ESTATE OF BLISS

We test Como Shambhala Estate's reputation as a heavenly wellness destination and come away wishing we had never left. If only one resort had to represent Bali's Island of the Gods moniker, this would be it

The main spa and wellness area, which is called Ojas. Descend into heaven...

Jungles are unfriendly places. Actually, let me come right out and say it: jungles are deeply inhospitable places to human beings and I like being in one only a little less than the thought of being in a North Korean hard labor camp. Obviously, the heat is oppressive and the humidity intolerable. The undergrowth and mud make travel by foot treacherous and the wildlife might make things deadly. In fact, the only friends you will make in a jungle are the insects and leeches, neither of which you want to establish relations with.
The bottom line about a jungle excursion is that the only luxury is surviving the experience intact. Perhaps I am a pampered reviewer but that is why our online magazine is called Luxury-Insider, not Inside the Outhouse… It is to our great surprise – and yours too no doubt – that one of our favorite resorts is virtually surrounded by the Green Death. By the end of my stay, the Como Shambhala Estate even had me considering adopting a healthier attitude to cicadas…

Located up in the hills near Ubud, Bali, on the banks of the Ayung River, the Como Shambhala Estate has been an icon of wellness and fine living for years now. While it does reign over the Eat, Pray, Love crowd, the Estate also has a much wider appeal, as we discovered.

The jungle around the Estate is more like a forest, and it looks even more gorgeous than it does in pictures

PEACEFUL FOREST

Some basic facts to start this off right and then the shameless gushing begins. There is very little in the way of objectivity in this review; I would move there today if I could.

Originally opened in 1998 as Begawan Giri, this wonder of wellness and holistic awesomeness has been owned and operated by Como Hotels & Resorts since 2004. It occupies 23 acres of jungle-encrusted riverbank and packs 30 rooms and suites, alongside five residences, four private villas and five retreat villas, into the space in such a way that one need rarely encounter one’s neighbors. The beauty of a place like the Como Shambhala Estate is that you can be as social – or not – as you want. Although it is just 15 minutes or so from Ubud, a tourist trap of epic proportions, it gets no random visitors.

One of the many outdoor areas in the Estate that put you right in the thick of nature

I actually struggle to understand this a little because the two restaurants, Kudus House and Glow are excellent and the spa is famous around the world. Conde Nast Traveler bestowed its Best Destinations Spa distinction upon said spa, courtesy of its 2013 Readers’ Spa Awards. The spa regularly wins this and other significant awards so to say that it is excellent is like saying Paris is pretty.

I will return to the restaurants, the rooms and the spa in a bit. By way of a warning though, it must be reiterated that this resort is all about wellness. I would use capital letters to emphasize the point but that would be contrary to the spirit of the place. In itself, that should be indication enough. Fitness, eating and drinking right, and finding inner peace are main courses on the menu. This impacts all sorts of little things like the mini bar, for example, which does not feature every kind of treat to wreak havoc with your health. Basically, if you are looking to make like Hunter S. Thompson this is not the place for you.

The all-day restaurant Glow is a very contemporary affair. The stairs remind you every day to stay fit

The Estate has a variety of programs to experience the resort over a set number of days. I was on the Discover Package and had the great pleasure of staying at the Shantivana (Peaceful Forest in Sanskrit) Retreat Villa, which is a two-storey beauty that is part of a complex of similarly designed offerings. There are one-storey units adjacent to Ojas, a principal wellness area in the resort; the two-storey units seem to have been made for tennis enthusiasts in mind because it equidistant to the courts as it is to the spa area. Allow me to wax lyrical about the setting here for a paragraph or two.

Kudus House has an old-school feel. The view is simply incredible

Looking at this pool, you cannot help but want to dive into it

As soon you set foot inside the villa, you will find yourself slack-jawed. A wide outdoor area greets you with a vision of decking and teak; there is enough space here to host a small party, with ample seating to boot. Walking in feels a little like coming home but, personally, I was seized by the feeling that someone had made a mistake (in my favor) with the accommodation and that I would be found out and unceremoniously downgraded. I gather these feelings are common to all guests because the Como Shambhala section of the Como Hotels website happily announces that it feels like “a home away from home.” Pictures fail to convey the full majesty of the place and mind that these pictures are quite majestic; also, I have not even gotten to the 12 meter private pool, with Jacuzzi jets, and the impressive view of that jungle. Yes dear reader, the irony of the name "Shantivana" is not lost on us.

