Relaxation, away from the hustle and bustle of life, is sometimes the best gift you can give yourself. Add a little romance and significant other to that equation and you have the perfect couples’ getaway. There’s nothing more refreshing than a few days relaxing in a private villa…just you, your loved one, the sun and a fruity drink or two.
The Gangsa Private Villas Review
The Gangsa is one of three private villa resorts owned by Kayumanis, a team of professionals committed to offering some of the most sought after villa retreats in Bali — which I can attest to being true the second we stepped into The Gangsa’s grounds. Although the area of Sanur doesn’t exactly scream luxury, Kayumanis has done a fantastic job creating an oasis out of seemingly nothing. Careful landscaping, architecture, and decor make stepping though that gate quite the experience and contrast from the business that lies outside the resort.
When booking The Gangsa Private Villas, you get to choose either a 1, 2, or 3 bedroom villa, and I can tell you now that they don’t skimp on the space. Each villa comes equipped with it’s own outdoor kitchen, living room, lounge, and pool (yes pool). I’ll discuss the villas a little bit further down, but you should know right off the bat how awesome it is.
The Experience
As we pulled up to The Gangsa in our hired car, our butler was already waiting for us with a warm smile and a friendly “Hello.” We were given cool towels to freshen up as we took our seats at reception to check in. Homemade cookies and a young glass of coconut water were offered to us before filling out our paperwork, and before we knew it we were checked in and escorted to our villa.
The second we stepped through the gate into our two bedroom villa Derik exclaimed, “Wait, this is all ours?!” We couldn’t believe how much space we had, because we really didn’t know what to expect as the pictures on the resort’s website are rather small and mysterious (I think that works for them though because there’s quite an element of surprise upon arriving).
We were given a quick tour of the villa (this included the outdoor kitchen, dining room, living room, as well as the master bedroom, second bedroom and studio inside the villa) from our butler, and then wished a pleasant and relaxing stay before he left us to enjoy our new home for the next three days.
As we sipped on our fresh coconut water and ate our welcome fruit, I couldn’t be more excited about our stay at The Gangsa — private, quiet, peaceful, and luxurious.
The Villa
If I haven’t been descriptive enough about our private villa yet, you should also know that it was pristinely clean, had up-to-date decor, and was easy enough to get comfortable in. We lounged in the pool chairs like champs the first day and a half, sipping on mango daiquiris we had special ordered from the bar (they only offer it per glass, but brought us a whole pitcher when we asked for one). The trickling of the pool water filter, the singing of the birds, the quiet hum of the bees buzzing by, and the occasional faint traditional song playing on the breeze…I’m not sure we could have found a better place to do absolutely nothing but relax.
Our villa had two separate bedrooms and a studio upstairs, all with their own bathrooms and showers. We also had our own open air kitchen, dining room, lounge, and living room. The villa was designed in the traditional Balinese layout, and we absolutely loved how almost everything was outside. When you’re staying in tropical paradise, you don’t want to be cooped up in a stuffy hotel room anyway right?!
The mosquitoes weren’t our friends at night, but the staff provided quite a few mosquito repellent options to keep them at bay, including this delicious smelling spray (lemongrass?) that I thoroughly doused myself in every evening. We also had beautiful mosquito nets draping our bed, so while we slept we didn’t have to worry about them getting to us.
On our last night at The Gangsa Private Villas, Derik and I purchased the Candlelight Dinner Romance package, and it was worth every single penny. I’m saving my pictures and praises of that night for a separate post, but I promise I’ll be posting on that soon! If you decide to visit, I would highly recommend booking the dinner.
The Food
Derik and I previously visited Bali back in August of 2012, and for some tragic reason did not get to experience Balinese food. I have no idea how this happened, so on our trip in June we were ready to dive headfirst into authentic Balinese and Indonesian cuisine. Thankfully we were not disappointed. The Gangsa prides itself in serving some of the best authentic foods Indonesia has to offer, and happily to tone down the spice for pansies like myself that can’t handle it (thank you Gangsa). Our favorite meal was the traditional Balinese Rijsttaffel feast that was delivered straight to our dining room table (four-course lunch)!
We enjoyed the food at The Gangsa so much, once we arrived in Ubud, Derik and I visited the Kayumanis resort there for dinner because we knew it would be just as wonderful!
The Spa
To be honest, I’m not a huge spa-goer. I enjoy massages and being pampered, but at the same time I have pretty tender and sensitive skin, and it takes me almost the whole 60 minutes of my massage period to get to the point that I feel even remotely relaxed (am I alone in this?). However, after staying two nights in pure bliss I was already at peace, calm, and thoroughly relaxed, and knew that a Balinese massage would put me right on top of cloud nine. I wasn’t wrong.
We were greeted at the spa with fresh towels, juice, and again, impeccable service. After a wonderful foot bath full of aromatic flowers, I found myself falling asleep on the massage table as my therapist applied the just the right amount of pressure to my muscles to work out all the kinks and knots. Absolute perfection.
After our massage, Derik and I were given fresh ginger tea and cookies and asked to fill out a service card of our time at the spa. The card was completely optional, but I appreciated the fact that they were so dedicated to their service they wanted to make sure they were doing the very best they could to give everyone over-the-top service.
Overall, our stay at The Gangsa Private Villas was outstanding. I would book a stay at any of the Kayumanis locations in a heartbeat, and am already looking forward to future trips to Bali just thinking about the possibility!
Book This Accommodation If…
…You’re wanting a place to simply relax in privacy.
…You just love peace and quiet.
…Five+ star service is important to you.
…Romance. Romance. Romance.
Two Bedroom Private Pool Villa room rate: starting at $387 USD per night
Derik and I were invited to stay at The Gangsa in exchange for an open and honest review. You should know that all opinions always and forever will be MY OWN.
