Bertepatan dengan ulang tahun pernikahan kami yang ke-6, saya dan Reza mendapat kesempatan untuk berlibur singkat ke Alila Villas Uluwatu (untuk standar keluarga kami, dengan dua anak dan yang bungsu masih umur 5 tahun, pergi berdua selama 3 hari 2 malam terhitung LAMA SEKALI).

Jujur, selain liburan berduanya, awalnya saya tidak punya ekspektasi macam-macam untuk tempat menginapnya sendiri. Kami bahkan sempat merencanakan untuk pergi setengah hari ke Ubud, membayangkan akan keliling mencari tempat makan di Jimbaran, dan seterusnya. We were clueless of the magic that had awaited us.

Ada tempat-tempat yang mampu mengecoh kita dengan tampilan yang indah lewat foto atau video, dan ketika kita kunjungi langsung ternyata tempat itu tak seindah brosurnya. Namun, ada juga tempat-tempat yang tidak bisa terwakili oleh foto maupun video, melainkan perlu dikunjungi langsung untuk bisa merasakan magisnya. Alila Villas Uluwatu Bali masuk di kategori kedua.

Perlahan tapi pasti, Alila Villas Uluwatu memikat kami. Staf yang gesit dan ramah menanti kami di bandara, disusul mobil jemputan yang dilengkapi sejumlah amenities dengan aroma kombinasi minyak esensial dan handuk dingin. Perjalanan pagi hari menuju Uluwatu terasa singkat dan menyenangkan.

Proses check-in berlangsung santai, dan seketika saya menemukan satu highlight mengenai tempat ini. Host Manager dari Alila Villas Uluwatu, Novita Murad, menyambut dan mengajak kami berbincang dengan santai dan terbuka. Belakangan, saya mengamati bahwa itulah ciri khas karakter staf di Alila Villas Uluwatu, yang pastinya merupakan hasil training. Mereka diarahkan untuk tidak bersikap formal, tetap sopan, dan menjadi diri mereka sendiri. Kadang-kadang ada pelatihan staf di tempat tertentu yang menjadikan staf mereka ramah tapi kaku bagai robot. Mereka kehilangan individualitasnya sehingga rasanya seperti berinteraksi seragam dengan satu orang yang sama. Tidak di Alila Villas Uluwatu. They’re just like nice people being gathered in one place. You can approach each one as friend, and each person brings out his or her own personality.

Perjalanan dengan buggy dari lobby ke villa mulai menunjukkan detail desain dan perawatan yang luar biasa. Ada simetri dan komposisi yang tertata ke mana pun kita melemparkan arah mata. Begitu pula di dalam villa. Saya yakin tempat sekelas resor pasti punya kamar yang bagus bahkan memukau. Alila Villas Uluwatu tidak terkecuali; private plunge pool, bath tub, pressure shower, outdoor shower, his and her amenities, walk-in closet, day bed ukuran besar yang bersambung dengan kolam renang dan private gazebo dengan pemandangan laut yang bisa dilihat dari kejauhan. It was awesome as expected.

Tapi, yang paling mengesankan bagi saya adalah desainnya yang cerdas. Di atap setiap villa, terdapat hamparan batu vulkanik yang berfungsi untuk mengarahkan aliran udara. Udara yang lebih sejuk mengalir ke bawah, melewati ruangan yang sepenuhnya terbuka saat siang, dibantu dengan kolaman air rendah yang ada di unit outdoor shower, membuat temperatur di kamar tetap sejuk tanpa menyalakan pendingin udara. The day was scorching hot, that even the water in our plunge pool was warm, but I stayed in the room with light sheet covering my feet. Pendingin udara baru dinyalakan sore hari ketika panel-panel penutup ruangan dipasang.

As a part of Journeys by Alila Villas Uluwatu’s package, we were offered to have lunch at The Warung, one of the two restaurants at the villa. The Warung menyajikan masakan khas Bali, dan merupakan salah satu restoran masakan Indonesia terbaik di daerah Uluwatu menurut survei internet yang sempat kami telusuri. The food was exquisite, indeed. Tendangan bumbu yang biasanya dikurangi ketika masakan tradisional diadopsi menjadi masakan hotel, tidak terjadi (although I feel their sambal matah can use a little more fire boost). I can still taste the authenticity of each meal we had.

Sore itu, kami menghabiskan waktu di The Spa. Saya mencoba Warm Stone Massage sementara Reza mencoba Therapeutic Massage yang dilanjut dengan Shirodara dan Tibetan Sound Healing. Our spa experience immediately became the next highlight in my list. The spa setting was beautiful and spacious. Their spa products were premium. Sebagai penyuka Warm Stone Massage, saya sudah mencoba layanan serupa di beberapa tempat dan Alila adalah yang terbaik sejauh ini. They were using a wide range of stones. The therapists were skillful and grounded. The receptionists were knowledgeable and friendly. Reza, who fell in love with their spa drink, was welcomed to have a glass each time we passed The Spa. I brought home a recipe of their signature drink, a simple brew of ginger, lemon, and honey, which we now make every now and then at home.

