The Long House + Tiara Mas 13 bedroom villa

The neighbourhood:

The villa is located in Jimbaran and gets the best of both worlds: both Jimbaran and Nusa Dua. 10 minutes from the villa, you will find two of our favourite less touristy beaches, with white sand and clear blue waters. These are Melasti and Pandawa beaches. In contrast to most beaches in Bali, these beaches are kid friendly as they rarely have waves. Stay until sunset and watch the famous kecak dance at Melasti beach (insider tip: it will be much less crowded than the kecak dance performed at Uluwatu temple).

In terms of food, apart from the Jimbaran fish restaurants (see below) we definitely suggest: 1) Cuca for some serious tapas style food. Do try the honey-baked pumpkin salad, the smoked butterfish and the BBQ octopus and house cocktails 2) Sundara elegant beach club with luxe ocean views, a zero waste cocktail list and high end BBQ 3) Kisik Lounge & Seafood Restaurant mimicking a sea food market with oh-what-a-beach-view 4) Nelayan restaurant with its chic boho beach shack and its fusion of Mediterranean and Balinese cuisine. Whatever you do, do visit Samasta Lifestyle Village, an open space shopping mall with so much more to offer than a traditional Western mall. We are just saying family-friendly cafes, outdoor kiosks, and 17 outlets…

Jimbaran beach, also close by, with its famous fish market and fish restaurants by the beach is not to be missed. Here you will eat the freshest fish in Bali, often accompanied with traditional dancing. The fish restaurants by the beach are definitely touristic and a bit pricey but we promise you it is all worth it. For the braver ones, you can also select fresh fish, lobster and crabs and eat it at the fish market with your bare hands. They cook it for you on the spot and they put some delicious – often spicy – sauces on top.

GWK cultural park is definitely worth a visit. Here you will find the second tallest statue in the world. The Statue of Lord Vishnu riding the mythical bird Garuda is measured at a majestic height of 121 metres. To put this into perspective, New York’s Statue of Liberty stands at 93 metres. As well as the tallest statue in the world, GWK Park features different venues such as the Lotus Pond, Plaza Garuda presided over by the immense statue of Garuda, and Plaza Wisnu, amongst others. The Cultural Park also hosts various Balinese performances and restaurants. You can easily spend a day here if you wish to.

And if you are looking for an adrenaline boost, paragliding at Gunung Payung cliff and watersports at Nusa Dua (Tanjung Benoa beach) are both quite near. Water activities range from the more mainstream banana boat, roulette doughnut and snorkeling, to the more adventurous fly boarding, parasailing, jet skiing, wake boarding and water skiing. A relatively new toy is fly boarding where you can fly up to 10 metres from the sea while throwing some tricks to impress your friends. The best part? It is quite easy to do as it comes as naturally as walking. Another interesting one is the seawalker where you wear astronaut- like gear and literally walk on the bottom of the sea. In contrast to scuba diving (also available), you do not need any previous practice/knowledge. Tanjung Benoa is definitely the place to go if you are looking to spend your day doing watersports.

Getting around:

We can provide a 14seater Hiace mini bus with driver for $85 USD = 1.200.000 IDR for 8 hours or $55 US = 800.000 IDR for 5 hours. Alternatively, the staff can help rent a motorbike. Prices range from $5.5 USD = 80.000 IDR for a standard Vario to $18 US = 250.000 IDR for the more premium Nmax.