Every now and then, a villa comes along that seems to be everywhere – drool worthy images flooding our social media feeds and an animated “have you seen this villa yet?!” circling around the office. A little while ago, we started hearing excited whispers about a brand new villa complex in Bali. Before too long, there was such a buzz around these villas that we knew we had to see them for ourselves. As kismet would have it, our team was soon after invited to stay in Villa Vida in Canggu, Bali.
Canggu Beachside Villas
Villa Vida is one third of a villa trio – the Canggu Beachside Villas to be more exact. Booked together with sister villas Villa Gu (five bedrooms) and Villa Boa (three bedrooms), Villa Vida creates a huge 12-bedroom estate that’s ideal for big groups looking to stay in Bali’s most hip and happening neighbourhood, Canggu. Altogether, there’s room for 24 guests – better start curating that guest list!
The three villas don’t interconnect but they are located side by side in the same complex, connected by a private walkway. Canggu Beachside Villas share the same eclectic design but each villa is unique – no fear of getting a case of those cookie cutter corporate “blahs” here.
Life at Villa Vida
Arriving in Villa Vida feels like a breath of fresh air – literally. As soon as we step into the air-conditioned living room, the staff (looking flawless in their modern-meets-Bali uniforms) greets us with zingy welcome drinks and cool towels. It’s obvious that we will spend much of our time in this cool and comfortable room, with plush sofas and a huge flatscreen TV (hello, Netflix!) to keep us entertained for hours on end.
From the living room, full-wall windows look out to the 15-metre pool – but there are so many things to pique your interest indoors as well: a pair of Javanese shadow puppets framed on the wall, whimsical art pieces arranged on the low-slung coffee table, sofas piled high with exotic pillows… These idiosyncratic interior choices transform this contemporary space into something of a private art gallery.
Besides the living room, Villa Vida comes with a breezy open-plan dining room with pull-down curtains to ward off the midday sun and occasional downpour. The hands down coolest place to hang out, however, has got to be the rooftop terrace which offers exclusive views overlooking the rooftops and out to the sea. This is the perfect spot for a round of cocktails – or perhaps for taking your yoga practice to new heights.
Villa Vida has four bedrooms which was perfect for our group of eight. The master bedroom occupies a pride of place on the upper floor of the main house, while the three guest bedrooms sit on the ground floor, surrounding the swimming pool. All rooms have exceptionally comfortable beds and huge TVs – the set-up has “Netflix and chill” written all over it. The three guest bedrooms can be set up either with king-sized beds or two singles which offers great flexibility for mixed groups. Another example of Villa Vida’s unique design: the bedrooms have a fluid layout with no door separating the bedroom from the ensuite bathroom.
The Royal Service
Though Villa Vida is styled to the nines and the location is spot on (more on that later), as always, it was the villa staff who made our stay so special. Villa Vida is staffed with butlers, housekeepers and security and from the moment we arrive, the team can’t do enough for us. Mealtimes are a great litmus test for any villa and at Villa Vida, a yummy breakfast is included in the rates. If you’re peckish for lunch or dinner at the villa, a chef can be organised at an extra charge.
Staying in Trendy Canggu
Villa Vida sits pretty in the trendy neighbourhood of Canggu. True to the property’s name, the three Canggu Beachside Villas sits within a 100-metre stroll from Kayu Putih Beach. You can easily walk to the beach and nearest restaurants, while the best restaurants in Seminyak and the hip cafes of central Canggu are just a short drive away.
After checking into Villa Vida, we headed out for dinner at La Laguna and were delighted to learn that we could literally stroll over to this boho chic oceanfront restaurant. (For now, La Laguna has been temporally closed for renovation). Villa Vida is also about to have a world famous neighbour, with the iconic Café Del Mar set to open just a hop and skip along the beach later this year. Besides stylish seaside entertainment, the essentials are also covered: it was beyond convenient having the closest supermarket, Popular Deli, just 350 metres away from the villa – this made picking up groceries, snacks and beverages a breeze.
Checking out (all too soon)
After polishing off a fabulous breakfast (croissants and coffee and fruit juice, oh my!), we reluctantly packed our bags and prepared to check out. Our stay at Villa Vida was sleek, stylish and all too brief – and we can’t wait to be back. Talk to our team to find out more about staying in Villa Vida.
