Avalon I
With a delightful open-sided living pavilion, spacious dining room, air-conditioned media room and a 14m pool set in gorgeous gardens, there’s plenty of living space for socialising as well as private corners for quiet retreat at 4-bedroomed Villa Avalon I. Bedrooms are equipped with flat-screen TVs and DVD players, and a ten-strong staff team (including a competent chef) work discreetly in the background to provide stellar service from morning until night. The villa is just three minutes’ walk from the ocean and 15 minutes from Potato Head in Seminyak.
- There are several surf schools in Bali, mainly based in and around Kuta and Legian, where young and old(er) can learn to surf or brush up on their skills.
- The most exclusive Bali trekking tour promises breath-taking vistas and heart-warming encounters while supporting sustainable social change in the once-forgotten villages of Muntigunung. Elite Havens is a proud partner of Muntigunung Community Social Enterprise.
- Explore the scenic rice-field landscape and rural villages by bicycle; a great way to get under the skin of the 'real' Bali. Stop off at a local warung (café) to sample some basic Balinese fare or cool off with a cold drink.
- If you’ve always dreamed of galloping along a beach or riding through villages bordered by rice fields, now’s your chance. Bali Horse Adventure and Kuda P Stables (both in Pererenan) can arrange horse riding tours, as well as children’s riding lessons and horse-drawn carriage outings.
- Sports enthusiasts should head to Bali’s prestigious Canggu Club, with its state-of-the-art gym and tennis and squash courts (most of our villas include complimentary membership, otherwise day membership is available ). Round off your work-outs with some fine international dining, then stock up on gourmet goodies at the nearby Deli.
- Visit the mystical Hotel Tugu (Bali’s first museum-hotel) studded with priceless Indonesian artworks and antiques and its award-winning spa offers age-old Eastern therapies. If you’re planning a honeymoon, this makes a wonderful first night venue. The hotel's restaurants offer authentic Chinese and Indonesian fine dining, as well as an international menu, in a variety of unique settings. At the rustic Waroeng Tugu you can taste the traditional Javanese and Balinese cuisine of bygone centuries.
- Make a pilgrimage to sacred Pura Tanah Lot, one of Bali’s biggest tourist magnets. Perched high on a craggy, wave-lashed rock, this ancient sea temple is best savoured at sunset; be sure to receive a blessing from the Hindu Priests (and watch out for the monkeys, who are very adept at helping themselves to anything from snacks to sunglasses and even cameras!)
- You could eat out at a different restaurant in Seminyak every night - for months - and still not run out of options. Jalan Laksmana (also known as Jalan Oberoi and Jalan Kayu Aya) is Bali’s fashionable ‘Eat Street’, offering plenty of high-end restaurants including Sarong and Nutmegs at Hu’u Bar. La Lucciola Restaurant is great for sunset drinks, as is The Breeze at The Samaya. While Ku Dé Ta is still the place to see and be seen, two new beachclubs, Cocoon and Potato Head, are classy seaside alternatives. Then there's La Plancha, a rustic beach bar between Double Six and Gado Gado, very popular, good tapas, very reasonably priced drinks, with live music and DJ events. A short taxi ride will bring you to Sardine for elegant seafood, Métis for French Mediterranean cuisine, or to Hog Wild in Bali, famous for barbecue ribs and wicked Martinis. Mid-range dining options here include Wah Wah Gourmet Burger Winebar which specialises in sassy burgers with sexy connotations, and numerous other cheap 'n cheerful options.
- Covering 3.8 hectares of tropical parkland in Kuta, Waterbom Bali has 16 water slides (including The Climax with its 360 degree loop) to entertain the young and the young at heart. A great family day out, but go early to beat the crowds.