THE LUXURY TRAVEL
MAGAZINE FOR INDEPENDENT
TRAVELLERS

‘Mum, when are we going to see our cousins?’ It had been four years, an eon in growing child years and Skype video calls just aren’t the same. But what do you do when one family lives in Australia and the other in South Africa. My mother, based in England and the ultimate in travelling Grannies, came to the rescue. With the dream of having all her children and grandchildren under one roof she decided to invest some of our inheritance in the now and organised us all into the grand plan of renting a villa somewhere in Indonesia: a shorter flight for the Australian family with a six year old and a toddler and a welcome adventure for the rest of us.

We chose the Villa Citakara Sari, a beautiful private villa on the east coast of Bali. Arriving there after an all night flight, bemused by the transition from South African winter to tropical warmth and the bustle of Bali traffic, we found an oasis of peace, calm and welcoming seclusion. Intricate carved wood walls and wide open doors lead the eye through into a light and airy living room and then straight out again to soft green lawn, towering palm trees, a rim flow pool and restless waves breaking on the reef beyond the lagoon and private beach.

In no time our kids were swimming in the refreshing sparkling waters of the pool and the holiday had really begun. My brother’s family arrived on a late evening flight so it was only before breakfast the next morning that the cousins were able to eye each other up. A dip in the pool together broke the ice and they were soon happily playing with a herd of Schleich horses (the indispensible travelling companions of our two girls) on the wide front verandah or in the shade of a palm tree.

Two villas share the grounds, sleeping 10-12 people altogether. Joglo is the larger villa and was built using antique carved wooden walls and ceiling from a traditional Javanese house. Intricate carved wood delights the eye at every turn and is combined with wide glass doors on two sides to create an interior that is at once rooted in island tradition and modern and light filled. Beautifully decorated with a mixture of contemporary artworks and quirky traditional craft, every piece of furniture is individual, carefully chosen and comfortable as well as beautiful.

Floors are smooth local stone tiles, tactile and pleasing to bare feet – there is no reason to wear shoes at all at the villa, inside or out as the grass lawns are soft as deep pile carpet. Soon little groups of abandoned shoes were to be seen at each door as we removed shoes to enter the house and never bothered to put them back on again.

Upstairs in Villa Joglo the stunning carved ceiling is the architectural focus. The three bedrooms are divided by sliding wood and glass panelling doors, curtained at night, so that each room can enjoy the ceiling. This makes for a slight lack of privacy – no problem if one family is sharing, as we were, but perhaps not ideal for two couples. Our kids loved the high carved four posters, almost like rooms within rooms. There are two beautifully fitted bathrooms with soft fluffy towels, huge granite tubs and stone sinks. All three rooms open onto a wide wrap-around balcony with an upstairs sitting area and stunning views through the palms to the sea and the island of Nusa Penida.

Balinese thatched villa Yoga Bale has two large bedrooms and its own spacious open living room with soaring thatch ceiling. It is designed for island living with two sides open to the garden, closed in only by rattan blinds when windy and at night. The downstairs family bedroom with two large carved wood beds and plenty of space for a cot is the room most suited to toddlers (stone stairs and balconies in the other bedrooms would need more watching). The two bathrooms are open air, like small private courtyards with plants and greenery as part of the furnishings.

Beautiful carved wooden beds, soft linen sheets and well chosen pillows make for comfort in both villas with a choice of air-conditioning or ceiling fans for still nights. One thing we missed initially was mosquito nets to allow for sleeping with doors wide open to the night air, but we soon discovered that with the sea breezes blowing most afternoons there were very few mosquitoes at all. The roaring of the breakers on the reef was a constant white noise background, as was the breeze in the palm trees.

Days happily passed by without even leaving the villa grounds – a morning snorkel in the lagoon off the small sand beach, exploring the coral beds and floating above shimmering schools of fish, was repeated day after day without losing its magic. The lagoon is perfect for kids and adults just learning to snorkel, with shallow waters, safely protected by the reef from anything large and scary, and plenty of fish varieties to look at within meters of the shore. Toddler and six year old splashed energetically in the shallow waters while the rest of us took turns supervising them in between our own mesmerising fish viewing.

Afternoons drifted away dipping in the pool, which has a well designed children’s pool attached, or with an energetic game of tennis on the hard court. Long involved board games of Catan or Scrabble, a good supply of books and the occasional DVD filled in any empty stretches of time. There were two very comfortable hammocks to loll in, a secluded day bed in the tranquil walled spa courtyard, or full body massages to soothe away any residual tension from the flight.

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