Makan malam kami berlangsung di Cire, restoran berikutnya yang ada di Alila Villas Uluwatu. Menu di Cire lebih terasa fusion, perpaduan Barat dan Timur. The ambience was delightful yet peaceful. Posisi Cire bersisian dengan kolam renang dan ada beberapa gazebo yang langsung menghadap laut. Dari sisi menu, kami menemukan lebih banyak elemen kejutan di Cire ketimbang The Warung. Although both are equally great, at Cire we experienced more culinary adventures. One dessert we had, Lemon Yuzu and Peanut Butter Ice Cream, was fantastic. The meeting between the zest of lemon and the sweet-savory peanut butter was something we raved throughout the night.

The serenity didn’t last long, though. Menjelang sore, keluarga dengan tiga anak kecil menginap persis di sebelah villa kami. Pukul enam pagi esok harinya, mereka sudah mulai berenang sambil menjerit-jerit kegirangan. I have two kids of my own, so I could understand their excitement, yet me and Reza were planning to ask the management if we could move to another villa. So, after the superb breakfast we had at the Cire, we went to Novi and told her our request. Novi janji untuk mengabari ketersediaan villa pengganti sebelum makan siang. Kami pasrah saja. Kalau memang tidak bisa dipindah pun tidak apa-apa. Namanya juga usaha.

Close to noon, there was a knock at our door. Novi appeared and asked us to go with her for a buggy ride. She found the villa, but she wanted to make sure we were okay with the place. She drove the buggy way, way up to the top of the hill. Dan, di sebuah parkiran villa besar, buggy itu berhenti. Novi ternyata mengajak kami ke sebuah villa 3 kamar. It was a full-blown house-size villa, with a real size infinite swimming pool facing the Indian Ocean. And the almost unfathomable question was asked: “Are you guys okay with this?” For a moment, me and Reza were lost for words. We literally stood there with our mouths opened. Half an hour later, a kind butler named Edi, was packing our stuff and move them to the new villa. We left our old, charming room with gratitude, sending thanks and blessings to the noisy kids next door.

Our anniversary dinner at Cire was unforgettable. We reserved one gazebo, and to our surprise, the gazebo was nicely decorated with lines of tea candles. Mbak Puspa, our most favorite waiter, was making sure we had all the recommended food from the menu. She was even sweet enough to give us extra peanut butter cookies that we loved so much. When we were back to our room, we found two kissing swans made out of towel with confetti of rose petals on our bed. Next to it was a box of chocolate with a greeting card from our butler, Edi, congratulating us for our anniversary. The silver moon lit the swimming pool as we took our last dip before closing the perfect night.

Rencana kami untuk jalan-jalan keluar hotel bubar dengan sukses. For three days, we actually didn’t go out at all. We found it extremely difficult to be parted from our swimming pool, from the delicious food both at Cire and The Warung, from the photogenic corners of Alila Villas Uluwatu, and their adorable staff.

On our last day, we requested for a late check out and had our lunch at the dining room of our villa. Separation anxiety started to kick in. We took time to say proper goodbye to the staff. Saya menjanjikan Novi satu hal, yakni mengirimkan koleksi lengkap semua buku saya untuk perpustakaan Alila Villas Uluwatu (yes, they have a cozy and pretty library). It may not mean much, but I sincerely wanted to extend my appreciation. They had been such a lovely host on our most special day. And still, their service extended to the airport. A stand-by staff was ready to welcome us upon arrival and handle our check-in process.

Few weeks after our visit, I fulfilled my promise and sent them this:

Few weeks after, we received a package. A bag full of Alila Villas Uluwatu\’s amenities. Pilihan yang tepat. A whiff of its scent would immediately bring us back to the sweet memory:

In her letter Novi wrote: “We received the books. Thank you so very much for your beautiful gift. However, I need to warn you. All Alila Villas Uluwatu Team Member now queuing outside my office and begging me to lend them some of those books; obviously my answer is NO. I promised them that they can take the books from the library and read them in my office … LOL.” I couldn’t hold my smile.

It has been two months after our anniversary, and at least once in every few days, Reza and I still mentioned Alila Villas Uluwatu in our random conversation. When we went to some spa a week ago, Reza suddenly said, “I miss Alila Uluwatu.” When we had a hectic and a long day, we would say, “We need to go to Alila Uluwatu.” The name was like a new phrase in our dictionary. And, yes, we are determined to go back.

Ketika sebuah tempat komersial yang kita tempati secara temporer dapat bertransformasi menjadi layaknya seorang sahabat, yang kenangan tentangnya seketika menghangatkan hati, itulah menurut saya pencapaian tertinggi. Dan, Alila Villas Uluwatu berhasil meraihnya.