My husband & I are both aged in our 60’s and had a total of a 7 day stay at “The Residence”, which is located in Seminyak, Bali. Our stay was in 2 parts as the reason we were in Bali was for our daughters wedding. We stayed 4 nights before the wedding & 3 nights after the wedding, with 2 nights at the wedding venue in between.
Our Villa was the 2 bedroom Villa Lanai.
So, first of all, after months of meticulously researching many accommodation options, something about “The Residence” & the 2 bdr Villa Lanai kept drawing me back. It ticked “almost” every box we needed it to, (central location in Seminyak & only minutes walk to “Eat St, & restaurants & shopping, yet it’s entrance is in a laneway off the main road, private, spacious, 24 hr security, gated complex, private pool, 2 large king bedrooms both with ensuite, air con throughout, & a butler who comes and cooks breakfasts in the Villa every morning). There’s also a free one-way airport pickup.
Being “high season”, & at over $A400 a night, (which includes 15.5% tax), the Villa certainly wasn’t cheap & was at the top end of our budget, but we decided it was “do-able”. Understandably, I do expect quite a lot for that price and did meet expectations.
I booked the stay with Bali Villa Escapes who handle many Villa properties around Bali. They insist on 50% upfront deposit within 3 days of booking, something I was extremely wary of & which did concern me somewhat. The balance is due 60 days before arrival. If arrival is under 60 days, then the entire amount is due within 3 days of booking. They were however (thank goodness) brilliant & kept me fully informed throughout the whole process. A special thanks to Ade at BVE for all his assistance with handling the booking.
“The Residence” and Villa Lanai didn’t disappoint. It was really lovely. Reception staff, especially Nural was truly wonderful. So warm, welcoming & genuine. Check in was a breeze which included a welcome drink, & a large fruit bowl filled with tropical fruits & she repeated all of that on arrival at our 2nd stay. in fact, as soon as the car pulled up in the driveway for the second stay, she greeted me with a huge hug & was genuinely happy to see us back & really interested in how our daughters wedding went. There’s definitely a “personal aspect” and a real authenticity with this property and the staff that you wouldn’t necessarily get with a regular hotel & I love that.
The property is exactly as pictured. “Romi” our chef who would come to the Villa every morning & cook gorgeous breakfasts was the loveliest young man. Always smiling, happy & wanting to please. Then he would discreetly clean up, as well clean both bedrooms & bathrooms. Really excellent !
There’s a lot to like about the Villa itself. As I said, it ticks many boxes. The pool is a good size & cleaned daily & the gardens also hosed & looked after daily. The bedrooms are large as are the ensuites. There’s a large kitchen as well as a lounge & dining room, & the beds are firm but comfy. There’s an also a large wooden deck poolside that also has a dining setting for 4 as well as a large lounge style day bed with lots of cushions to just lounge by the pool. Bottled water is provided free of charge each day. It’s truly a “home-away-from-home” & the space you have is fantastic. If I had to fault anything at all, it would be that there are a few elements in different parts of the Villa that are a little “tired” and dated, but these are really very minor issues and they don’t detract at all from the overall feel of the place.
Also, … & this is just a personal thing with us, rather than a issue with the Villa, but both king beds in the bedrooms are designed with an external frame that goes around the whole outside of the bed which is something neither of us are particular fans of. I like & prefer a bed that I can just flop straight into and although I was aware of the external framing around the bed when I booked (as the pics were advertised), we found that being aged in our 60’s, it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to clamour over in order to actually get both in & out of bed. I found that this was actually a little more of a “pain” than I thought it would be, but I also realise I knew about the framing around the bed when I booked so I can’t really hold that against them whatsoever. I just think that perhaps a minor change to the design of the beds would be really beneficial for all guests regardless of age, mobility, or disability to get in & out of bed more easily.
The other slight negative is that the front of The Residence property faces quite a busy toad, & corner, & since Villa Lanai is the first Villa you get to towards the front of the property, you do slightly hear the noise of the traffic, which isn’t always ideal at night if you’re trying to sleep. It’s minor though, really minor.
Overall, it wasn’t WOW, although it could easily be just with a bit of a freshen up in a few areas, but it is honestly a truly exceptional property with lots going for it. I’d probably rate the Villa itself at 4.5 stars, but in terms of our experience there, it was truly lovely, and for that reason, I’ve rated it 5 star. Would I recommend it? …. yes I would 100%. Would I stay here again? … Absolutely.
