Alila Villas Uluwatu Bali: A Luxurious Stay for an Eco-Conscious Traveler
Bali, Indonesia
Alila Villas in Uluwatu, Bali is a full villa property, the hotel has a simplistic elegance, not overdone and beautiful to the gaze. Everything about the grounds felt naturally designed, upon entering you are met with an open floor plan lobby that looks out into an infinity pool. The common areas of the hotel are split into East and West divided by the pool and cabanas. For dining options you have CIRE, Quila, and Warung. The hotel is open grounds and you are likely to see monkeys roaming the grounds jumping from tree to tree. Unlike monkeys which you will find in the Monkey Forest, these are more wild, not maintained by the staff so do not try to engage them in their natural habitat. This hotel has a pure, fresh ambiance and it felt like our home away from home, admittedly we did not leave the grounds for a few days. We were in absolute bliss spending our full days reclining by the infinity pool overlooking the Indian Ocean.
The hotel is situated on the top of a cliff, with nothing else in sight except for the ocean. If you would like to venture to the beaches, you can traverse approximately 600 steps down to the sandy beach. Do not base your trip on this beach access as the ability to use is based on mother nature and whether there is a high or a low tide. One morning we climbed down to the beach and had our own secluded wonderland, however we had to be very mindful of the waves, any slight pick up could mean high tides were coming in. Hotel staff recommend asking about the tide before venturing down at your own risk.
As mentioned the hotel offers all private villas build on a hill providing cliff like views for all guests. You can walk up central steps or request a Golf Cart Buggy. The villas are beautiful, we stayed on the second level out of four. The higher you are the better views, however every view from each cabana is stunning. Each one-bedroom pool villa has an indoor shower, outdoor shower, private cabana, private terrace, private pool and a garden or ocean view. All of our windows would open all the way to extend the living space to include the outdoors, however we weren’t brave enough to risk facing the monkeys getting inside or geckos between the sheets.
GREEN DESIGN
What was beautiful about this hotel was not simply how serene the grounds were but how much respect the hotel and staff seemed to have for the land. The Alila Villas Uluwatu has won numerous honors and certifications for being eco-friendly and the preserving natural resources. Aspiring towards being a green hotel goes beyond as patrons to waste separation and recycling, and conserving power by turning off lights when leaving quarters but it is a holistic effort which considers the impact developments have on the environment, wildlife, and local communities.
In an effort to minimize waste and conserve resources the hotel has committed to environmentally sustainable design by utilizing natural resources such as volcanic lava rocks on roofs to cool villas and absorb heat, rain gardens to collect and utilize natural waterfall through water management systems, and bamboo lined ceilings to promote the natural circulation of air. The open concept common areas and walkways allow for natural ventilation reducing the carbon emissions released into the environment through cooling systems.
SOCIAL IMPACT
In addition to environmental impact Alila VIllas Uluwatu partners with the R.O.L.E Foundation a non profit which supports the upskilling of women living in poverty in Indonesia to help empower them to break the cycle of poverty and provide them workplace skills learnings, hospitality training and support for fair wage guidance and support. R.O.L.E acknowledges the reality fo the feminization of poverty, with women and children being disproportionately and economically vulnerable. Through this partnership both organizations hope by uplifting and supporting women the whole family unit and associated communities can thrive.
Guests can support this endeavor by leaving a donation in their rooms on departure and one hundred percent of the donation will be transferred to R.O.L.E Foundation to benefit the vocational programs for women of Uluwatu and Jimbaran.