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Best Overseas Boutique property 2010
Newsflash: After placing second to Huka Lodge NZ in 2009 ahead of several Amans and Como Shambala within Indonesia, the cream of New Zealand and South African lodges, and the best of Fiji’s islands, SUNGAI BALI has topped the Luxury Travel’s GOLD LIST as Best Overseas Boutique Property in 2010.
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Inclusions, possible costs, minimum stays
Minimum stay requirements:
Low season : 3 nights
High season : 5 nights
Peak season : 7 nights (Christmas & New Year 12 nights)
Complimentary inclusions:
Welcome drinks (signature cocktail/beer/fruit juice..Shirley Temples for children).
Evening canapés (a charge will apply for non-resident guests).
Chefs.
Daily full breakfasts (à la carte)
[All other meals charged at cost of ingredients only].
Unlimited bottled water in bedrooms and all dining areas.
Luxury Bvlgari bathroom products.
Rooms serviced twice daily.
Laundry and pressing (excludes drycleaning).
24 hr butler service.
Night staff offering bar/dining and housekeeping services.
Pre-arrival guest preference and booking/planning service.
All-day imported teas and Nespresso coffees (cappuccino, latte, espresso, machiato, etc..)
Concierge service to arrange all bookings, tours, cruises, etc.
8-seater vehicle.
Driver/tour guide with excellent knowledge of the island for up to 8 hrs per day, thereafter USD30 per 4hrs or part thereof. The vehicle will have a full tank of petrol as it leaves for the airport and guests will be charged for refills during their stay.
Chauffeur-driven airport transfers.
Wireless (WiFi) broadband internet (charges apply)
Late check-out to suit flights unless there is a new check-in on that day
(when an 11:00am check-out is required).
A late check-out can be guaranteed by payment of 50% of the daily published rate.
Some examples of incidental charges:
Food from menu:
At cost
Massages and spa services at the villa: From US$25 per hour
Baby sitting Prices on request
Staff gratuities/tips At guests’ discretion as a reflection of extraordinary service. The standard 5% service tax has been added to the accommodation charge.
Petrol: At cost
Luggage vehicle for airport transfers
(4+ guests): US$25
Extra 8-seater vehicle incl. petrol and driver: US$55
Driver over 8hrs per day: US$30 per 4hrs or part thereof
Golf and tennis at Le Meridien Nirwana Prices on application
Bike hire: Prices on request
VIP airport arrival service: 75,000Rp (USD8 approx) per guest incl. children and babies
Yoga and Pilates: Prices on application
Full traditional dance performances: 1,500,000Rp (USD165 approx)
Wireless (WiFi) broadband internet Charges on application
Note :
All incidentals bills must be paid on check-out in local currency, USD, SGD or AUD (no credit cards accepted). A deposit of US$175 (or equivalent) per adult must be given to the manager on arrival and topped up as necessary to cover incidentals.
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Room inclusions
Three king-bedrooms with deeply comfortable oversize canopied beds that you will never wish to leave, imported linen, plush feather and down duvets, unlimited giant pillows/bath sheets, Bvlgari bathroom amenities; all looking out to your private 17m pool, the river, lush tropical canopies interspersed with frangipanis, and the leisure pavilions with Bose sound, and yet you are just 20mins from Legian in round-the-clock chauffeured comfort.
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Children and families
"Hello Pamela,
Thankyou so much for making our stay in Bali the most relaxing holiday we've ever had. We have not stopped talking about Villa Sungai & your amazing staff since we've been home. You have thought of absolutely everything to cater for everyone’s needs, the staff were attentive yet not intrusive, the food was fantastic & great prices, the villa was so comfortable we didn't want to go anywhere, even the children were catered for with toys.
My biggest problem is Phil, Oscar & Henry's expectations on me after Trisna's exceptional service...they expect the same at home!
Thankyou again & we look forward to hopefully seeing you in 2009.
Kind Regards,
Sam & Phil Hogan
Perth"
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Location and tranquility
Dear Pamela,
Where do I start?? We had the most incredible time at the Villa!
From the moment we were picked up at the airport and scuttled away to our air conditioned vehicle with no hassle, was the start of 6 days of pure bliss. Made greeted us with open arms and obviously having met and spent time with Andrew and Melinda before, it was so nice to feel so welcome ….. like we were part of the ‘family’.
As I walked down the sweeping staircase which led to my ‘home’ for the next 6 days, I was overwhelmed with the tranquility of the setting and the relaxed but elegant style of the villa. Well done on creating such a beautiful space for people to enjoy and let the rest of the world and their troubles rush by them. All of my stresses seemed to float away like a leaf on the river Ayung.
Today, being Monday, will be hard for us all – no massages – no delicious lunch prepared for us – no beds made – no smell of the beautiful tuber roses and no noises of the wildlife that echo throughout the Villa at varying times of the day. I miss all of this already.
Most of all I will miss ‘Made’ and his team - especially Iluh, Trisna and Putu….. Without them, our stay would not have been the same. They set the stage for the overall experience and without them, it would not function as well as it does. They all deserve so much recognition for the superb job that they undertake every day, effortlessly and without question or compromise.
I must also thank Made and the team (or maybe you) for organizing the little dancers from the village, who performed on the eve of my birthday. They made me feel like the most special person on the island and I was overwhelmed with emotion. Same goes for the exquisite floral decoration that was placed in our room – it really was very special and I was most grateful.
