from where you'd rather be: amankila, bali

On an island with the highest density of luxury hotels, Amankila manages to feel like not only a private sanctuary but also the best. The staff to guest ratio is extravagantly in the guest’s favour and every element feels intimate. It feels like yours; it’s often a shock to find other guests beyond the common areas, such is its seclusion. The resort is sprawling and often requires a golf buggy to get around. In an architecturally impressive feat, the villas are built on levels in the hill like a rice terrace. It’s all about symmetry here, with Zen like high wooden boardwalks in straight lines leading from one stand-alone villa to another. The boardwalks are high above the ground so give you eye line access to the tops of trees and the wildlife that proliferates in the natural surrounds. 

ARRIVAL

The hotel transfer is a moving saloon, with cold fragranced towels every time you leave the vehicle, a cool box filled with beverages as well as two jars of the homemade snacks that come complimentary inside the room as well: prawn crackers and chocolate chip cookies. The destination is Manggis, which is a less populated coastal region on the east coast of Bali. It also boasts a black sand beach, but the pools are so good you may not make it down to the natural waves for a day or so. 

it feels Mediterranean, with a white and green colour palette that even the garden obeys

ROOM

It’s like a tree house. Perched high in the foliage tops, all the tree houses face the ocean without obstruction, given the network of symmetrical staggered arteries that lead to the villas. There’s a deck; some have a pool, others just loungers and a long table for private al fresco dining. There are also woven baskets brimming with fresh white blossoms on green stems. It’s muted tones of wood and cream, with the occasional pearlescent shimmer. The bed is under a fabric canopy, and there are carvings.

AMBIENCE

Everything is symmetrical on this property, from the three pools that cascade to the boardwalks, to the matching oversized day beds that parallel down the hill. At Amankila, every item is either stand-alone, in which case it is situated in the middle, or it has its parallel partner. That trickles right down from the staircases to the pool areas to the twin vanity bathrooms. The experience is holistic, attention is paid to every detail. There’s even a towel and sunscreen butler by the pools. You cannot come here and not relax. Snacks and ginger and honey tea are delivered in public areas throughout the day, as well as ice cold water.  It has an elegance that calms every which way you look.