Oh-My-Happy-Holiday! What a stay! Okay sure, given that the Alila Hotel brand is absolutely one of my top three favourites in the world I might seem a bit biased in my excitement but I promise that I will give it to you straight … all the fabulous moments and the couple of hiccups. Alila has built some of the most wonderful 5 star hotels on Bali … and for me, Alila Seminyak delivers the most memorable oceanfront rooms I’ve experienced to date. I could have woken up with a smile on my face in that room for ages.
Trust me on this one, book room 134 or any other room they recommend that has that particular view because it was absolutely, 100% the single BEST VIEW from a room that I’ve had in Bali.
Why You’ll Love Staying on the Beach at Alila Seminyak
- Location, location, location! There are no beach shacks, guys selling water sports, or anything else between you and the ocean. The property is built on a pristine beach that seems to go on forever.
- The Food! From delicious hand-passed canapés at happy hour, their scrumptious breakfasts, and daily homemade cookies delivered to your room to the kick-ass Pan-Asian cuisine served day or night … your palette will be pleased.
- It’s an Elegant Party. When you can order bottles of Grey Goose or Veuve Clicquot to the pool — inside the pool! — you know you’re naughty side will be very well taken care of.
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The Staff! Like at every Alila property, the staff are really what make the stay special. They think of everything possible to make us happy, are always gracious, and they go the extra mile to make each guest’s stay the best of their life.
Room 134
Honestly, I’m not sure I even need to write a word about the room because the photos and video speak for themselves. With that said, my room had hands-down the best ocean view of any hotel I’ve stayed in on the beach in Bali. From the bed I saw a bit of white sandy beach but almost exclusively blue waters that went on forever. From the balcony I saw for kilometres down a strip of beach that felt untouched and was simply stunning.
They’ve added in a feeling of having greenery from the bathroom, which was a lovely touch and made showers a bit more fun because of that view! Their self-branded amenities products are always amazing and all of the ingredients are sourced locally and produced on the island, giving each one an exotic scent that stays with you (in a very good way!).
The only snag in my stay within the room itself was a film I was watching would quit unexpectedly and I would have to restart it. Once it hadn’t ‘bookmarked’ where it left off and I had to re-watch the beginning bit which was a bit annoying.
The Food & OMG-Awesome Drinks
Dutch executive chef Stefan Zijta presides over Alila Seminyak and he started from the ground up at the tender age of 15 and has never looked back. He studied in both Holland and France, has worked in a 2 Michelin star restaurant and the #1 fine dining restaurant in Jakarta, he has cooked for the prime minister of France, and has helped to open Alila properties in both Oman and Indonesia. Ohhhhh and chef Erwan Adri Widiajaya from Alila Ubud used to be his sous chef, and he creates some of the prettiest and yummiest dishes in all of Ubud (and beyond!).
Honestly, they had me at ‘Taittinger and spicy beef’ because that’s when Alila Seminyak knocked my socks off. Well, that and when chef de cuisine Vivian Vitalis WOW’d me with their to-die-for Pan-Asian cuisine that included everything from dumplings and spicy beef to yummy meatballs with a quail’s egg cooked inside them. In fact, he hand-picked everything I ate during my stay (I never picked up a menu once … something I highly recommend you trying during your stay), and my palette was thankful! My favourites were:
- Roasted Tenderloin >> black pepper beef in a ginger-miso sauce with sesame seed, dauphone potoato, and enoki mushroom. Prepared without any starch, the sauce itselfs cooks down for a minimum of 4 hours to make it spicy and rich, with an explosion of flavours in every bite.
- Curried King Prawns >> these fresh, tasty prawns are served in a cream sauce with chilli and curry leaf that almost had me licking the bowl 🙂
Then the (I’m sorry but I’ve gotta say it) wonderfully charming Mexican F&B manager Carlos Torrescano, who is also the resident mixologist and responsible for creating their inventive cocktails menu, shared that his passion is cocktail quality and not showmanship. He has studied and worked in the UK, Switzerland, the U.S., and Spain and this diverse experience is reflected in his recipes. Don’t miss out on trying these two favourites (of Carlos, and now mine, too!):
- Black Margarita – this cocktail has a helluva kick and is absolutely delicious. I can’t remember how many I drank but enough to know it was my #1 favourite. Tamarind is the secret ingredient and the rim is lined with a mix of cinnamon and chilli pepper (see the video for my initial reaction to it).
- Bombay Delight – the lemon basil and lemongrass make this martini truly special. It is light and refreshing and perfect for chilling poolside at Alila.
The Sunset Symphony at Alila Seminyak
When a girl can have Champers delivered IN a pool … well, you know you’re in heaven. And that’s where everyone ends up who enjoys a Sunday evening at Alila Seminyak. Let’s see how the checklist goes >>>>
- Groovy sexy tunes >> CHECK
- Exotic yummy cocktails or Champers >> CHECK
- Unobstructed beach views that KICK the ass of the other beach bars >> CHECK
- Smiling faces and good vibes by everyone around >> CHECK
Yep, that’s how the Sunset Symphonies go down at Alila Seminyak and they are an absolute blast. Literally every single person has a fab time, and it is bliss (see the video to play voyeur and view it live!).
My only complaint is that the Beach Bar is next to the pool where kids are allowed (there is one infinity pool for adults only, which is fabulous). With that said, I’m sure this is actually a HUGE BENEFIT for people travelling with children.
The Alila Spa
They have 8 rooms that are all designed for couples and all quite lovely. Everything about the spa is lovely. From the tranquil music to the packs-a-kick ginger tea they serve. The treatments are well thought out and return the body and soul to the amazing state it should be in …. healthy and happy (especially while on holiday in Bali). I booked a reflexology and body scrub and left a very happy camper.
Ohhhh, and I have a confession to make. As a travel blogger I have a few set rules for myself to ensure that I am never disrespectful to the properties I’m reviewing. One of those is never take the amenities from the room. But this gets really hard to do at Alila because they have my favourite body lotion I’ve tried in YEARS. Not a year or two but literally YEARS!!!!! So when I was at the spa I first asked about the origin of the products (all sourced locally on Bali and made there) … and then the chat about the treatments was #2.
Final Thoughts … and Connect with Alila Seminyak
Alila Seminyak is absolutely one of the best, most special 5 star hotels in Seminyak … with some of the most memorable oceanfront rooms for sure. I could have woken up with a smile on my face in that room for months and never tired of the unobstructed view of white sand and the Indian Ocean. Trust me on this one, book room 134 because it was absolutely 100% the single BEST VIEW from a room that I’ve had in Bali.
For more information on my super-de-duper awesome SUITE I was in or to make a reservation, visit the Alila Seminyak website.
Be sure to follow them on Instagram and Facebook for a daily dose of Bali L-O-V-E and travel inspiration!!!
XOXO Angela
© 2016, Angela Carson and LuxuryBucketList.com. All rights reserved. Do not copy and reproduce text or images without permission.
I am Angela, a location independent single mom from California (AngelaCarson on YouTube). At 21, I dropped out of uni to travel Mexico solo. I’ve explored 37 countries, living in Spain and India with my daughter, then China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and currently Indonesia as an empty nester. For more, check out the About Me page.
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