It’s hard not to notice the “canvasses” of the local artists in Bali.

Walk, pedal, or commute at some point there is a pop of color that will maneuver your attention towards a panel. It only takes a slight glimpse from the corner of the eye and boom! That’s enough to make your head turn and confront an opus.

Bali is known to be an art haven with Ubud as its center, but not exclusive to this highland destination. Art is all over the paradise island and it’s aging gracefully, evolving with time.

The island’s artworks go beyond the usual tourists’ expectation — carved busts and statues of Hindu gods, wooden masks and Wayang puppets, or even the paintings on canvasses, the traditional art forms exhibited and sold by the countless galleries from Ubud to the coastline.

The rear wall (fronting the road) of one of the popular beachfront hangouts in Seminyak

For some time now, there is a revolution of the good kind. No political undertones to the pieces, no rebellious screams, just an expression of beauty. Artists have taken to the streets and brought their passion to the pedestrians. Interaction between man and “canvas” is no longer exclusive to indoor exhibitions.

As for the local groups, the Bali Street Art, would say, “This paradise island is actually filled with tons of amazing street and modern art that are not known yet to many, but deserve all the rave.”

Along the Canggu beach stretch

The art society is eyeing to make their charming isle of the gods as the next hot spot for modern art after Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Bandung. And it seems to be working.

In my recent visit to the island, I was impressed with the graffiti art. Art covers and beautifies the exterior walls of restaurants, apartment buildings, and the sidewalk.

These are certainly a plus point for the establishment as it can attract the passerby like me. Each one I saw stopped me on my track and lured my vision from the mural to the product it is attached to. It was the same wherever I went including Ubud, Seminyak, Kuta, Canggu, Legian, and many more.

Maybe the constant visual contact with art across the island made the hours of walking along the inner coastline and inner streets possible. The short break of admiring an art piece (the window shopping as well) was the needed rest time before pursuing the exploration on foot. Time flew by quickly this way.

On point. On "can wall art catch attention?"

This was just last year, perhaps on the next visit to Bali, there will be more wall art to painted on the island walls. It’s free art from the isle of the gods for the world.

*****

Email me at jinggoysalvador@yahoo.com. For more lifestyle & travel stories, visit http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com and http://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com.


Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on May 12, 2016.

As easy as my US dollars were converted to millions of Rupias, it was quick to be spent. Price tags were in thousands to hundreds of thousands. The millions on the palm were fleeting with so many food to try and things to take home from Ubud.

Bali’s beaches were already popular then. Surfers, mostly Australians, were the top tourist arrivals. Inland, foot and vehicle traffic was light during the day even more at night. Clubs were few and far apart.

Today, Bali is the total opposite. Busier it might be, the island is still a sweet destination. I’m glad I’ve seen both.

Bangkok is a favorite. Both work and leisure take me there. After years of visiting, I have only scraped an inch of the Big Mango’s surface. Buildings, malls, restaurants, clubs, it all sprouts like mushrooms. There is always something new to see and try with each visit, and I haven’t even gone around the islands yet. The farthest off Bangkok I went to this year was in HuaHin, said to be the Hamptons of Thailand.

Catching the sun rising in Hua Hin, a new place visited off Bangkok in Thailand

The most exciting trip this year was Japan during the Sakura. This one was in the bucket list and it took years before it finally happened—and it was worth the wait. Like a kid in a candy store, I savored the fleeting Cherry Blossom Season and chased the blooms in several cities of the Japanese prefectures— Tokyo, Machida, Yokohama, Odawara.

One off the bucket list- the Sakura season in Tokyo

Hanami 1 along Meguro River with this bunch.

Hanami 2 at Ueno Park with this bunch.

A boat ride to Olango Island in Cebu.

THE most important meal of the day has never been this stylish—and fresh.

Well, that goes for the two main meals that follow. This is one of the perks when staying at the newly opened Alaya Resort Kuta in Bali—good meals always prepared fresh at any time of the day you wish to dine

Sukun takes its name from breadfruit found throughout the South Pacific and Asia. If that piqued your interest, then just head to the lobby there’s one that greets every guest entering the Alaya Resort Kuta property. Breadfruit can be eaten, roasted, baked, fried, boiled, and its taste pretty much resembles the potato’s, with a texture of freshly baked bread, it’s naturally sweet and glutten-free.

If curiosity strikes again, head to the lobby’s lounging area, the hotel gives out complimentary breadfruit biscuits to everyone.

The restaurant is located behind the receiving area at the hotel lobby, flanked by a pocket garden and the elongated swimming pool. If your spirits are suddenly uplifted, it must be due to the openness of the place. Sukun is spacious with eclectic furnishings, quirky wall designs, relaxed even with its elegant dining setting and sprinkled with the right amount of live greenery all under the perennially sunny, blue sky.

