We’re so excited to present Helen Owen‘s review of her Luxury Villa Vacation in Bali with Zack Kalter. Such a treat to host two Instagram’s hottest rising stars on their first ever trip to the Island of Bali. Enjoy Helen’s wholesome, and down-to-earth review of their experience touring, exploring and indulging in some of our best luxury homes Bali has to offer.
Villa Latitude in Uluwatu truly set the bar extremely high for us – the moment we saw the view I think we both knew we were not going to be having a regular vacation. Having Villa Latitude as our first taste of Bali was the perfect intro to what we later learned is a very dynamic island.
The ocean view from breakfast in the dining room (which is more like a giant glass open-sided terrarium that also happens to contain all of my tropical dream-house pinterest boards meshed into one) set the stage for our entire day.
We spent hours exploring the grounds of the villa and kept discovering hallways and hot tubs and tucked away corners we hadn’t seen before, thus my “favorite” rooms changed on an hourly basis.
And I can’t not mention the pool. Photos speak for themselves, but Villa Latitude essentially has the infinity pool of all infinity pools. It really doesn’t get much better, or much bluer. The pool is also long enough that you could easily swim lengths and get a Michael Phelps caliber work-out, or host the world’s best pool party with everyone you follow on instagram and probably more.
Our only regret from our short time in Uluwatu was that — shocker — we didn’t have more time. We were so absorbed in the little world of the villa itself (combined with some killer jetlag from 25 hours of travel paired with a 15 hour time difference from home) that we didn’t find the time to explore any of the surrounding beaches / attractions of Uluwatu. With that in mind, I would 100% recommend Villa Latitude to anyone, especially a larger group of friends and highly advise giving yourself a lot more time in the villa because you need ample time to a) explore the villa and then b) explore Uluwatu.
Our next stop was a little gated paradise tucked away in Seminyak called Casa Hannah. This little sanctuary had us breathless from the moment we walked through the gate and quickly became a dream-come-true villa experience. Other than an insane pool/mote that runs through the middle of the villa and a gorgeous tropical, lush and colourful (how man more adjectives would be too many…) garden which was extremely well kept, the food and staff here were outstanding.
Meaning we ate some of the best dishes we had ever tasted in our lives, and the staff became our BFFs in less than 3 days. We stayed in the downstairs master room and I think I will probably one day model my dream bathroom based on the one at Casa Hannah.
The rooms in general were tropical modern masterpieces; the bathrooms especially were incredible with a lot of glass and foliage, high ceilings, what have you. Zack and I ventured out into Seminyak for a night and got a taste for the bustle and hubbub of the city, which was such a contrast from the peaceful tranquility behind the walls of Casa Hannah. Again, we wished we had more time to explore the surrounding city as we had heard of so many interesting places to visit in Seminyak, but we were so glad to have gotten a taste for the nightlife and returning to Casa Hannah exhausted and ready for bed really had us even more heart-eye-emoji faced over our little haven.
I can’t say enough praise about everything Casa Hannah had to offer. It would easily be the perfect escape for a family who wants a taste of city AND a taste of peace and quiet luxury, or even better for a group of friends or couples wanting an epic villa experience near to some of the hottest attractions in Bali.
Our final destination in Bali with Villa Getaways was Villa Shinta Dewi in Ubud, and by far the most diverse and unique of the three areas we stayed in. Looking back, while I loved the ocean views and the city life, I think Ubud may have been my favorite spot in Bali. Ubud is like the Jungle Book come to life, there’s no better way to describe it.
Including but not limited to incredible unique shopping with treasures and gems you cannot find anywhere else in the world, monkeys (“Monkey Forest”. Go there.), AMAZING food (think Vegan / Vegetarian / magical delicacies), insanely tasty coffee (we visited a Luwak farm and tasted the most expensive coffee delicacy in the world… google it.), and an overall enchanting and otherworldly jungle vibe.
Shinta Dewi had an avatar-like backyard that entailed endless bright exotic jungle that we gazed into from yet another killer infinity pool. My favorite feature on the villa itself was the open floor plan; on both the stories the walls were essentially open to the yard, making you feel like you are truly in the Jungle Book at all times.
The villa staff here were also phenomenal in all aspects, and blew us away with mouthwatering Balinese dishes that we will officially crave for the rest of our lives. On our last night the staff cooked us up a family-style Balinese BBQ (they mentioned they always have a giant BBQ on the guest’s last night) and it was SO DELICIOUS and the perfect way to end our Bali adventure.
With the help of the staff we rented a bike for a day and zoomed around Ubud – an exhilarating Mario Cart-type experience that is by far the most enjoyable way to see this magical place.
Ubud captured my heart and this villa was an amazing jungle hideaway and home base for all our Ubud expeditions. An amazing home that incorporates the peace of the tropical jungle from the sacred town it resides in.
I fell asleep to the hum of jungle creatures and woke to the cock-a-doodles of tropical roosters – my new preferred alarm clock to begin a day of adventure. I know I will bring my family back to Villa Shinta Dewi one day!
Love, Helen xx