Our new home away from home in Bali
We hit up Bali recently, as we do a couple of times a year, and were pretty pleased to finally find our official home away from home: The Sea Shanty Bali. This gorgeous villa fit for 6 adults and 6 kids (hello group holiday with associated mischief), means goodbye hectic streets of Seminyak and hello sunsets, sea and sand in tranquil Jimbaran Bay.
While we were there, we chatted to one half of the owner/designer/builder couple that created this hideaway, Rachael Peedom. Not only did Rachael give us the lowdown on how this placed, named after a maritime ditty, came into being – she also offered our readers a sweet deal to book the place too.
Wow guys, the villa is gorgeous! How did you go about designing and building The Sea Shanty Bali?
Dave searched for land around Bali for years and gathered lots of ideas along the way. By the time he found the land, he already had a fairly comprehensive design brief for The Sea Shanty. The priority was to keep it simple and user-friendly while taking into account aspect, environment and flow. The second crucial part was to find someone that we could trust to manage the build. Fortunately, we found Nigel, a designer/builder who had already built a number of homes in Bali. He understood our vision, how to go about building in Bali and brought with him his own loyal team of workers. The whole process has been a really positive experience.
What was the hardest thing about building a villa in Bali?
One of the greatest challenges we faced was sticking to our priority of keeping it simple. It’s easy to run away with indulgent ideas, which end up being impractical and expensive. Though Dave still thinks we should have included a stable for elephants and a water slide for kids!
So many villas tout themselves as family friendly but not that many deliver. You’ve thought of everything for The Sea Shanty: non-slip surfaces, complimentary car seats, a removable pool fence and toddler pools. What else will guests find?
As frequent travellers with kids, the most important thing to us is being able to turn up somewhere and have instant kids entertainment available in a safe environment, so we can really relax. We made sure to include this idea in the design with things like a giant chalkboard and a bedroom that sleeps six kids for the ultimate slumber party. High chairs, cots, toys, and plastic eating and drinking utensils are all in the house too so guests can get on with the business of packing their swimmers and not the kitchen sink!
Best of all though, we have live-in staff who adore kids, plus full-time Housekeepers to clean up after you, and drivers on call, to make your stay a breeze. They will babysit, play and cook for the kids while you sip your cocktail!
This is the perfect party pad but it’s also great for kids. What clientele do you normally get here and what kind of bedroom configurations are available?
The villa has 4 ensuite bedrooms. The 2 master bedrooms, one upstairs, one downstairs, have super-king size beds. The 3rd bedroom, aka ‘The Library’, can be configured as a bedroom with either a king bed or two single beds or a day bed. And the 4th bedroom is designed for children, with 2 bunk beds plus 2 additional mattresses if required (sleeping a total of 6 children). The villa is designed for 2 or 3 couples with children so it’s a great getaway with friends or extended family. The 4th bedroom works really well as an additional day-time chill out room, for kids or adults – it is the perfect space to be able to mingle when you want to, but retreat when you need time out.
We’re a bit past the craziness of Seminyak now. What does Jimbaran Bay have to offer for families?
Totally! Jimbaran is the opposite. It’s low key – no spruikers on the beach hustling you to buy Bintang singlets or plait your hair. You can catch a boat out to the world-class surf breaks 10 minutes away, do yoga or get a massage. There’s a great safe beach for the kids to tear around on and you can all enjoy a pizza and cocktails on the beach at the end of the day while you take in the most spectacular sunset in Bali. On food, there is a great dining scene to check out that runs from local seafood Warungs to 5-star international restaurants. Jimbaran still has a very local flavour too – as you walk up to Grocer and Grind to grab a coffee, you’ll pass local kids riding bikes to school, see the fighting roosters, and perhaps get yourself invited to a ceremony at one of the many small temples in the area. The Sea Shanty Bali is on the doorstep to all this action. Not to mention its only a 30 minute ride from the airport.
A beach holiday is nothing without a good beach. Can you tell us distances to your local and what you like to do there?
So close, it’s heaven! It’s about 150m walk to the back of the beach and probably 200m until you are in the surf. Jimbaran Beach is great in so many ways: it has a chilled out vibe, white sand, safe surf (for adults and children), a few shells to collect plenty of local kids to build sandcastles and play soccer with, and soft board hire is very inexpensive. We love it first thing in the morning, when you virtually have the beach to yourself and 5pm for sundowners. You can be at the 5-star Sundara Bar sipping a cocktail, or BYO a cold Bintang to sit in the sand. You can’t beat the sunset vibe down there.
We were very pleased with the price and thanks so much for offering our readers such a great deal too. We’ll let you take the honours…
Yes, we are offering a one time EXCLUSIVE 30% off on Published Rates for readers of Honeycombers/HoneyKids Asia. And for the first person to book, we will throw in a complimentary Sunset Boat Cruise with a bottle of bubbles. (Subject to prevailing weather conditions, to be determined by the staff and the boat company during the stay).
Terms and conditions of the offer:
– Please mention “Honeycombers Exclusive November Offer” when booking
– Standard Sea Shanty T&C’s apply. Refer here: Sea Shanty Terms and Conditions
– This exclusive Honeycombers offer is valid only for stays from 12 November 2014 to 17 December 2014 (inclusive), and from 9 January 2015 to 2 April 2015 (inclusive).
– Book and pay before 28 February 2015.
– Minimum 3 night stay applies
– Offer valid for maximum 6 adults and 6 children per stay. Any additional persons will be subject to additional charges (refer to T&C’s).
– Only available through direct booking at: [email protected]