Category Archives: Fooding & Bars

Hillside Beach Club: The Sanda Spa and Serenity Beach

Posted on July 19, 2014 | Leave a comment

Lovers of the Mediterranean claim

that the blue of the Mediterranean Sea is unique: this is so true (picture 1)! I could spend hours gazing at this bright dense blue.

But I have to cross the Hillside Beach Club to go to the Sanda Spa, nestled on a hillside in the heart of a luxuriant vegetation.

The setting is extremely relaxing with comfortable wooden cottages, such as massage rooms.

The Sandi Spa’s therapists are from Bali:

great! Finally I’ll discover the famous Balinese massage! Even I am addicted to Asian massages, I haven’t had yet the opportunity to experience the Balinese massage.

As always I prefer to be fasting for massages. When I took my RV, I didn’t really read the massage menu and just asked for a similar massage to a traditional Thai massage.

Ie a massage a little painful at the time that stretches all the muscles of your body and makes you feel great the next day.

And I was recommended the Asian Nirvana,

that lasts one hour and treats by pressures: ” Deep tissue therapie using elbow pressures” and performed with oil.

Another new detail for me: at the end of treatment, the therapist pats my back with these two warm instruments (picture above, left side), which I forgot the name (oops)! The feeling is very soothing, because the heat spreads throughout the spine.

After the treatment, I sloth in a comfortable large white chair, rocked by the sound of a small waterfall (picture 2). Then I head to the Serenity beach at the extreme opposite of the Sanda Spa (LOL!).

A small beautiful cove

where the beach is super quiet. You can access it either via a path that borders coast (picture above) or by boat (picture 4).

Children are not allowed, neither revelers or noisy games and animations … And you can really relax with a sense of being far far away from the real world!

Few chairs, few people. Most are with a book in hand. In the afternoon, it’s even better: as the beach is in shadow, there is almost no one.

You can have lunch on the beach.

On the menu: healthy light kebabs with grilled chicken wrapped in thin bread. Good for my diet ; )

There is no vegetarian menu, but there are tasty vegetables and extra fresh fruit juices (pictures above).

To return to the main beach and lounge of the club, I decided to try the boat … Lovely! Almost like in Venice, LOL!

Informations

Hillside Beach Club

Hillside Beach Club: Room With a Soothing Seaview

Scuba Diving @ The Hillside Beach Club, in Fethyie, Turkey

BEAUTY, HOTEL REVIEWS & DESTINATIONS

I was invited by the Hillside Beach Club at the Sanda Spa and Serenity beach. As you already know, this does not change my opinion! Thanks to Hillside Beach Club.

Hillside Beach Club: le Sanda Spa et la plage Serenity

Posted on July 18, 2014 | Leave a comment

Tous les amoureux de la Méditerranée clament

que le bleu de la mer Méditerranée est unique : c’est tellement vrai (photo 1)! Je pourrais rester des heures à contempler ce bleu dense et lumineux.

Mais j’ai R.V. à l’autre bout du Hillside Beach Club : au Sanda spa, niché à flanc de colline, au coeur d’une foisonnante végétation.

Le cadre est extrêmement relaxant, avec de confortables cabanons en bois, comme salles de massages.

L’équipe de thérapeutes du Sandi Spa est balinaise :

je suis ravie, je vais enfin découvrir le massage balinais! Car bien que je sois accro aux massages asiatiques, je n’ai pas encore eu l’occasion d’expérimenter de massage balinais.

Comme toujours, je préfère être à jeun pour les massages. En prenant R.V., je n’ai pas vraiment lu la carte. Et j’ai juste demandé un massage qui se rapprocherait le plus d’un massage thaï traditionnel.

C’est à dire un massage un peu douloureux sur le moment qui travaille sur les étirements et fait un bien fou le jour suivant.

Et l’on m’a recommandé l’Asian Nirvana,

d’une durée d’une heure qui traite en profondeur les tissus par pressions et s’effectue avec de l’huile. Les pressions sont effectuées avec les phalanges, coudes et les avant-bras de la thérapeute.

Petite nouveauté pour moi : à la fin du soin, la thérapeute tapote mon dos avec ces deux instruments tièdes (photo ci-dessus, bord gauche), dont j’ai oublié le nom! La sensation est très apaisante, car la chaleur se diffuse dans toute la colonne.

Le soin fini, je paresse dans un des larges et confortables transats blancs bercée par le bruit d’une petite cascade (photo 2). Puis direction la plage Serenity qui – bien sûre – se trouve à l’extrême opposé du Sanda Spa (LOL!).

Dans une superbe petite crique,

la plage est hyper calme. On y accède au choix par un chemin qui borde le littoral (photo ci-dessus), ou par bateau (photo 4).

Les enfants sont interdits, pas de fêtards bruyants et envahissants, ni jeux et autres animations… Ce qui permet de vraiment se relaxer, avec un sentiment du bout du monde.

