Calling All Lotus Eaters ! ‘Villa Asante’ in Changgu, Bali.

What an amazing place. I stayed there with a big group of 3 families and we were busy for days on end. Picked up at the airport by their driver “Gidday” – I think 1 in 4 men in Bali is named “Gidday” – it was a ride through the busy throngs of Denpasar and Kuta to the quiet solitude that is ‘Villa Asante’ in Changgu, a short distance up the west coast of Bali. The villa complex is stunning. A garden green for some sports, big pool, separate outdoor dining and living areas, and at the front a fantastic two-story building containing four 5 star ensuite rooms with private bathrooms etc. The Master bedroom you actually shower outside – quite exciting stuff when you are single! More so when you are married! Cable TV, wireless internet, resident Balinese staff, 24 hours security, an on-premise ‘Manager come Concierge’ to organise everything for you, magnificent food and beverages always available. And probably most important of all – space ! You can be there with a big group of friends and there is that space to go and hide with your iPod and a good book. If you have an extended group of friends and need more accommodation, right next door is the equally impressive ‘The Villa’ at Echo Beach

For those action-oriented individuals there is lots to do locally. Near ‘Asante’ you can do long walks through the rice paddies and back roads of this safe little haven. 5 minutes walk away from the villa is the world-famous ‘Echo surf beach’ where there are some fabulous and inexpensive restaurants and bars where you can sit and chill, chat, or just soak up the magnificence of the eastern Indian Ocean at sunset – or sunrise if you party-hard ! A short car ride away there’s Denpasar for shopping, Kuta for more partying, the magnificent ‘Changgu Sports Club’ for all sorts of sports, a large water park near Denpasar for the kids and dads, etc. Slightly further afield there’s Nusa for golf, Sanur for diving, and Mount Batur for canoeing and cycling. But the quiet and relaxed simplicity and solitude that is ‘Asante’ in Changgu just makes you want to come back. The quiet thunder of that east Indian Ocean surf softening your senses; the cool breeze through the quiet local paddy fields making that sun-downer taste so much better. Try ‘Villa Asante’. It is a peace of paradise

This is The Nav. Pouring himself into his next sundowner