One of the down sides of running our Balinese villa business from South Africa is that we don't often get to meet our guests in person. However, every now and then we get a guest who we feel like we know even before they arrive.
Blogger Judi and her "Bali chicks" (their term not mine...) have been just such guests. From the moment she emailed us to sweetly ask if we can serve the girls a margarita as their welcome drink (and, as an aside, mentioned that they're margarita purists so we preferably shouldn't mess it up) - we knew we were in for a treat!
Without meaning to brag, Judy has written such a wonderful post about Villa Sagitta - and what they've loved about it (I promise she was a paying guest) - that we just have to share it!
Here is a small piece of her blog:
…And now, in hindsight, as if by magic, or some potent wizardry, here we are, living the dream at Villa Sagitta. If you are ever so blessed as to experience a stay at Villa Sagitta, you will know exactly why I mention 'magic' and 'wizardry'. By what other means could such a heavenly vacation home exist?
Villa Sagitta is perfectly perched near the top of a jungley hillside, on a gorgeous UNESCO World Heritage river gorge. Wow, right?! We've been here nearly 2 weeks and still the views from the villa leave us breathless, at every turn.
Situated about a 20 minute drive from the hustle bustle of Ubud, Villa Sagitta is a stone's throw from narrow country lanes, garlanded by rice paddies, where rural life passes by, with bewitching timelessness.
For our arrival in Bali, we arranged airport pick-up, ahead of time, through Villa Sagitta, keeping everything easy peasy. Sure enough, our friendly driver, Ketut, was there, at the Denpasar airport, to transport us 'home'. Tired, but eager to just be here, as soon as we arrived at the villa, Yande, the villa manager, greeted us with big, warm smiles, open arms and genuine welcomes. The eagle has landed.
And even now, recounting this to you, I get goosebumps of gratifying pleasure, at how I felt seeing, feeling, Villa Sagitta for the first time. An unbridled rush of joy surged through me, as my eyes encountered the golden glow of dusk reflecting off the beautiful infinity pool, the Balinese-ness oozing from the villa, from the grounds, from the jungle.
And, of course from Yande, and his happy team, who effortlessly got us settled, fed and welcomed, like only they can.
Then, of course, tired from our long journeys, we were all eager to each go to our own delightfully spacious, gloriously comfortable, Bali bedrooms (all with their own bathroom), to tuck in and drift off to dreamland.
And then...........Morning has broken.
"I am waking up in Bali!", I silently, excitedly, exclaim to myself, as soon as I stir. I can't even remember the flurry of dressing, combing and throwing open, that came next, but I sure do remember stepping out of my bedroom right onto the poolside lanai, for the very first time.
Our pool reflected the gorgeous sunrise colours, while golden shards of sunlight played tag in the tall palms along the top of the far hillside. Birds cooed, twittered, chirped, sang, and cockle-doodle-doo-ed, in an unorchestrated, audible ode to joy.
From the temple, just over the way, on the hillside beside us, the entrancing rhythm of morning prayers and melodic chanting rises up, up, up, to the heavens. More goosebumps.
I see the early morning wisps of misty clouds that couldn't resist dropping down to kiss the river, now silently drifting upwards, through green treetops, somewhat reluctantly, making their way home, to the sky.
Even the morning breezes seem to be in cahoots to surround us with heady pleasures. From the soft whooshing of gazillions of leaves to the whispering of swaying bamboo and the percussive wave, much like a flock of birds flying overhead, as the giant silver-green palm-like leaves rustle each other, in all the right ways.
From somewhere, over the way......the calming aroma of incense wafts around us, making our noses smile.
ZEN ~ TRANQUILITY ~ JOY ~ CONTENTMENT ~ BLISS
And I'm so tickled to tell you, that this isn't just my, or should I say, our, first morning experience at Villa Sagitta, it is our every morning, at Villa Sagitta.
And so our day begins. By 7am Yande and a couple of his team dudes are here, rolling into a day of keeping this stunning villa ship shape, of cleaning, tidying, cooking deliciousness and always, always, dishing out absurdly wonderful service and food, whilst keeping us delightfully entertained. Read on to find out more
Judi continues her journey at Villa Sagitta...click here to read part 2
Photo credit: Judi and the Bali chicks