Most people wouldn’t know this about me but I am absolutely obsessed with luxury real estate, property listings, decor, interiors and architecture. I spend most of my time watching Million Dollar Listing New York, LA, Million Dollar Decorators, Grand Design and perusing house porn websites, architectural digest and google earth-ing prime locations – so when I travel, I always aim to stay somewhere that inspires me on the subject. There is a category here on SV dedicated to Decor but I would like to say there were more posts dedicated to it, hopefully I will add to it significantly this year but here’s one to start off with from a holiday I went on in Bali late last year. I was lucky enough to stay in one of the world’s Top 10 resorts in Uluwatu, Indonesia – Alila Villas and boy was it amazing!
Alila Villas in Uluwatu is a place I had wanted to stay at for years. The resort has hosted the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Hugh Jackman & some of the world’s most famous celebrities, including a world famous Formula 1 driver that our driver was very excited to tell us about on the way from the airport. If I ever make my fortune I will definitely be sending my architect to this place to study the design and interiors, both done by award-winning Singaporean architectural firm, WOHA.
Alila Spa. We had a massage as soon as we arrived to get into the slow pace of Bali life that was the best I have had in my life. It is always wise to have a massage upon arrival as we are usually not used to how slow everyone is in Indonesia, it helps you relax and unwind so as to not get annoyed by the pace and ease into the lifestyle. They gave us this incredibly yum ginger tea (I don’t even like ginger but it was delicious) and broke pieces of lemongrass onto our feet in a bowl filled with warm water and rose petals before it began. Pure bliss! All the products used and sold here are 100% non-toxic. A rarity, I assure you, as I myself use only non-toxic beauty products and this is the first place I have ever stayed at that suited me in that respect. In the bathroom they give you everything you could imagine and you are welcome to take it all home, including lotion, after sun balm, lip gloss, face mask, shampoo, conditioner, soap, bath gel, shower gel, insect repellent, tanning oil, sunscreen. Each side of the bathroom, for ‘him’ and ‘her’ get their own version of the products with shaving products for men and all with non-toxic ingredients made in-house.
An interestingly and intricately designed cabana to watch the incredible Indian Ocean view whilst drinking cocktails on the horizon
We stayed in a one bedroom villa that was so large and open plan, it felt like a mini house. There was so much privacy but with the amenities of having a butler at your call 24 hours a day – you can choose how present you want them to be. I can only imagine how incredible the 3 bedroom villa is but unfortunately this time that wasn’t an option and we didn’t need that much space anyhow, not to mention it is $4,000 a night. Alila is expensive but it was as chic as I imagined it would be, a real getaway from the hustle and bustle of Seminyak. All of the pools are salt water so no need to deal with pesky chlorine either and perfect for a bit of salt to create the best waves in your hair for dinner!
The bathroom is massive with his and her vanities
The view from my bath. Love me a good bath
I prefer bathing than showering because I am too lazy to stand and made this decision years ago from all the all-nighters I have done working on SV during fashion week. The only thing that cures my aching bones from lack of sleep is a good bath and I would rather take the time out to bathe than shower any day of the week. I took this photo in the morning light before heading to yoga with our own personal instructor in the most incredible setting – more to come on that later
Using ‘The Products’ coffee scrub made by my friend, Perth make-up artist Rebekah Clark that I took with me on holiday. Rebekah has released a new range of non-toxic products that are to die for! A real niche in the market. This scrub is filled with real coffee and not only does it leave the skin feeling fresh and plump it can even reduce the inflammatory signs of cellulite – something that came in handy for my Bali bikini body! The rose face and body lotion has changed my skin completely, I live for it now and have stopped having to buy my $90 Ella Bache cream, what a relief. Follow The Products on instagram @theproducts – a selfie with no make-up, not for the faint hearted but all in the name of wellness
There was an indoor and outdoor shower and more fluffy white towels than you could ever need
The chic and minimalistic design of the outdoor shower. So hard to take this picture outside without my camera fogging up. There was a window of about 3 seconds before the lens starts to fog haha. Humidity central before the wet season took hold
You can’t really tell from this picture but this is the BIGGEST bed I’ve ever slept in, King Size with 1000 count, Egyptian cotton sheets of course
This picture isn’t really decor related but I asked to be sent some extra milk for our coffee in the morning (I need a coffee before I can face going to the restaurant for coffee haha) and they sent us this ever so cute, old school milk bottle. Every single element of this place was chic personified
This also isn’t very decor relevant but too funny, a buggy (which is the go-to transport for getting around the resort) dropping off some new TVs to some villas haha only in Bali
That building is the yoga centre at Alila, with the best view you could ever dream of looking at whilst working out. At one point during the class, our teacher said to listen to the running water and he wasn’t referring to no daggy SC playing in the background either! Amazing memories!
Yoga time on vacation, we were dedicated!
