Mr & Mrs Smith

A very nice place, with lovely rooms. The food was great. Also worth a mention are the stunning black sand beaches.

On arrival at Alila Manggis, it's hard not to be wowed by the vast open foyer. Attention to every detail is made from the artwork and sculptures, lilypond and friendly staff, to the refreshing cold flannel and ice tea. The rooms are although not overly sizeable, comfortable, clean and welcoming, not to mention the patio doors leading right out onto the pool. Overall, this hotel certainly gives 5-Star Mr & Mrs Smith quality service and cool at 3-Star prices. The array of activities is broad from white water rafting for the active, to Balinese massages for the 'not so'. Our highlight must be the rafting. Make sure you take a few thousand Ruppiah with you as the cold beer on the banks of what is quite a remarkable and picturesque river really ices the cake. A worthy reason to lift your head from the poolside lounger.

While staying at Alila Manggis, make sure you do the Grand Panorama trek with Toto as your guide. The walk is fantastic, through a tropical forest, before winding down to the incredibly green rice paddies of Sidemen. After a couple of hours of exhertion, you are taken to a guest house overlooking the rice fields and Mount Agung. As you sit on the beautiful private terrace, you are served a delicious Balinese banquet. A perfect end to the trip!

Wow, this hotel is SUCH a find.... We arrived in Bali suffering from major stress (busy work lives, buying a house which nearly fell through at the last minute – leaving us to find the finances to bridge the purchase and then trying to sell our flat again) had left us feeling fairly frazzled and in need of total relaxation. We have booked our holidays through Mr & Mrs Smith for some years now, and knew that they have never failed to meet our expectations in the past – we weren’t to be disappointed this time either. We were already in Bali so had organised our own transport to Alila Manggis, but the hotel will organise this for you – from the airport all the way to the hotel and back again.

The motto at Alila Manggis seems to be one of total indulgence and serenity – the setting is beautiful, the menu gorgeous – but it is the staff who deserve special mention, for their the cheerful smiles everywhere you go. They smile at every moment and seem truly able to predict your every need; from constantly tending to you when lazing around the poolside (complimentary iced water before you know you need it, afternoon tea every day); to meeting any request at the restaurant with sweet smiles and efficient care; to taking you snorkeling or deep sea fishing at your request. The entire atmosphere is one of luxury and indulgence.

The amenities are fabulous – there really is no need to organise anything before you arrive. The hotel has its own leisure concierge and we were able to book trips to local attractions and excursions, from snorkeling at the blue lagoon, to deep-sea fishing, to mountain trekking and a visit to the Alila organic garden where we had afternoon tea (our Mr & Mrs Smith membership free gift!)

We also took advantage of a daily laze around the poolside. The hotel’s swimming pool is a central feature of the resort – an inverted pyramid which creates shallow waters around the edges and deep water in the middle, making it safe for children and adults alike as well as a beautiful sight. We dined every night in the Seasalt Restaurant and took advantage of the contemporary and Indonesian and Balinese favourites. I took advantage of the Spa Alila for some traditional Indonesian and Balinese facials and aromatherapy massages and then bought some beautiful items (gifts for people at home AND our new home) at the onsite Alila Living boutique.

We availed of the late check-out and airport transfer taxi service to take us to the airport and left Bali with the Alila feeling of indulgence and serenity that the hotel provides! Well worth a visit, for the smiles of the staff alone! We loved it!