The Shanti Residence by Elite Havens

My husband and I had the best time at the Shanti Residence. We are Americans visiting from Chicago, IL. We are the type of travelers who enjoy more intimate, quiet, boutique-style hotels vs. chain hotels or big resorts. Full review below - Location - The grounds are beautiful - well-kept, lush setting with invisible edge pool overlooking the ocean. As other reviews stated, the villa is located down a dirt path. At first I thought drivers were going to find this annoying, but not a single driver complained, and we didn’t mind. Bali is much busier than I expected with lots of tourists and traffic so I enjoyed being set away from things a bit in Nusa Dua. It’s still quite close to other luxury resorts, restaurants, a market, Pandawa Beach etc so it’s close enough to entertaining things. Staff - A full-time butler is available throughout the stay. We interacted with Nova and Ratna and enjoyed interacting with both of them. They made sure we had everything we needed, served us meals when requested, gave suggestions and arranged all of our tours. They also spoke great English which was helpful. Everyone we interacted with was extremely kind (kitchen, manager, driver, landscapers, etc). Tours/Activities - For day trips to somewhere like Ubud I would suggest going through the butlers to coordinate a driver for the day. That’s what we did, and it worked out well. We also arranged a private yoga class and a massage on property through the butlers, which was so nice to be able to do without having to leave. Food - I will admit, I thought the food was only going to be okay because often hotel food can be somewhat standard. However, we loved the breakfast they served especially when we chose the Indonesian dishes like noodles and rice. So yummy! I also loved the iced lemongrass tea. We also had lunch and two dinners. As long as you give a few hours notice they can make you any meal. They serve you next to the pool which was a relaxing setting. The food was so good - we loved the banana fritters and the spring rolls especially. Room - We were in a pool suite. The room was huge, had good AC and a giant bathroom/closet. I loved the outdoor shower. We also had a plunge pool which was lovely. I do not typically write reviews, but we had such a special time staying here that I wanted to spread the word on this property. My only comment is that I hope their social media and website improves (I know they are working on it) because right now you can only find information through third party websites like *******, etc. and I want more people to know about this place and the amazing people working there.

We had a fantastic stay. The pool villa is beautiful and nicely furnished, and to have a private pool plus garden is just amazing. Also the public areas are very nice, the whole place is very calm and instantly felt like home for us. We were the only guests at the time, and the staff was amazing and helpful. The manager is the nicest person and gave us great recommendations. Location is a bit outside of Nusa Dua, so you need a driver to get around. But that also means it is very quiet and feels more like a family residence than a hotel. Location on a hill above the ocean means nice views and always a refreshing breeze from the sea. Breakfast and dinner were excellent and offered a choice between local options and some western food. Lunchtime snacks were just delicious. If you are looking for a beautiful, quiet place to relax and enjoy life, this is it. If you want to explore the area, the staff helps arrange transfers and tours. 100 percent recommended. We will miss it!