Breakfast at Cire Restaurant
Poolside they give you this cute basket with all the Alila products such as sunscreen, water, face towels, cocktail list etc.
A bellini and my favourite dish, mozzarella, tomatoes and Basil, complete with a bit of eye candy haha. So fresh and so clean. We ate heaps of little meals when in Bali to slowly introduce our bodies to the cuisine, the best way to not overwhelm the system, not that you would ever catch anything at this place but one can never be too safe in my opinion. I have been to Bali 3 times and never been sick because I never eat huge quantities.
A piece of a tree stuck to the mirror at Cire Restaurant, beautiful!
The magnificent main pool at Alila Villas, Uluwatu.
Kinda loving my own load here but I wanted to thank designer Louise Bond from Bikini Atoll Swimwear for giving me the most comfortable and flattering pair of bikinis for the trip. I like triangle shaped bikinis to optimise tanning and HATE tan lines so these were perfect for me! My necklaces are from Pigeonhole, London Court. Poolside attitude, complete with white mani
Hotel decor
A little table at The Warung Restaurant
The Warung Restaurant at Alila
More dining tables at The Warung with amazing decor incorporating natural elements, a large Mangrove tree sliced up
Complimentary snacks at The Warung before lunch, upon arrival with cocktails, yipee!
Obsessed with these chairs! I was in love with all of the design elements of this place, so my taste!
The Hotel Library
Outside the gym, minimalistic design
Natural art in the lobby
Frangipani flowers on an interestingly shaped wall in the lobby
The lobby seating area, time to go to Seminyak
The car is here, time to leave! We were picked up by the W Hotel car in Seminyak about a 50 minute drive away and taken to our new villa for another 3 nights to complete the rest of our trip. It was sad to leave but the area surrounding Alila in Uluwatu is very quiet and really in the middle of nowhere, apart from some private beaches we visited and Alila were happy to drive us around to anywhere we wanted to go. It is a great destination to dissapear to and connect to nature and really get some R&R but we were ready for shopping and more places to see and eat at!
To see more of Alila Villas, visit this link HERE there are some incredible photos and angles I didn’t capture. Click HERE to see the official Alila Villas website and HERE for more information on the Architects and all the awards they have won
Our pool villa at the W hotel! Having your own ground floor pool villa at the W is a total luxury as the main pool area is a bit posey and everyone looks at you, it is a bit of a spectacle. After our total relaxation getaway at Alila it would’ve been really full on only having the option of swimming in front of everyone at the main pool and I don’t like hotels with no pool at a tropical destination because the effort involved in getting from your room to the pool is too much for me. The luxury of being able to get out of bed and jump in your pool is way too good to deny. A hell of a lot more expensive, maybe 3 times the amount but I think it is really worth it, especially if you like sunbathing topless to avoid tan lines haha
Another massive bed, 3 pillow width! This one was even wider than the one at Alila but maybe not as long. Very good if you are annoyed with your partner and want some place coz you can barely tell they’re even in the bed haha
I live for hotel bath robes but it was too bloody hot this time around to enjoy them. Last time I stayed at The Legian and it was a very rainy day, perfect for robe goodness!
Another beautiful bath. I had a candle lit bath one night, so good! This place was not as chic in the design as Alila but still very very nice and I guess I am a bit spoilt saying that but the other place was more my taste and the products were not non-toxic at all. I used the Alila products and saved the other ones here to give away as gifts. My partner enjoyed this hotel more than Alila so we had the best of both worlds and although I had been here many times before, I’d never stayed at W. That little purple bag had beach towels, suncream, water and W branded thongs for him and her in it to take to the main pool area. A very nice touch and there was heaps of wardrobe space. Always a bonus when staying in nice hotels.
The intricately designed seats at Starfish Bloo Restaurant, W Hotel Seminyak where we had breakfast each morning. It is a seafood restaurant by night with ice sculptures and fish tanks everywhere. God knows how long it takes them to change the set up every day
A hotel guest getting breakfast at the fruit buffet. Love the Burberry scarf used as a burka. The breakfast at W is off the chain! Every single thing you could ever imagine wanting is on offer! It is literally the closest I have come to feeling like I was in Willy Wonka land. Doughnuts, steak, dim sum, German sausage, bacon, omelettes, pancakes, cookies, cupcakes, smoothies, ice cream, toast, fried noodles, seriously everything is here! It’s $50 for non guests but luckily it came with our package. I always book online at wotif.com to get the best deal on accommodation when travelling. Alila didn’t do wotif but most places are on there, just make sure you check it includes breakfast
Starfish Bloo at breakfast time
Now to plan my next holiday! I turn 30 this year eep, so hopefully I can go somewhere awesome! Here’s hoping for now. Time to work on my vision board!
To check out my vidual diary from the trip posted last year, click HERE
Follow me on instagram @stylevoyeur
‘Til next time,
xxx SV xxx