The Edge Uluwatu is luxe escapism personified. Ondy Sweeting nestles in.
Close your eyes and you’ll hear the crashing waves of the Uluwatu cliffs. Open them and you’ll see the unique indulgence that secured ‘Best Resort’ award for The Edge at The Yak Awards 2018.
At The Edge Uluwatu guests can visit a natural limestone cave system, go ten pin bowling, luxuriate in a submerged spa, engage in karaoke and swim in a pool with a glass bottom platform that shoots five metres beyond the cliff to deliver a strange and magical view of the landscape below.
Within The Edge is The Club – a new one-stop party destination with a lush private cinema that doubles as a karaoke room, an exclusive bar stocked with epic top shelf drinks, including a $30,000 bottle of single malt and a dance floor complete with a mirror ball. This entertainment realm has two ten pin bowling lanes, private dining within a wine room and a specially sealed cellar with vintages from French houses including Chateau Lafite and Chateau Margaux. A full size tennis court crowns the building.
Then there is The Cave – a soon-to-be launched dining experience inside a natural limestone cavern with speleothem stalactites and stalagmites. Accessed via a glassed-in spiral staircase, the cave has tiny formations of calcium carbonate and minerals smaller than a pinky finger to metres long mineral deposits that have formed over tens of thousands of years. A chef’s table will deliver canapés while the resort’s South East Asian fine diner – seas – will deliver dishes to a central dining table. A smaller cavern is being delicately conserved before becoming a dessert lounge.
Eight Villas at The Edge are exquisite and contemporary with swimming pools full of soft filtered water and superb gardens. Spaciousness is fundamental to the design with huge bathrooms complete with a spa bathtub and fragrant bath salts, separate shower double size rooms and plenty of space. Signature toiletries are by Hermès.
An airy combined living and dining space has comfortable couches, fabulous art-installation style lighting and a dedicated butler, with a private office in the pantry and kitchen.
Architecturally the clean lines of minimalism enhance the big ocean views at every point. Sun loungers by the pool, the steps that lead to the living area, pathways to a separate wing that has two levels with one bedroom over another and a breakfast bale with sunken seating – are all poised to take in the million dollar scene of the Indian Ocean.
Bedrooms are luxe with cloud soft beds, a sitting area, large scale balconies and big flat screen TV’s that present satellite TV and streaming services. Impressive blue tooth surround sound speakers tune into any smart phone with one touch and black out curtains are remotely controlled. A lighting panel offers ‘ambience’, ‘reading’, and movement sensitive nightlights switch on when you arrive to your room or roam in the night. The dressing gowns in the dressing room are lined with soft faux lambskin.
The Edge has several dining choices from a simple In-Villa salad to a romantic soirée while the casual beach-inspired menu of oneeighty° delivers lunch and dinner. The excellent South East Asian restaurant called Seas is the latest to open in the resort. Seas degustation menu features succulent beef cheek rendang finished with handmade coconut cream, betle leaves stuffed full of smoky salmon, coriander and salty roe while the standout lamb martabak is softly spiced and lightly dusted in flour and served with a light curry dipping sauce and whole green chilies. Singapore chili prawns fell away from their shells and dripped with a rich mélange of Asian flavours. A snack of fried lotus chips and a light tempura of Thai coriander shoots with a subtle and earthy flavour started the feast, which ended in tiny soft pandan pancakes topped with sweet jackfruit, mango and banana with coconut.
Seas cocktails are created to match the Asian tang with ample use of ginger, fresh lemongrass, light rum and vodka. Wine connoisseurs will adore the Wine Spectator Award-winning list of more than 2,000 bottles of hand-picked wines. A sky bar is a great escape for a lounge-style sundowner while another bar has several glass floor panels to observe the views down the cliff. Permanent binoculars are ready for guests to look out for the lovely dugongs that often frolic in the sea below.
The two beautiful pools are surrounded by double sun loungers ready with towels, ice buckets plus chilled face towels misted in orange blossom water. At the stroke of midday outside visitors are welcomed for a small fee. The buzz lifts a beat or two with collective joy of being in a beautiful destination. Floating trays packed with delectable dishes, a divine sea breeze and a pool like no other on the island is a winning combination.
The award-winning spa is as unique as its home with massage tables and reclining chairs immersed in shallow pool of water. Therapists swish through the cool H2O while they stroke and rub tight muscles. Ceiling -to-floor glass captures the perfect views.
If pure escapism and seamless service in rarified opulence is your sweet spot, The Edge Uluwatu delivers a profoundly luxurious getaway.