Back to Bali - JL F/J, CX F/J, GA J - Private Villas, Conrad, Ritz Carlton, IC… - FlyerTalk Forums (2024)

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Part 1: CX F Lounge LHR // LHR-HND JL F (77W)
Part 2: Park Hotel Tokyo
Part 3: JL F Lounge HND // HND-HKG CX F (744)
Part 4: Ritz Carlton HKG
Part 5: CX Pier F Lounge HKG // HKG-CGK CX J (333)
Part 6: Mesastila Resort Central Java (plus Amanjiwo visit)
Part 7: Bulung Daya Villa, Tabanan - East Bali
Part 8: Villa Amrita, Ubud - Central Bali
Part 9: Ubud Sights and Restaurants
Part 10: The Edge, Uluwatu - Southern Bali
Part 11: Eating and drinking around Uluwatu - Ayana, Bvlgari, Banyan Tree, Alila, Finn’s Beach Club
Part 12: DPS-CGK GA J (333) and CGK-NRT JL J (789)
Part 13: Conrad Tokyo
Part 14: HND-HKG CX F (744) - Take 2
Part 15: Intercontinental HKG
Part 16: HKG Pier F revisited // HKG-LHR CX F (77W)

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BA and JL share a small F area in T3

There is even a small sitting area to use in the unlikely event of there being a wait for the next available agent.

Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge LHR T3

We took the only empty sofa in the bright area overlooking the runway. The lounge was actually really busy when we first arrived but soon emptied out once the AY and CX flights departed.

We made sure not to eat and drink too much, given the bonanza of food and drink awaiting us on board. I think the dining area was the one most in need of a refresh, they could at least hang a painting to break up the bare walls. Those with 'flexible ethics' will note that the door at the back of this room gives access to the F section, without having to verify credentials...

Unfortunately there was no Laurent Perrier Rose this time, Veuve Clicquot was the only champagne available. Nevertheless the drinks selection is very respectable with numerous decent options to choose from.

A rare surprise to see such a variety of healthy options available in an airport lounge.

I ignored the salads however and made a beeline straight for the char siu pork pork.

I also took the chance to get a pic in a Solus chair, knowing that these are slowly going the way of the 744...

One thing I really want to note is the quality of the lounge staff. LHR is notoriously terrible in its lounge staffing, this is categorically not the case with CX. The lounge is kept spotlessly clean, the food is replenished regularly but never whilst a customer is busy helping themselves. We were repeatedly offered refills once the lounge quietened down and most importantly the staff were friendly and engaged us in conversation, really making an effort to make us feel welcome.

The JL First Class Suite is not as enclosed and private as the latest generation of suites on EK, EY, SQ etc but the actual seat itself is one of the most comfortable in the sky, the thick leather armchair is easy to spend long periods of time relaxing in. The fact that it does this whilst also providing an exceptional sleep quality is a testament to JL’s eye for detail.

When the seat is upright for take off and landing, there’s almost too much legroom.

There’s a huge amount of space for a carry on underneath the ottoman too.

Bose QC25 headphones are pretty much the benchmark in quality and it's great to see JL providing them in F.

The amenity kits on JL F are physically my favourite of any airline. Being half Spanish I have always been aware of Loewe (aka. the Spanish Hermes - not to be confused with Lexus, which we all know is the Japanese Mercedes ). I love seeing this brand getting exposure in this most auspicious of settings.

The main kits are supplemented by additional, gender based, skincare kits.

My previous complaint with the contents of the JL F kits was that there was only a moist towelette scented with Loewe cologne inside. Would it really be so hard to get a small sample cologne inside? Somebody was obviously listening as we did end up getting some small bottles of Agua de Loewe this time^.

K absolutely loves the Loewe lip balm. Although the rest of the contents are fairly mundane.

Continuing the theme of slight disappointment, the canapés were a bready assortment of carbs. Usually JL knocks it out of the park when it comes to food. This was uncharacteristically weak.

After taking our meal order the FA returned with some packages of Japanese bar snacks. These were as awesome as always

I ordered the Japanese Kaiseki menu with the Caviar as a starter. This was back before K realised that she absolutely loves caviar (a realisation she made on a recent QR F flight, no more double portions for me now). She asked for just the Kaiseki, no extra caviar and no main course, as she wasn’t feeling too hungry.

First up we got the starters in the usual JL five dish presentation. Things were starting to look up: these dishes were well varied, fresh and delicious.

