Notes from the host
Bali Style Retreat Near Bushiri Karting Speedway
BALI RETREAT ARUBA is a completely private villa, all the amenities shown in the photos are for your exclusive use and not shared with anyone else.
The design of Bali Retreat is inspired by the wondrous tropical villas of South East Asia, its design artfully blends cozy interiors of the Main House with a large tropical garden that surrounds it, opening the house to majestic rock formations set within a lush landscape adorned by a natural cave, two swimming pools, and seven waterfalls.
There are many vacation homes in Aruba, but none is like Bali Retreat. When you pass through the hand carved teak door of the retreat, you leave behind the hoards of sun- burned tourists, tacky restaurant chains, and gaudy beach resorts of the Caribbean, and emerge in the exotic paradise of South East Asia.
As you take a stroll among the awe-inspiring, million-year-old granite boulders looming above you, by the picturesque pools with crashing waterfalls, and under the lush canopy of tropical foliage, the enchanting, whimsical ambience will make you feel as if you were magically transported to the faraway kingdoms of Thailand or Malaysia, or perhaps to one of the idyllic islands of Indonesia.
And the longer you explore the layout of the villa and the maze of garden paths that connects various hidden areas within the lush grounds, the more likely you are to conclude that this is far more than just another house rental, rather it is your own private resort where anything that anyone might desire during their vacation can be found.
If you seek rest and relaxation, you’ll discover that nothing quiets the mind better than floating in the Garden Pool listening to the clamor of the waterfalls, reading a book under rustling palm trees while suspended in one of the hammocks in the Hammock Cove, meditating between two giant rocks in the Meditation Hollow, writing your journal in the tranquility of the Garden Lounge, gazing at the stars in the Sky Bed, taking a break from the afternoon heat in the cool Buddha Cave, or showering under a full moon in one of the open-air bathrooms with only the tropical song of cicadas as the backdrop.
If you wish to invigorate and strengthen your body, you can swim in the Indoor Pool under ancient Buddha statues protruding from an imposing rock wall and two waterfalls cascading into the lap pool’s crystal waters. You can work out in the open-air gym, play volleyball or badminton on the white sand Beach Court, practice yoga, pilates, or Zumba in the Yoga Pavilion, engross yourself in a game of chess in the Giant Chess Nook, play ping-pong in the Table Tennis Alcove on a custom-built table, or enjoy a game of billiards in the Main Hall.
Should you rather socialize with your friends and family, there are two pools with cozy lounging areas, outdoor jacuzzi for six, two bars (Pool Bar and Main Hall Bar), two dining areas (open-air Dining Room and the Outdoor Dining Pavilion, a white-sand barefoot dining area under a thatched roof), a huge pillow pit with a 65-inch TV, cozy outdoor seating outside the Buddha Cave, Garden Lounge tucked all the way in the furthest corner of the property, and a ten-person Cinema to enjoy the latest Netflix movie.
If you need to work, there is a fully air-conditioned office with a printer and the entire property is blanketed by a mesh wi-fi network.
In the three Tropical Suites, ensuite bathrooms, two of which are open-air, and enormous glass sliding doors give you the freedom to bring the garden into the home and enjoy the beautiful tropical climate or enclose your suite when you desire privacy and the modern comfort of air conditioning.
If you’d like to make your vacation even more special, private chefs will prepare for you amazing meals right in the retreat while you lounge by the pool, and trained masseuses and beauticians will transform the retreat into a full-service spa with a large offering of treatments.
All of that in a secluded location that offers complete and unrestricted privacy from the outside world, where no prying eyes can ever intrude upon your solitude and disturb the retreat’s tranquility.
Given the above, many of the retreat’s guests venture out rarely. But should you want to, you will be just a few minutes’ drive from the shops and restaurants of Palm Beach and the white sands and blue waters of Eagle Beach. We’ll be happy to arrange for you transfers to and from the airport, beaches, or restaurants, and hook you up with the best tours on the island - private or group sailings, jet ski rentals, ATV tours, and many other private or group sightseeing tours.
See below for a full list of amenities.
