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Bali’s popularity with Europeans dates back to the Nineteen Seventies when hippies selected the island for its spiritual culture and low price of living.
Fast forward to 2021, and one other kind of traveller in search of out low cost rent and food descended on the island – digital nomads. When the borders of the island fully reopened post-COVID, tourists got here flooding back.
Tens of millions of Balinese depend on tourism for employment but some imagine the negative impacts haven’t been well-managed – landfills are overflowing, sewage flows into the ocean in some places and pollution from cars is palpable.
Despite all of this, Bali is magical. Local persons are welcoming and delighted to share their multi-religious culture with visitors. The food is great, and there’s an itinerary for everybody – whether you desire to explore temples, beaches or simply the inside bars, it’s all here.
As with all popular destination, hotel owners have little sway over what the federal government does to administer tourism. But they do have control over the experience of their guests, and I even have only had positive experiences in Bali.
On a recent trip, my first time back here since pandemic restrictions lifted, I made a decision to explore Jimbaran.
This beachside town has one of the crucial beautiful coastlines within the country and is home to large, luxury resorts.
It’s also a brief drive from the airport – ideal whenever you’re just off an extended flight and might’t face Bali’s traffic congestion.
Raffles Bali: A protracted time within the making but well worth the wait
It’s hard to seek out an unobstructed ocean view in Bali today however the infinity pool at Raffles looks out over a chilled ocean.
The 23-hectare estate, cooled by a delicate ocean breeze, was originally eight separate pieces of land. All of those were joined together, with planning and construction taking 34 years from vision to opening in 2021.
This ambition and a spotlight to detail was evident in every a part of our stay, from the welcome ceremony to the gorgeous gifts we got upon check-out.
Every part here is completed to your liking, from tailored menus to the timing of meals which make sure you rarely cross paths with other guests. I believe privacy is what many come here in search of. The spacious villas are opened up amongst native trees and plants, adding to the sense of seclusion.
What’s it wish to have a private butler?
Raffles is legendary within the hospitality world for providing guests with their very own butler. Like within the movies, I had expected ours to be a serious, suited and booted greying old man, vulnerable to bowing when leaving the room. In point of fact, Rai was young, cheerful, from nearby Lombok and really skilled.
Like the whole lot here, he was available when needed (via WhatsApp) but unintrusive. He expertly navigated my dietary requirements to rearrange our delicious in-villa dinner and was knowledgeable concerning the local area. We only ventured out a few times, though – the resort is so beautiful and all-encompassing that we were comfortable to remain within the cocoon.
Fresh, imaginative food that’s locally sourced
Meals at Raffles Bali are unrushed, allowing you to savour the thought and care that has gone into the sourcing and cooking of each ingredient.
Superb dining was fused with Indonesian culture during our five-step journey meal on the in-house Rumari restaurant.
A standard hand washing ceremony was the primary stop on our culinary journey across the Indonesian archipelago. With 17,000 islands it’s the world’s largest and every area has its own culinary tradition – each dish at Rumari introduced us to exquisite latest flavours, all expertly explained to us by our lovely waiter.
Bali’s wellness at its finest
Like many travellers, I strive for my presence in a foreign land to profit reasonably than exploit local communities. So it’s reassuring to know that 80 per cent of the ingredients used at Raffles are sourced inside Indonesia, with the opposite 20 per cent imported. One other lovely touch was breakfast being a la carte, reasonably than a buffet, to scale back food waste.
The area people equally advantages from the spa because the healers are Balinese.
We had a pair’s sound healing session in a tranquil space indoors, though the outdoor sanctuary looked equally magical.
The session began with a numerology reading, a modality I used to be already intrigued by.
Using our names and birthdays, the healer told us about personality traits that may benefit or harm us and methods to harness these. He then spoke about what the yr might need in store. Considering he’d never met us before, I discovered his reading to be spookily accurate. My husband was somewhat more sceptical but still enjoyed the experience.
The morning we left Raffles, I stepped out onto the terrace for one last sunrise swim in our private infinity pool. I emerged feeling refreshed, grateful and vowing to return to this piece of paradise.
The author was a guest of Raffles Bali.
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