We are blessed with the opportunity to stay in and experience thousands of villas throughout the Asia Pacific region – some would say you could call us experts at it. There is however one slice of paradise called Villa Stella, little known and yet to be discovered by all – just 2-hours east of the tourist hubs of Bali. Located on the East Coast, Candidasa is a beautiful seaside village, that we like to call our weekend away in heaven. If you want to hear about one of our favourite 3-bedroom villas on the gorgeous waterfront of Candidasa… keep reading…
Have You Heard of Villa Stella, Candidasa?
Well known to the expat crowd, and a select few who are willing to venture east, Candidasa is a beautiful laid back seaside village – approximately 2-hours from Denpasar International Airport. We left as some would call early at 9:00am, and took a private transfer from Seminyak. Arriving shortly after 11:00am we were feeling peckish and decided on one of the few restaurants in Candidasa’s main stretch. Sharing wood-fired pizzas and ice-cold drinks, we were pleasantly surprised with the quality and freshness of the meal. All of the pizza based were made from scratch and we could watch the pizza’s cook in the ceramic-tiled wood fire oven.
We call Candidasa our weekend heaven in Bali, as it is perfect for relaxing and using as a base to venture to other places on the island. Fancy a day trip to Ubud, Lovina or Amed – they are all easily reachable and as Candidasa and it’s surrounding villages are sparsely populated, the traffic is next to none.
If you are a keen diver, or enjoy the ocean, Padang Bai is a close by port which will grant you fast boat access to the nearby islands of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida.
Bring Your Entourage to Villa Stella
We chose to visit Candidasa and stay for the weekend, as one day of relaxing was just not enough. Packing small overnight bags, five of us all left for Candidasa on a Saturday morning. On arrival we were spoilt for choice as the villa’s staff had prepared Villa Stella and had opened up the neighbouring villa garden door to combine with Villa Lucia. Villa Stella was the villa we chose to use as a base, as the sprawling bedrooms, stunning terrazo style bathtub and lush gardens are a personal favourite. Both villas are built and owned by the same people, as well as enjoy the same team of professionally trained staff.
Ideal if you are travelling with either small or large groups as you can choose to use one of many of the villas along this waterfront strip.
Never Feel the Need to Lift a Finger
To say the staff here were incredible is an understatement. From the moment we arrived, their warm hospitality and the feeling of nothing was too big of an ask was true. They helped us settle in, and connect to the wi-fi, which was extremely fast at 20mbps connection allowing you to work if you are like me, or call friends on Skype and update Instagram. Moving through to the outdoor patio, the villa manager helped us choose a menu for both dinner and breakfast the next morning.
For dinner we chose to enjoy this outdoors at sunset with a selection of satay chicken, cap cay (stir-fry vegetables), mie goreng and fresh fish, all finished off with a black sticky rice pudding. The staff were attentive, however did not hover, so you felt as if they gave you the perfect balance of service and privacy to enjoy your meal with the group. If you needed anything they were only a bell-ring away.
Take a Tour of Villa Stella
You can see from the video above, why we always find it hard leaving, and plan our next weekender almost immediately upon returning to the office. I mean, when our office is in Bali – you can’t blame us for wanting to always explore. If you have any questions or are keen to book your stay, you can reach out to our team by filling out the form below.
