Grab the girls or the kids and hubby and relax into your Bali villa life at this boutique complex of luxe villas in upcoming Umalas - the popular, green and lovely-local postcode only 10mins from Seminyak
Tranqulity. Privacy. Service. Security. If this sounds like your check list for the perfect Bali trip, then we’ve found the boutique resort for you. We recently had the ‘dreadful’ job (read: can we do this every week?) of reviewing The Santai, a new boutique Umalas villa complex. And man, was this one of the most challenging assignments yet. Luckily we later enjoyed some pampering to take the edge off!
Nestled in the rice paddies of Umalas, The Santai has 11 beautifully-designed, modern luxury villas just 15 minutes from Seminyak, yet feels like it’s another world away. With five two-bedroom villas and six three-bedroom villas, it’s perfect for groups of friends and families.
With luxuriously-decorated surrounds, lush tropical gardens and serene garden paths connecting the villas with the hotel grand facilities – it really is the best of both worlds. We really enjoyed the convenience of the facilities, namely the 24-hour butler service (more champagne, anyone?), large swimming pools and the snazzy restaurant – as well as having completely private villas to ourselves (swimming in nothing but your birthday suit is absolutely possible).
The location is pretty stunning too. Think peaceful rice fields, cows strolling along the green, and significantly less cars and motorbikes than neighbouring Seminyak and Kerobokan. Umalas is where many of Bali’s expats choose to live. If you do go, we highly recommend you visit Nook, an open-air local restaurant that serves fabulous, cheap eats and overlooks the paddy fields – another of Bali’s great hidden gems. (Psst… for more of our favourite restaurants, see our full list of picks here.)
Need to book? We thought so. Email: [email protected].
The Santai, Jalan Bumbak, 88A, Banjar Kelod Anyer Kerobokan, Umalas, Bali 80361, Indonesia, p. +62 361 9002669.