walks really interesting because you see a side of real life that you won’t in other areas of Ubud.  I watched a family of ducks playing in a stream, saw farmers working on each of the various stages of the rice fields and ran across some really interesting lizards, a couple of little waterfalls and some very pretty natural landscapes.

Hand on my heart, I could have stayed there for weeks!  It was love at first sight for me and they had me at hello (well, at private infinity pool hehe) 🙂

 

Although it feels a world away, it’s close to downtown Ubud, too.  By car it’s only about 5+ minutes so you can easily go in for meals but why bother!  The menu is so large, with a combination of Italian, Balinese and continental cuisine, that unless you stayed 10 days you wouldn’t be able to try everything.  There is no television, which is great and they provide very fast WIFI in all of the tents and common areas.  My recommendation is stay put and disconnect from the rest of world to recharge your battery in style at Sandat Glamping.

• For more information or to just straight up make a reservation, visit the Sandat Glamping website
• Follow them on Facebook

Published simultaneously on my India luxury travel blog AngelasBangalore.com

 

XOXO Angela
© 2015, Angela Carson and AngelasAsia.com. All rights reserved. Do not copy and reproduce text or images without permission.