Bulgari Resort Bali (1)

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In March 2013, my girlfriend treated me with an all-expense-paid luxury vacation to Bali. Her husband was on a business trip out of town and she thought we could have some girl time together and catch up with each other’s lives. I was working in Shanghai at the time, and my architectural design firm had just been in business for two years. My mind was at work. I felt guilty for leaving the staff. 

Our flight was from Shanghai to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. From there, we made a short transfer to Ngurah Rai International Airport, which was close to our hotel. 

As soon as we stepped out of the airport, we were hit by the salty humid air. We exchanged some money and were picked up by the fully air-conditioned hotel Mercedes van. Our chauffeur handed us hot towels to wipe our tired faces. Our spirit was up, and we headed to the Bulgari Resort.

Indonesia is a country made up of thousands of volcanic islands. It is the home of hundreds of ethnic groups speaking many different languages. It’s known for its beaches, volcanoes, Komodo dragons and jungles sheltering elephants, orangutans, and tigers. The Bulgari resort is situated on the south edge of the Island of Bali. (Google)

Before we entered the resort premise, the van was stopped at a checkpoint. Armed security guards with bomb detectors scanned the car all over, including under the hood and the bottom. There was a terrorist incident in which a bomb attached to the bottom of a car killed foreign tourists.

There was no hotel lobby per se. The check-in happened at a temple-like dimly-lit open space. Since it was at night, we couldn’t make out the location but were guided through a simple process. I was sipping Mojito all the while. Besides the two of us and one staff, we didn’t see a single soul around.

Soon we were taken to our suite by a golf car.

It was a one-bedroom villa. The living room was a covered open space. The staff/driver told us to not leave food out due to the wildlife around.

My girlfriend is also an architect. We were already impressed by the architecture of the resort and we couldn’t wait to explore the place the next day.