Bulgari Resort Bali and the Buffet in Mulia Resort
Disclaim: Not a paid advertisement
My girlfriend and I were both in our 40s when we made the trip to Bali. Our purpose of the trip was to have some girl time and to catch up. If you are young and restless, Bulgari Resort may not be your best choice; and if you have young children, Bulgari is definitely not for you.
The individual villa concept fits the ocean cliff site perfectly. Instead of building an all-in-one hotel, the architect chose to arrange villas along the coast. The small footprint of a villa requires less cut-and-fill grading, reducing the amount of difficult site work on the cliff. Each villa was built with local materials and labor, minimizing environmental impact. The villas blended into the nature peacefully.
It also created a sense of solitariness. We could hardly see the entire property from any view point. We never had a sense of how many people were staying. We could call for a driver to drive us around, but being outside at night was not very desirable. For us, there were not much to do at night. The breakfast buffet was wonderful, but the dinner was sadly not. It would be wonderful if the buffet could stay open 24 hours. That would definitely spur up more activities in the evenings.
There was a wedding one day.
We got a bid bored one night, we called a taxi that took us to a newly opened hotel, the Mulia Resort. From the grape vine, we heard it had a good buffet.
Just from the outset, we knew it was the opposite of the Bulgari in every way. It was to the east of us, and the site was humongous. There were people everywhere.
Since we were there for the food, we went straight to the dining area. I regret not taking enough pictures of the food. It was not good; it was spectacular.
They got every kind of food imaginable in the mega dining hall. After days in seclusion, we needed some reality. We dived right into our favorites: Japanese sushi and sashimi.
I couldn’t find the architect of the resort. The interior design was done by a Jakarta based firm, Calder Interiors. I think it was done too bluntly for the purpose of looking grandiose, but I believe there must be a reason. After many years in the architectural design field, I can tell you that there is an untold story behind every project.
After the dinner, we walked around the hotel public areas. It was very grand, but a regular hotel nevertheless. With a ton of activities and a lively atmosphere, it was sure tailored to the younger crowd. Unlike the deeply hidden entry of Bulgari, from here, you can waive a cab and get to other venues quickly.
On our last breakfast at Bulgari, we compared notes on the experience on the island and the hotels we hopped. For us middle aged women, the Bulgari was the BEST. In fact, as we were checking out, the resort was preparing the reception of the British royal family.