The forever summer “mood enhancing” ambience was created by Made Wijaya, Bali’s very own authority on tropical gardens who creates artistic accents to complement his green creations.

Sukun departs from the traditional buffet serving of meals. Everything is served a la carte, everything specially prepared by the chefs and everything comes out of the kitchen freshly made, everything served stylishly like a restaurant that serves nouvelle cuisine. Pick one from a menu comprised of dishes with only the freshest ingredients from Bali’s bucolic land and fertile sea.

The introduction to freshness starts with a basket of freshly baked bread. Along with the pastries, breads are baked fresh each morning by Kuta’s famed Tan’s Bakery, a sister company, I was told.

The serving size is good and packed with flavors. Make sure to have the chicken and wild mushroom puff pastry on your next breakfast, the rustic pancakes for next. But if you do want something more familiar, there’s the traditional fried rice or fried noodles in the menu.

Sukun features lunch and dinner menus, an all day tapas menu and afternoon tea with treats featuring Indonesian delicacies.

Ask for the chef’s own version of Nasi Raja (served during lunch), a time-honored rice dish designed for royalty and esteemed visitors from generations past. For dinner, ask for the Nasi Magibung.

Both feasts are served on a ‘tempeh’ and created for two, so make sure you have someone to share this “royal fare” with.

Sukun is a place to kick back, de-stress and enjoy good food. Like the versatile breadfruit, Sukun is about all of what’s healthy and fresh and above all, local.

“The DaLa Spa is for the hotel guests only. We want to keep it exclusive for the residents of the Alaya Resort,” shared the hotel’s MarCom Executive, Noventy Ariani.

There is nothing conventional about DaLa Spa. It imbibes the look of a boudoir decorated with restraint. Shades of bleached wood and cream dominate the room and sprinkled with colors in muted tones. Detailed with rich textiles, vintage-inspired furnishings and sensory lighting, Moroccan-born interior decorator Zohra Boukhari showcases a touch of her culture into the spa’s interior.

The spa design is Moroccan inspired.

A peek into the foot massage & nail care section from the spa lobby.

Designed for comfort. The foot massage & nail care nook.

By setting a mood through the use of lighting and essential oils, DaLa Spa prepares clients for a personalized experience that evokes the senses. Offering an array of Age-old Indonesian ritual inspired spa packages, Dala Spa has something for the couples, spa connoisseurs, and even children.

Designed as an opulent wellness facility, personal indulgence takes on a whole new meaning. A choice of 6 treatments rooms (4 Double Treatment Rooms and 2 Single Treatment Rooms) is available, each one named after an exotic flower—Kamboja, Padma, Anggrek, Seruni, Aster and Matagari— and taking on a different color interior and ambience.

The treatment rooms are decorated with the flowers it is named after.

The Seruni Room, the venu of my 2-hour therapy

Shelves with the spa necessities- robe, slippers & personal valuables to keep in.

This spa aims to establish a strong brand that stands apart from other spa venues in Bali. Using only the purest natural ingredients, our therapists have been trained to deliver exceptionally high quality services with a sensitivity for clients’ needs that comes from the heart.

From the menu, a guest can choose from several signature treatments offered which not only pampers and rejuvenates, but provides its clients with unique cultural experience.

The "Potpourri Spa" treatment was recommended. This is based on the beauty traditions of the Indonesian and Malay cultures. It begins with a betel nut foot ritual followed with a Balinese Massage with a ritual sprinkling of fresh flower petals to generate positive energy. The cananga infused coconut body scrub will leave the body silky smooth. A lavish potpourri bath concludes the treatment.

Should I make it back to Alaya, the "Malabar Tea Ceremony" is another recommended therapy. This uses luxury products by THÉMAÉ Paris that rejuvenates the mind and uplifts the spirit with the healthy benefits of teas. The journey commences with an Indonesian Black Tea Foot Ritual followed by an Oriental Massage using a rich and creamy body balm blended with an elixir made from four different teas. An instant glow green tea facial revives tired skin while a signature malabar tea bath infused with fresh mint and lemongrass bath salt to restore energy levels.

DaLa in ancient Sanskrit means leaf. As a child of Mother Nature, the leaf is a symbol of the eternal cycle of life and man’s quest for vitality. A leaf is a source of nutrition, provides shelter and has extraordinary nurturing qualities.

I emerged from my two-hour therapy relaxed and nurtured. The visit to DaLa Spa was the perfect way to end a long adventure filled visit to Bali.

