Balinese bliss at Waka Di Ume Resort and Spa

This sweet and peaceful 17-bedroom resort was made for relaxation, from the moment you step out of your car and hear the soft sound of water flowing and birds singing. The resort is also surrounded by its own rice fields so that you really feel at one with nature as soon as you arrive.

When we visited we found a superb team of friendly staff, and really liked that fact that the receptionists used first name basis (even if they called us both Sasha all the time!)

We stayed in a ground floor suite, consisting of a generously-sized bedroom with two double beds, a wardrobe with comfy robes and slippers, a safety deposit box and a hairdryer. The bathroom was open-air yet totally private, with a WC, shower and sunken bath. And the big plus with that with a suite you also got to enjoy your very own pool with private sunloungers!

The whole hotel has been decorated with neutral colours to give the impression of peace and relaxation, which really works, and that’s before you’ve even entered the spa centre. When we got there we found the spa treatments were fantastic and reasonably priced. Between us we experienced the aromotherapy massage and a facial, with both treatments lasting an hour, which left us nice and relaxed, ready for our yoga class.

We enjoyed an hour-long yoga session with expert trainer Inyoman Suweca. Inyoman made us feel totally at ease as this was our first time at yoga, and we started with a few warm up exercises before being shown a few ‘simple and easy’ postions. I have to say that they did not seem that easy at the time, and after the lesson we could definitely feel our muscles had had a workout, which I’m told is natural for yoga first-timers. We also experienced a half hour lesson of meditation which helped to get our minds into shape as well.

Dining at Waka Di Ume is also an experience, as it is all healthy spa cuisine to leave you feeling detoxed – except at breakfast time, where you can have a full English fry-up if you feel the need for some indulgence! Another great option at the hotel is the chance to join a cooking lesson to learn the secrets of traditional Balinese cooking.

A stay at Waka Di Ume spa is billed as an experience as well as a relaxing holiday and although we were only able to stay for one night, it will be one to remember for a long time.