The 17th of August is a very special day to Indonesians in general through out the country and those residing overseas. It becomes even more special to me this year, 2015, as I celebrate my country's 70 years of independence and big life time momentum. On this particular day, I tied the knot to this kind-hearted fella who's also courageous to take me as his beloved hope to be forever bestfriend. My heart finally trusts my mind.
I hope this union won't make me less independent than I already am. So, to celebrate we went to Bali for our first chapter of honeymoon. Yes, you read that tight. There'll be following honeymoon blogposts but those can wait for another month (or months).
We stayed two nights at the Novotel, Nusa Dua and one night at a yoga retreat in Ubud (review to follow). Here is our first two days experience staying at the Novotel.
Day 1
Situated in the BTDC area of Nusa Dua, you can totally forget about the razzle dazzle of swarming tourists shuffling in and out Kuta or Seminyak area. Nusa Dua in general is quiet. Far from the throngs of people you usually meet in busy areas of Bali.
The Novotel sits nicely next to a Marriott hotel. And facing the Ayodya resort. Wait, where is the beach then? One unique fact is that the Novotel isn't located downright facing its private beach. You need to take their frequently run shuttle bus to get to the beach. It is only two minutes away - so they claim. Indeed it is, no kidding.
The hotel has an open-air lobby with Balinese style and friendly atmosphere. It does not take us long to have our check-in process completed. They served us a glass of refreshing sweet ice tea too upon our arrival.
We had been hankering to see the room and to our surprise it exceeded our expectation. How can I describe it? The Novotel deluxe room is just grand. Apparently, it is 50 sqm in size. Big enough for a deluxe type of room.
There is a small balcony next to the room completed with a wooden dryer too. Gazing through the window door, I already imagined of breathing that fresh air in the morning whilst listening to the chirping of local fellow singers (aka birds) and sipping a cup of cammomile tea. Deffinitely will freshen my day as the sun rise in the horizon.
The surprise does not end there. The bathroom has a folded type of window that allow you to see-through the bathtub. So intimate, that is! Looking closely at the bed and inside of the bathroom we found heart-shaped red flower petals in the bathtub and two swan-shaped towels facing each other on the bed. Trully romantic. And we like it to the max. Thank you Novotel! Big smiles.
Just as our soul is filled with tons and tons of happy emotion a little downturn occurred. It's like a wee bit of an anti-climax movie when we found the hot water in the bathroom simply did not work out and there was a leak underneath the wash basin. Oh dear!
Luckily, it did not take us an hour to have the mishaps fixed. I must admit the hotel was very quick in handling complaints. No dissapointment is necessary!
After having the bathroom fixed, we took shower and got ready to attend an afternoon wedding party of our dear friend. Yup, we're not like the typical honeymooners you know out there. We like to get busy and active. Lazing around isn't our cup of tea. Besides who can resist a wedding in Bali. Wink.
Day 2
Our first day was super eventful. A lush scenery and utterly romantic wedding accompanied by mouth-watering delicacies and a few sips of whites truly made us swoon. So after the revelry we're driven to check on the hotel's facilities. Starting with their private beach.
We went to the lobby to take our beach towels. A word of warning - do not lose any of the towels as you must pay USD 20 for each lost towel. So, take a good care of it and don't keep it off sight.
After a few minutes of waiting, our shuttle bus finally arrived and ready to transport us to the most wanted gem. The beach in Nusa Dua is one of the best beaches in Bali. Its white powdered soft sands and crystal clear blue waters with a calm wave just makes it the perfect spot for a leisurely swim day on the beach.
But before dipping myself into the vast blue ocean, I felt like breaking a sweat under Bali's morning rays. So, I tried jogging a few kms along the shore line and yeap it was totally worth the effort even though running on the beach is way more challenging compared to the one on a smooth grey asphalt road. Believe me, no joking.
If you don't feel like swimming or running on the beach you can opt in for water activities such as snorkeling, kayaking or even parasailing. Surely, if you feel like being a lazy bum you can just do the sunbathing ritual and snooze away.
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Day 3
This was the last day of our stay with the Novotel so before leaving this cosy five star hotel it was time to check out the hotel onsite facilities. Started with their breakfast of the day.
There are four culinary spots in the hotel: Pause Cafe, The Square, Blue Bar and the 2.28 Beach Club. We had our breakfast at The Square where the buffet options range from French to Indonesian cuisines. I personally like their bread selection truth be told.
The Square has a warm atmosphere and you can enjoy your hearty breakfast in front of the pool whilst soaking up Bali's morning sun. When breakfast was done, we jumped into the the hotel's pool laguna which was equipped with a ball nett for guests to play. We didn't try to play though - just did our leisurely morning dip.
The hotel provides onsite spa and gym facilities. Sadly, due to time constraint we didn't get the chance to try any of them. But, it certainly does not lessen the great excitement we were having.
In a nutshell staying at the Novotel adds the blissful experience of luxury hotel sojourn. Price wise it is very much pocket friendly (in comparison with the neighboring five star hotels), I am dead serious especially if you book from traveloka.com! Caveat, staying in Nusa Dua enclave of luxury hotels will bring you a lack of local Balinese culture experience. If you do not mind for this and you are definitely a beach goer then the Novotel is a good choice for you.
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