Pamela, at all costs you must endeavour to keep the same team that you have at the villa, together. Most people love consistency but apart from that, they all seem to work so well together and there was a real feeling that this wasn’t just ‘a job’ for them - it was without any doubt in my mind, a way of life. They seemed to thoroughly enjoy making us feel like we belonged there. I hope that other guests feel the same way as we do. (They don’t deserve to come back if they don’t)
Recruiting people that work so closely together can at times, be very tricky but you seemed to have found the perfect balance in your team. We all felt that this was absolutely without doubt, what made our holiday so memorable.
I will be back!
Please pass on my congratulations to Made and everyone at the Villa – they really are a special group of people.
Warm Regards,
Louise xxxx
Louise Jacobs
Sydney
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Dining and bar
Dear Pamela
We have just tonight arrived back in Bangkok from Bali and wanted to write straight away to tell you what a wonderful stay we had in Villa Sungai. Everything about the villa was fantastic – the staff were exceptional in every way (including their very kind attention to the kids’ needs and interests), the accommodation was just perfect, the food was sublime (bravo to Wayan!) and the local dance and gamelan performances were beautiful. Also thought the massages were top quality.
We especially loved the high quality bicycles and went out for three separate excursions over the three days, including to the beach and around a number of local villages, which was a wonderful way to see the area.
We had a sneak preview of Sungai Gold and offered to try it out for a night before its launch for the first guests!
We told the Villa Sungai staff personally how much we appreciated their kind attention and passed some US$ to Made to distribute to them all. You may also wish to reinforce to Made how happy we were with the professionalism, helpfulness and flexibility of everyone at VS.
Am pleased that I have now turned my family on to the beauty of Bali and was thrilled to be back there and find so much of its original beauty and charm unchanged. We hope to visit Villa Sungai again soon and will certainly recommend it to friends in this part of the world.
Best wishes
Julia
Bangkok
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Special occasions
Dear Pamela
Louise Jacobs has just forwarded me the photos of the new bathrooms and the testimonials etc. and I am feeling really guilty that I have not written to say THANK YOU.
Our stay for Andrew’s 40th was beyond my wildest dreams and I had been dreaming about it for sometime before our stay. Prior to our stay, Andrew and I used to open a bottle of wine and just read through all the great letters and feedback on your web site. I must say, I started to get a bit concerned that I had built up our expectations so high that reality would not be able to match them. I was so wrong….I do not know how your beautiful villa and amazing team could exceed my wildest dreams. Like so many of your guests we had to keep pinching ourselves at how lucky we were to be in this amazing place.
Our friends Elizabeth and Paul could also not believe that anywhere as beautiful existed and that we had it exclusively for 7 days.
If anyone is reading your comments on the web site and believes it is too good to be true please believe that Villa Sungai is even better. I may have been a bit slack in passing on my gratitude to you and the team in writing however as you are aware we are spreading the word with our friends and I believe that two different groups have already booked Villa Sungai for early next year………..and guess what……..we are also coming to help celebrate one of the bookings for their birthday in May!
I have the Villa pool picture as my screen saver and find myself at Villa Sungai many times throughout the day…..
Kind Regards
Melinda Blake
Sydney
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Staff
Hi Pamela,
We have been home a couple of weeks now and just wish to thank for the brilliant time we had we had in the hands of Made and staff. We were gobsmacked by the villa paradise you have created. Please pass on a big hello to Made and his team from us and we have sent out the word to our friends who we hope will join us next time.
All the best
regards,
Doug Meecham
Mooloolaba Qld Australia.
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Villa versud hotel
Pamela,
My wife Sharron and I had a wonderful 2 weeks at Sungai Gold. Wonderful villa, divine food & drinks, and most of all the fantastic staff. We have many many special memories and I will always remember my 50th birthday – thank you for the special surprise with the two dancers.
Staying in a hotel will never be the same again after this experience – we felt very close to the Balinese people and their culture during our stay.
Hopefully we will return again one day
Nigel
p.s. I’ve attached some photos below which maybe you can forward to Made and the friends at the villa.
Nigel Cook
Switzerland
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Bali
Hi Pamela,
Just had to send you a quick email to let you know what a fabulous holiday we had at the villa!
My husband couldn’t believe how beautiful it was and he thought he was in heaven. We have traveled through Asia – Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and I would have to rate Bali as our best holiday! The food was amazing, the prawn stirfry was our favourite and we actually had that for 2 dinners it was so good and my favourite was the chocolate samosas. Our son Khyan had the best holiday also, he spent every day in the swimming pool and twice my husband and I left him at the villa with the staff and we went for dinner at Breeze and La Luciolla. We also went to Waterbom which was fantastic and to the Elephant Safari which was so much better than the one we had done in Thailand. I was so surprised by how beautiful Bali is and how safe we felt the whole time we were there. Your staff are amazing and were always ready to take us wherever we wanted and bringing us endless drinks and coffees! We were very spoilt and were so sad to leave after our 7 days, I wished we were staying for 10!
We will definitely be coming back and I have already told my husband I want us to go back to Bali next June! I have had so many friends that I have shown pictures to ask about the villa so I am spreading the word.
Thanks again Pamela for all your help, I will definitely be coming back to the villa again!
Lisa
Lisa Hanlon
Brisbane
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Food
Just a brief note to let you know that we had a good time at Sungai Gold.
The highlights were your staff who really looked after us very well. The cooking was better than the 4 seasons at Sayan could muster!
My wife was at first wary of living in a villa in the 'open' as it were but she got used to it very quickly and enjoyed herself thoroughly.
My thanks to you, Made and the staff who made our stay memorable.
Thanks once again for a different kind of experience!
Ron and Yitian
Singapore
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