Bali Travel Diary - Part 3 - The Hanging Gardens of Bali
If you follow travel pages on Instagram, you may have stumbled across The Hanging Gardens of Bali on more than one occasion. I was so in love with Padma Ubud Resort and The Hanging Gardens of Bali that I decided to split our vacation between the two places. Both resorts are secluded and located right in the middle of the jungle with the Ayung River running through them.
Unlike Padma where all the villas are connected in one building, the villas at Hanging Hardens all stand alone on different levels of the mountain. Guests are transported from one level of the resort to another via a specially designed funicular, which provides excellent views of the resort gardens at different altitudes.
The Hanging Gardens is a perfect spot for honeymooners and their word class cuisine is the icing on the cake. We had some of the best food in Bali at both Padma and Hanging Gardens. Their cuisine was a mix of special Balinese and International dishes.
Hotel Grounds:
Villas:
This 5 Star luxury resort has 44 private villas, which all come with their own infinity pool right in the middle of the jungle and a cabana for easy lounging. Watch out for the monkeys though, there’s plenty of them so make sure to leave your valuables inside. The villas are huge and they come with ample privacy.
Restaurants:
The resort has two restaurants onsite: Three Elements Restaurant and Three Elements Kitchen, Lounge and Bar. Both restaurants overlook the jungle, Dalem Segara temple and the swimming pool. It is quite a sight to behold at night when guest can see the warm lights emanating from the temple and a thousands lights glistening around the infinity pool. On our last night, we opted for the Chef’s special of the night. I don’t even recall what it was but it was amazing.
If you are up for an adventure and are willing to spend the extra money, you can opt for a romantic dining experience by the temple, which comprises of a purification ritual and blessing by a local priest. Alternatively, you can have a candlelit dinner on a rock pillar in the pool or a picnic by the banks of the Ayung river.
The Swimming Pool:
The Hanging Gardens is famously known for its two- tiered cascading infinity pool overlooking the lush rainforest. The pool is lit with hundreds of candles, setting the mood for a truly perfect romantic dinner. The bottom tier of the pool is not exactly ideal for swimming as it has a rock right in the middle of the pool that is used to set up special dinners for two. We were the youngest couple and the only black people at most of the hotels where we stayed. The resort managers would come introduce themselves to us and ask if there was anything they could do to make our stay better. I’m pretty sure they thought we were some kind of celebrities or were super rich, none of which is true LOL.
The Spa:
The Royal Spa Suite at Hanging Gardens is in an exclusive area right by the river. I’m sure their services were great but we did not experience any of it. There was no point in spending $100 on a massage at the resort when you get the same one in the city center for $10 :-).
This concludes my Bali travel series. Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for my Thailand Travel Diaries.