Private pools are par for the course in villa setups but remember that much of the Estate dates back from the days of Begawan Giri in 1998. In fact, these two-storey villas were originally meant to be sold to private owners back in the day. Guests should take note that the pools can be heated or not, as you please but the resort requires 24-hours notification if you want to be nice and toasty in your pool. I found the natural temperature satisfactory during the day but a little nippy after sundown. If you are coming from someplace besides the steamy tropics, you will have no trouble; if you are in the outdoor area, there is just a ceiling fan so cooling off periodically is a good idea.

A mirror image of the villa I stayed in

Inside the villa, the top and bottom floors are not connected at all; access to the different floors is via the staircase outside. For my stay, I get the top floor, which is great because the pool and outdoor shower can only be accessed from this level. The furniture is exactly as you see it (above), including the outdoor dining and lounging area, so this is truth in advertising right here. Take a minute and gaze at the home-away-from-home you deserve.

EXTREME RELAXATION

The bathroom offers a generous amount of space and looks out on the pool; if you like, you can open up the glass-paneled partitions here and dive right into the pool. I recommend you take time to alternate between a good soak in the gigantic tub, a stint in the built-in steam room and shower, the adjoining outdoor shower and the pool. One can even make a circuit of the whole thing, if one needs to make relaxation a little more adventurous and altogether more revealing. While privacy is certainly not a problem, the view opens out onto a valley here and the groundskeepers live on the other side…

Even lounging in the bath, the view is impressive

Back to that view then, the villa overlooks a valley, which is actually what the Ayung River flows through. From this part of the Estate, you could make it down to the river by following a foot path with roughly 500 steps; along the way there are many private treatment areas and fun activities to try your hand at, including a climbing wall. The Discover Package comes with a personal assistant who makes notes about what activities I want to try and he – or his team – reminds me what I’m supposed to be doing every day of my stay. Having gone for a run down to the river bank and then back up again, I can say you do have to be in relatively decent shape to enjoy this part. For a bit more exhilaration, the Estate offers a number of impressive activities, including rafting the Ayung River (mostly class 2 rapids, with a spot of class 3 action) and the Como Shambhala Estate Biathlon (a two-hour hike to Uma Ubud followed by a bike ride back to the Estate).

Note the outdoor shower is not screened off, which you might be used to at other resorts

The Estate is not just for the adventurous of course. You could in fact get a decent workout just walking the grounds, given all the ups and downs of the place. This brings us, finally, to the holistic bit and the spa. The Estate prides itself on its clean-living nutritional advice, amazing (freshly pressed) fruit juices and yoga classes, all of which my personal assistant assisted with…well except the juices of course. These juices, it must be said, are absolutely wonderful and not to be missed when you stay here. You cannot walk into a Harrod's, Safeway, Cold Storage or whatever and find them on the shelf - I've tried and failed.

The steps that lead to the Ayung River. If you walk it alone, watch your footing

To some guests who visit the Estate regularly, the spa and yoga are key. The spa deserves its own story and I am happy to oblige but at a later date because my own treatment (the Como Shambhala Massage) was so lovely that I slept through it all; I never fall asleep during spa treatments so this was the most relaxing time I've ever had at a spa. Those who love deep tissue massages and such will not be disappointed either, as thespa menu shows. Whatever your desire, the Estate can induce what is known in spa circles as a "bliss coma."

As for yoga, well, calling myself a beginner would be an insult to beginners but I can happily report that the Estate accepts all skill levels. Nobody sneers at you here and, after a single session with the yoga teachers here, you will never sneer at yoga again. Well I know I won't. A quick note for yogis here that the Estate practices Hatha Yoga.

Finally, a return to the setting of the resort itself. When you visit, you will most certainly have to share your villa and the grounds with all manner of fauna; you are a guest but they live here. Even the restaurants are not enclosed - thus giving them impressive views - and this means the light draws insects at dinner time. While the Estate is careful about keeping mosquitoes in check, other insects seem happily unharmed. They add to the ambience of the place but people who think of insects of nightmare creatures should be warned.

Before I leave you, hopefully to pleasant dreams of Como Shambhala Estate, a few words of thanks are due to my hosts, if they happen to read this. My thanks to the team at Como Hotels and Resorts and Como Group in Singapore for being excellent in general, and to the team at the Estate for putting up with me.