Peu de transats, peu de monde. La plupart est avec un bouquin à la main. L’après-midi, c’est encore mieux : comme la plage est plongée dans l’ombre, il n’y a presque personne.

On peut déjeuner sur la plage.

Au menu : des kebabs très légers et sains, à base de brochettes grillées de poulet (ou de boeuf) enroulées dans du pain.

Rien n’est prévu pour les végétariens, mais les légumes sont craquants et goûteux. Et les jus de fruits sont extra frais (photos ci-dessus).

Pour retourner vers la plage centrale et le lounge principal du club, je décide d’essayer la large braque qui fait la navette… On se croirait presque à Venise, LOL!

Informations

Hillside Beach Club

Autres articles :

Hillside Beach Club: une chambre avec vue sur la mer

Plongée au Hillside Beach Club, à Fethiye, Turquie

BEAUTE, HOTEL REVIEWS & DESTINATIONS

J’ai été invitée par le Hillside Beach Club à tester un soin au Sandi Spa et le restaurant de la plage Serenity. Comme vous le savez déjà, ceci ne change en rien mes avis! Merci au Hillside Beach Club.

Qatar Airways: My Flights to Asia in Business Class

Posted on July 9, 2014 | Leave a comment

I fell in love with the Dreamliner,

the Boeing 787-8: what a fantastic flying experience in both directions! Qatar Airways offered me a round ticket Brussels-Denpasar/Bali in Business class.

The one way trip includes two stops: a first trip with the famous Dreamliner aircraft to the Hamad International Airport (Doha), where is the hub of the ailine. Then a second trip from Singapore to Denpasar in another plane more “conventional”.

My first impressions of the flight from Brussels to Denpasar: great cabin with a minimalist design that inspires comfort, wide windows and especially the amazing LED lighting (pictures 1 & 2). The service on board is also excellent: discreet, friendly and efficient.

Comfort, high tech & gastronomy

As always the day before departure I slept little (3h!). That morning, there were still details to finalize this express presstrip to Bali, “tailor made” for the blog.

Do I need to add that a Business class on a long haul – more than 20 hours one way trip (including stops) – is not a luxury but a fantastic way to not feel jetlag and to be optimum at the destination arrival!

Quickly I got familiar with the different audiovisual and seat remotes (picture above and pictures 5 and 1). What a pleasure to watch a program on the large TV touchscreen! And the seat combining comfort and intimacy (without feeling confined in a box), is difficult to leave! Believe me!

You can also use the Internet, I did not. On my Twitter (@ Mademoisellelek), I was against the Internet in flight. Why? By peace! But now, not so sure, LOL … For me the most important: I could recharge my electronic devices in my seat during the flight. I’ve also found the best sound proof cabin.

Icing on the cake: the food presentation and quality of meals. Foodies, famous international chefs have especially designed or adapted some of their specialties for the menu. Picture below: main dish with rice, lentils, fish, asparagus and spices of the Indian chef, Vineet Bhatia.

First stopover at Hamad International Airport (Doha)

Arrived at 11.30 p.m., I leave at 2:25 a.m. to Denpasar via Singapore. Not really the time to visit the airport, even if the shops and restaurants are open (pictures below).

After the security check, I head straight to the Qatar Airways lounge for the First and Business travelers, where I quietly rest.

The lounge space is quite small, but it seems that the new (huge) lounge will be operational in a few days. Good point: I’m five minutes from the gate of my second flight.

Another aircraft (Boeing 777-300ER) with a much greater capacity than the Dreamliner. Another design more conventional, but the comfort and service of the Business class remain excellent! As soon as I received my pajamas, I wore it! It always amuses me (sorry I’m not a fashionista anymore)!

To reduce the jelag effects, you have to set up the hours the destination where you are going. Drink plenty of water and sleep a maximum. I opted for a very light dinner, with a fisrt meal of the Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhira and a salad. And in bed (picture 7)!

Second stopover at Changi Airport (Singapore)

I was really excited by a stopover in Changi Airport (Singapore), the most awarded airport in the world: 420 awards since 1981 (Le Figaro)! But the stopover is too short (1:30) to visit at least one of the airport’s gardens.

In fact, passengers to Denpasar must also leave the plane. Pass the security check and wait to board again. So it is recommended to stay close to the boarding gate. The second image (right) of the photo below: the lounge.

If the Changi Airport is huge, everything seems to have been designed to make the traveler’s experience easier and enjoyable. As I haven’t had time to visit, It’s just my first impression.

Back on board, in the same aircraft, sitting on the same place. Denpasar Arrival at 7 p.m. local time. Time for a lunch and then we land!

And guess who comes out of the plane fresh and smiling? Of course me! Another pleasant surprise after being pampered by the crews of my different flights, I enjoy the VIP treatment on arrival at Denpasar. To be continued… Selamat datang di Bali, welcome in Bali!