I have this thing for beautifully designed hotel interior decor. Let me be more specific, I have a thing for boutique hotels with a well defined brand story that you can experience throughout your entire stay as a guest. From first impressions when you arrive at the hotel, interactions with the staff, little design details and a display of the thoughtfulness that has gone into anticipating the whims of every guest – brands that get this right are the ones that come out winning with lots of word-of-mouth referrals. For example, a Danish friend of mine swears by the boutique hotel Mama Shelter in Paris, every time her & her French husband travel to visit family. Although I’ve never been to Paris, because she’s always going on & on about it…best believe that’s where I’ll be staying when I finally pop my France cherry. So my little gem I’d like to share today is Bisma 8 – a luxury boutique hotel set within the natural and cultural heart of Ubud, in the Indonesian island of Bali. Traveling with a friend, our stay in Ubud was one of a total of three stops in a 10-days itinerary, which I’ll detail in another post. I’ll admit that this was definitely our most expensive stay for the entire trip but we decided to splurge a little. And boy am I glad that we did. Even after doing thorough research online (i.e. hashtag Instagram search & Booking.com reviews) Bisma 8 exceeded our expectations. From the courtesy private car shuttle from Bali’s Denpasar International Airport, kitted out with a smiling but not too chatty young driver (an Ubud local) and fresh hand towels & refreshments. To the interior design of the lobby when we arrived and were welcomed with a yummy welcome drink, checked-in and were shown to our room.
The rooms are designed in a very contemporary style – a mix of concrete floors, Japanese inspired wooden screen doors and oh-so-comfy bed linens on the inside and large floor-to-ceiling doors that open up to beautifully landscaped lush gardens, giving you the sense of being in the heart of a jungle completely disconnected from the world.
During our stay on one of our lazy pool days (after a complimentary morning yoga session & delicious 3 course brekkie!), we got chatting with a friendly elderly man who turned out was the father of the owner of Bisma 8. Originally from India, he’d owned a successful garment making business which he’d hoped his son would take over, as he had done from his own father. However, when the time came, his son’s heart just wasn’t in the business. So he decided to support his son in his first hospitality venture. With just one year in operations (launched in 2015), Bisma Eight has already received various industry travel awards. A risk worth taking I’d say. So if ever you’re in Ubud do check out Bisma 8. As you can see from the pictures, you won’t regret it! xo
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