DaLa Spa is at Alaya Resort Kuta is at Jalan Kartika Plaza Gang Puspa Ayu No.99, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. Visit their website at http://www.alayahotels.com

*****

Email me at jinggoysalvador@yahoo.com. For more photos about this story & other travel & lifestyle stories, visit http://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com/ and http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com/

It is true what the hotel says, “From the moment a guest walks into a hotel, we believe they deserve an experience as unique as they are. They should feel a strong sense of place and style in the design, intimacy in the environment and human connection in the service. These things should stay with them - and this is what Alaya Resort Kuta is all about.”

Welcoming. The wide open space of the hotel lobby

Be refreshed the moment you enter Alaya.

Although Alaya Resort Kuta is a relatively small boutique resort, there are significant names associated with its completion. The meeting of great minds from concept to finished product gave birth to a stylish, well-designed hotel cleverly (and conveniently) hidden in a silent zone in the island’s busiest district. Alaya Resort may be Kuta’s best open secret.

Just like its sister resort in Ubud which opened in 2013, Alaya Resort Kuta was designed by Grounds Kent Architects (GKA), an award-winning company responsible for iconic resorts such as Four Seasons Jimbaran and St. Regis Bali. Carrying out its design concept by putting emphasis on creating culturally unique projects with a “sense of place“, the architectural group was successful in fashioning a fresh take on Bali’s local building culture. Different kinds of materials have been used both structurally and aesthetically, like utilizing repurposed antique wood as railings, resulting in a concept that is attuned to the surrounding environment.

Teak wood in its natural tone dominates color scheme of all the well planned and beautifully appointed rooms giving it a very homey feel. The complementing shades of blues and greys on the design appointments gave it a masculine touch. “Alaya brings back the boutique hotel concept in the area. We have the biggest rooms in floor area in the South Kuta Katika area,” said Noventy Ariani, the hotel’s Marketing Communications Executive.

Back in Kuta & this was yy nest for 3 nights, A Double Deluxe Room

Confortable & stylish. All rooms have a black & white mural depicting the best of Bali.

A very sexy T&B

All natural. Step out of the shower smelling good. The lotion (not shown) contains lavender & is mosquito repellant.

For the landscaping, Made Wijaya, Bali’s very own authority on tropical gardens, was tapped. His style is kept simple with random plantings of native Balinese flora to complement his artistic accents. Most notable is Wijaya’s statement piece that provides a sizable backdrop to the swimming pool. It is a striking interpretation of a traditional lamak, which is a long length of woven coconut leaves used to decorate Balinese shrines during ceremonial occasions.

Sukun Restaurant, Alaya’s casual dining space named after the towering tree (aka breadfruit tree) that grows in the lobby entrance, is Wijaya’s project as well. The look is “mood-enhancing” with its uplifting summer ambience—fun cut-outs in the wall, mosaic tiles in vibrant shades of blue, a sky-inspired ceiling and quirky light fixtures.

Rich textiles, vintage-inspired furnishings and sensory lighting is what Moroccan-born interior decorator Zohra Boukhari is known for and she brings her signature, internationally acclaimed look to DaLa’s Spa’s interior.

DaLa Spa’s six customized treatment rooms capture the stylish air of timeless boudoirs to complement the comprehensive menu of age-old Indonesian healing and beauty rituals. Meticulous attention to details is evident in both the interior design and the all-natural therapeutic indulgence.

Staying true to its “all-designer” concept, the resort commissioned Indonesian-born, Australian-educated fashion designer Peggy Hartanto to design the front liners’ uniform. Known for her clean, innovative technique of fabric cutting and construction, the designer worked on a “fashion meets hospitality” thesis and achieved a look that’s fresh yet totally practical for the workplace.

Joining the team is Pinto Sirait, an Indonesian contemporary artist born in Germany and educated in the United States. His modern masterpiece stands out in the hotel lobby— a large stainless steel car covered in bullet holes entitled “Democracy”.

His extensive travels as a liberal arts student brought him into direct contact with the two great accoutrements of life in American culture: cars and guns. These Western inventions have deeply permeated Asian life, producing a potent love-hate relationship. His unique brand of artistry is also evident at Sukun Restaurant.

“Alaya Resort Kuta essentially has been designed with sensitivity amidst the upbeat energy of Bali’s most colourful tourism district. It is the only culturally-related resort in the Kartika Plaza area that is attuned to the environment through the use of local materials and innovative design elements,” said Noventy.

Alaya Resort Kuta is at Jalan Kartika Plaza Gang Puspa Ayu No.99, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. Visit their website at http://www.alayahotels.com

For great deals on this hotel, visit http://www.agoda.com/alaya-resort-kuta/hotel/bali-id.html

*****

Email me at jinggoysalvador@yahoo.com. For more photos about this story & other travel & lifestyle stories, visit http://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com/ and http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com/


Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on November 26, 2015.