The vibe
From the get-go, The Shanti Residence in Nusa Dua, Bali struck a chord with us with its magnetic Balinese charm. With only 7 rooms on the private property, it’s perfect for a romantic getaway, or even intimate weddings and events.
The rooms
We stayed at the garden pool suite, also known as the Aastha Room. It’s like a standalone mini villa for two, with a small private pool, garden and gazebo. The room itself provides all your luxury holiday prerequisites. The king-size bed, as expected, as cosy as anything we’ve ever experienced, and having a private little garden all to ourselves makes it not feel like a ‘room’ at all.
A glance at the bathroom had us making plans for a good soak in the tub later that first evening; it sits by the large window that overlooks the pool outside. Tip: it photographs well, so you may or may not want to boast about it on Instagram.
Food & drink
We highly recommend that you don’t skip the daily breakfast at The Shanti Residence! The staff shows you a full menu to make your selections from so they know what to prepare for you in the morning. For breakfast, we had Eggs Benedict with fruits, cereal, coffee, milk and fresh juice – you know the kind. Dinner was served with a glass of wine (Chardonnay for us), and on the last night of our stay we had a candlelit dinner on the porch by the main pool, which overlooks the ocean. No guesses how romantic that was (they even sprinkled rose petals on the floor!).
Read also: Guy’s guide: 5 things to know before renting a motorbike in Bali
The service
The little touches that were provided at The Shanti Residence to make our stay more comfortable didn’t go unnoticed. We’re talking things like daily refreshments (afternoon capanés and a selection of tropical fruit), having our room made after dinner (there’s even an electric mosquito repellant plugged in, thank goodness), 24-hour butler services, and airport transfers. The staff would always go the extra mile to make sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed – the perks of staying at a small and intimate ‘resort’, we suppose.
Wellness and more
We enjoyed an hour-long traditional Balinese oil massage (at a separate cost), which was really relaxing. Not that we weren’t already relaxed during our stay – our Aastha Room faces the pretty terrace garden, which gave us a beautiful scene to wake up to. (By the way, if you’re staying in the Aastha or Ambhara room, you have the option of having your treatment done in the room itself!) We also went for a cooking demo to watch the in-house chef prepare a scrumptious dish called Ayam Batutu, which we dug into afterwards. There are private yoga sessions, which we didn’t have the time for, but know that wellness junkies would love too.
Our favourite part
The Shanti Residence has a few common areas where guests can relax (including the aforementioned main pool). The nearby Geger Beach, which is a popular spot for paragliding, was lovely. The residence currently doesn’t give its patrons direct beach access, but we’re told that a path from the property to the beach will be completed in a year or two.
