Indiana Kenanga Luxury Villa ★★★★

Nusa Lembongan reflects what Bali used to be: a peaceful haven away from the hectic pace of the modern world. We were in love with the island before we’d even set foot on it – arriving by boat not long after touching down in Bali made us feel like royalty – a good indication of what was in store for us for the rest of our trip. Photos don’t do it justice… it’s even more beautiful in reality, like a genuine slice of paradise that we could have all to ourselves throughout our stay.

The Indiana Kenanga boutique hotel was built respecting the local customs and Balinese architecture, and the décor is a clever mix of French and Balinese-style: carved wooden doors, bamboo roofs and woven silk curtains. The spacious and fully-equipped luxury suites each open onto a private garden, making us feel like we were the only ones on the whole island… apart from the friendly staff of course, who did everything possible to make us have the most relaxing and wonderful stay possible.

The beachside restaurant offers an eclectic mix of Balinese lifestyle and refined French cuisine, and our meals there certainly didn’t disappoint. We’d spent the first day lazing on the beach, soaking up the sun and trying out some of the water sports on offer, and the scents from the kitchen had been wafting over from the tropical gardens, tempting us to indulge in an Indonesian feast. The Michelin-starred chef, Clément Fouqueré, has a real ‘savoir-faire’ and uses local ingredients to create innovative and mouth-watering dishes which combine the flavours of France and Indonesia. We had a delicious gourmet meal followed by an exotic cocktail, whilst lounging in a hammock and watching the sunset over the Indian Ocean – it doesn’t get much better than this! Our suite was calling, so we headed back and made the most of the modern facilities including a flat-screen TV and free Wi-Fi (I was desperate to send my friends some envy-inducing photos of our first day!) before crashing on our supremely comfortable bed.

Breakfast was more than enough to set us up for the day… a tantalising choice of fresh fruit salads, pastries, omelettes, cereals, yoghurt, pancakes and a selection of French and Indonesian delicacies. We made the most our VeryChic offer and headed to the spa for our complimentary Balinese massage for two – a unique treatment which combines massage acupressure, reflexology and aromatherapy. The spa is a haven of total peace and harmony, and the dedicated masseuses use their agile fingers to create a balance of mind and body, assisted by sandalwood scents, essential oils, frangipani flowers and peaceful music to provide a rejuvenating experience. The rest of our day was alternated between swimming in the two pools, sunbathing on the beach and trying out snorkelling and surfing in the turquoise lagoon. I could certainly get use to this lifestyle! Of course there’s plenty more to do on this island of thousand colours… but we simply couldn’t bear to drag ourselves away from our beloved Indiana Kanenga. I guess we’ll just have to come back next year – what a shame!