Not just Selamat Pagi at the W
The mantra for the W Retreat and Spa is, ‘Whatever, whenever…’
When my family and I spent last Christmas holidays there, for us it was all about waiting, watching and recapturing the wonder!
The annual debate on where the Harte family would spend Christmas was decided last year by Danielle and our children. After a long year spent on planes and in hotels, I wasn’t that keen to travel far for the holidays, and my enthusiasm for another overseas trip was not high when they told me of our plans for us to go to Bali.
I have visited Bali on many occasions staging events, conferences, seminars and golf tournaments but I never really stayed for any leisure time. My visits to Bali in the past had been great regardless, largely because of the hospitality of the Balinese and their genuine need to please. So with that in mind, our bags were packed and we boarded the plane in anticipation of Bali’s gentle rhythms, warming sun and relaxing atmosphere.
The W Retreat & Spa was to be our home for 10 days. Opened in 2011, this accommodation comprises 158 Retreats and 79 Villas and is exclusively located in the beachfront enclave of Seminyak. Sounded perfect!
We arrived at the W Retreat & Spa quite late so we weren’t able to see much on our approach. We did however quickly realise this was not just your average Balinese Hotel as we made our way up the stone driveway.
With a contemporary sophisticated décor, the entire lobby changed colours six times before we had even walked through the front door.
With the trendy W lounge calling out our names, we proceeded to enjoy a welcome ‘Balinese Breeze’ cocktail.
This magnificent contemporary designed hotel, boasting stunning ocean views with cascading water features resembling the Balinese rice paddies, left no stone unturned when it came to replicating the true beauty and heritage of the Balinese culture. Our private villa situated 50 metres from the main reception and 10 metres away from the state-of-the-art gym facility and relaxing spa retreat, featured our own stunning plunge pool, decking and outdoor shower. The location here was perfect, only 15 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Kuta and only a moped ride away from numerous sacred temples and eclectic collections of arts and crafts.
Each morning as the golden rays of sunshine blessed us with their light, we calmly walked around the hotel grounds, listening to the welcome greeting ‘selamat pagi’ (happy morning) echoing from the friendly Balinese staff. With Danielle and the children content to enjoy and explore the mystical treasures and temples of this ‘Island of Gods’, I was keen to get a behind the scenes look at the venue. The General Manager, Craig Seaward, personally escorted me around the grounds of the W Retreat & Spa and provided a real insight into the expat experience of living and working in Bali and why so many people, especially Australians, choose to make Bali their home. Just as we were finishing up, the Chef de Cuisine, Kevin Chung, joined us. Kevin is a Mauritius-born Australian, with some 15 years of five-star dining experience, having worked at Neil Perry’s Rockpool and at Longrain under the guidance of Martin Boertz. He kindly insisted Dani and I join him for dinner that evening at the W’s Starfish Bloo restaurant.
As we entered this spectacular restaurant overlooking the tropical beachside, we couldn’t help but take in the awe of this cleverly themed ‘beauty from the deep blue sea’ restaurant. Indoor and outdoor dining was on offer, however you couldn’t resist the sheer beauty of a gigantic, six-metre high recreation of local fish traps, booths and magical blue jellyfish lighting swaying high above – the craftsmanship was simply superb!
Over the next two hours, Kevin delighted us with his signature dishes inspired by the fresh local produce, Asian flavours and fresh seafood. It is clear Kevin is a talented young chef and has the freedom to flex his culinary muscles at the W.
I was keen to learn more about Kevin’s philosophy and challenges and we spent time discussing menus, cultures, produce and how he manages to deliver such a high standard of food and service every day in Bali. It became obvious that he has the day-to-day service delivery well under control – but what was really distracting him was his first Christmas lunch at the hotel. With the Christmas lunch a sell out event of 500 people, Kevin decided his kitchen would turn out a buffet with an incredible 400 choices. Of course we had to be a part of this.
Our Christmas morning was spent opening gifts under the decorated frangipani tree in our villa with our close friends, the Fitzroys. Upon the prudent advice of the Chef de Cuisine, we skipped breakfast to ensure we had plenty of room for our lunch.
We arrived at the Starfish Bloo restaurant for lunch and the banquet in front of us was something extraordinary to behold. Kevin and his team had created a magnificent Christmas spread, which took a bit of strategising on our part to work out the best way to tackle this culinary feast. Naturally, we abandoned restraint and tucked in, eating far too much, as we all do every Christmas!
Our time in Bali passed far too quickly, spending our days enjoying relaxing massages, lazing by the pool, sightseeing, shopping and absorbing the Balinese culture … and a bit of the obligatory hard work in the gym to shed the Christmas kilos. As we boarded the plane to go home, we realised that it’s not easy getting family holidays right, especially at Christmas time, however, Craig Seaward and Kevin Chung and their teams at W Retreat & Spa Bali ensured our Yuletide holiday was one to remember; we had the time of our life. We most definitely will be back again to enjoy the true wonderment of the W.