Open-plan MAIN HALL consisting of:
-pool lounge with seating for 6
-sunken conversation pit (65-inch SMART TV with built-in apps - with access to NETFLIX subscription)
-8-ft billiard table
-porch dining room and breakfast bar
-Indoor Heated Lap pool (13m x 2.8m lap pool, 1.25-1.55m deep + 4m x 1.4m soaking pool, 50cm deep)
THE BEDROOMS:
The house can sleep six people in luxury in its three master suites. All three suites - Pool Suite, Beach Suite, and Garden Suite - are air-conditioned, furnishedf with king- size beds, offer lovely views, and have ensuite bathrooms.
The Guest Room can sleep up to four additional people in modest comfort - two in a king-size bed, third one in a full-size bed, and the fourth one on a twin-size trundle bed (pull-out mattress). For that reason, the Guest Room is ideal for parents with two children. It is air-conditioned but does not have an adjacent bathroom. We recommend sharing the ensuite bathroom with the Beach Suite as it has two entrances (one from the suite and one from the garden) or using the garden bathroom (half bath) in the Pool House.
All four bedrooms have easy access to the social areas of the house and offer good privacy for its guests (no bedroom shares a common wall with another bedroom).
BATHROOMS
Hairdryer
Shampoo, conditioner, and body wash
Iron and ironing board (can be found in Beach Suite bathroom)
CINEMA: air-conditioned, 8 leather recliner seats + 4 bar stools, 150-inch screen, a high-definition projector, Yamaha audio receiver with surround sound system, DirecTV, PlayStation 4 with 2 wireless game controllers, Blu-ray / DVD player, Apple TV, Shield TV with Netflix subscription, popcorn machine
OFFICE: air-conditioned, built-in electronic safe, wireless printer/scanner/copier
KITCHEN: 4 burner gas stove, gas oven, microwave, stainless steel sink with a garbage disposer, dishwasher, refrigerator & freezer, Nespresso machine (complimentary espresso capsules provided until supply lasts), food processor, blender, pots, pans, cooking utensils, plates, glassware, silverware
YOGA PAVILION: yoga mats & fan
OUTDOOR GYM: SMART TV, free weights & benches, full-size mirrors, cardio machine, 6ft tall punching bag with training gloves & fans
GARDEN POOL with SPA- it is NOT heated as it is meant for you to cool off during hot Aruban days
BEACH VOLLEYBALL/ BADMINTON COURT
Racket, birdies & volleyballs are provided and the court is lit up in the evenings by floodlights between 6PM-10PM
OUTDOOR PING PONG TABLE
Custom-made outdoor table tennis. Balls & paddles provided. The area is lit up in the evenings by floodlights between 6PM-10PM
GIANT CHESS - Oversized chess pieces for family fun, day or night.
We have a mesh WIFI network throughout the entire property, including the garden.
The property is equipped with SONOS sound system, with speakers in the Main Hall, kitchen, garden dining pavilion.
We have a GOOGLE HOME, in the kitchen & as well as GOOGLE NEST SPEAKERS in each bedroom and a Google Mini speaker in the office.
We have SPOTIFY music streaming subscription and a NETFLIX subscription available to our guests.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE - EXTRA UTILITIES
When you book, there is an extra charge of $70/day for electricity and $30/day for water.
If you spend less than $100/day, we will REFUND you the balance. So, the electricity and water usage will be charged based on your usage.
We found this to be the fairest, as you would only pay for what you actually use, as the amount used vary from group to group.
Please keep in mind that as a small island in the Caribbean, electricity is a lot more expensive in Aruba than in the US.
The average utility cost for our guests has been around $50-65/ day when all four bedrooms are occupied, but the cost can be higher or lower depending on your usage of the air-conditioning and pool heater.
We take electric and water meter readings when you check-in and again on the checkout day, and the usage is charged at $0.29/kWh of electricity and $8.57/m3 of water.
(Please note: we include 20kWh/day of electricity and 1m3/day of water in the room rate, which covers the usual operation of the house - pool pumps to keep the pools clean, garden lights at night, drip system to water plants, topping up the pools, etc).