Unfortunately we didn’t get cedar chopsticks this time. On my previous travels with JL I had really enjoyed getting that amazing aroma of cedar wood with each mouthful of my meals. In fact we still use JL cedar chopsticks at home, since the CSM very kindly gave me two sets as a gift on a flight from HND-LHR.

Next up was the clear soup course. In the challenging environment of an airplane cabin I feel a soup is one of the foods that has the greatest opportunity to shine (it also benefits from being very simple to store and prepare). This soup was no exception.

At this point the FA brought me my caviar, the presentation was more akin to what you tend to see on other carriers. Not a patch on the spectacular Caviar with scallop and salmon tartare which I had last time. Still, its caviar and its delicious and I’m eating it in a metal tube thirty five thousand feet above the earth. So not all bad I guess

Whilst I was eating the caviar, the FA cleared K’s dishes and brought her the next course (K’s allocated seat was the empty one across the aisle). Meanwhile I still had both the caviar and a soup on the go.

By the time I was ready for the next Kaiseki course, K had already finished hers. This course was quite interesting flavour wise but a little too subtle I think, given that your tastebuds are desensitised at altitude.

It was at this point in the meal that I switched from the Salon to one of the Japanese white wines. In my opinion JL has the best drinks list of any carrier. Sure, there’s no Hennessy Paradis but there is a variety of exceptionally high quality wines and spirits, many of which are hard to find elsewhere. It is a wonderful and exciting experience getting to try all of these new flavours, discovering new favourites along the way.

The main course was phenomenal. I would gladly eat this every day. Unagi (grilled eel), with Akamiso, pickles and freshly cooked rice topped with Ikura (salmon roe). K looked a little bit forlorn when she saw how good this was. Being the gentleman that I am, I shared with her (this, of course, had nothing to do with the fact that I wanted to save room for an extravagant cheese plate )

I’ve never been hugely into desserts so was very glad to see that the Japanese menu featured only a small (and delicious) bite. I still don’t really understand the concept of the bamboo splinter that comes with it though. It’s like the three shells in Demolition Man...

Much like the rest of the meal: the cheese plate was top tier, better than most other carriers but not as good as what I’ve previously had on this route with JL. There were only two crackers and no variety to choose from. There was no fresh fruit either, although I do have to give JL props for adding the Membrillo (quince cheese) and honey.

I returned to find my bed ready for me. There was only a single airweave pillow however, the FA forgot the regular pillow which goes on top. No problem, I reached into the overhead and grabbed two extras for K and I.

Besides, starting the day like this is hard to argue with.

Given the short amount of time until landing and the fact that I was still full from dinner, I just ordered a double espresso and a fruit plate.

I really like how the coffee came with a cinnamon stick… and a chocolate truffle.

Looking out of the window, the islands of Northern Japan were illuminated magnificently by a column of pure sunlight. I was feeling good, I was feeling ready. I only had a single day in Japan but I was sure as hell going to make the most of it.

Upon exiting the lifts we found ourselves in the hotel proper. This almost felt more like an art gallery than a hotel.

First impressions really count and let me tell you, here the Park Hotel does extremely well. The design of the central courtyard, surrounded by the wood panelled hallways above and the enormous glass roof, is truly spectacular.

The clean and elegant lines of the lobby bar. Fantastic.

One of the more terrifying images which were projected onto the courtyard wall

This picture gives you a better idea of how intense the scale of this installation is.

This enormous skylight provides a great deal of sunlight to the lobby during the day.

The demure and elegant hallway of the artist floor did nothing to prepare us for the sensory onslaught of our room.

As we made our way down the hallway, with film crew and perfect American English speaking member of staff in tow, we were asked what we thought about having a Geisha room. I obviously had no effing idea what a Geisha room was and the look on my face gave me away. One of the crew gestured towards this door:

Rolling deep

No LEDs but happy to see a Toto washlet

Japanese hotels tend to be extremely generous when it comes to bathroom amentities. However I was still pleasantly surprised to find Thann branded soaps and lotions, the same brand used by TG in F.

Almost poetry

After watching us take pics of the room and asking us a few more questions, the film crew asked us to sign our lives away and bid us farewell

At this point, it was nearly 5pm and I had a very important mission to accomplish. I had been wanting to get a decent camera for a while, something to really improve my TRs. Specifically, I needed a camera that would work well in low light because we so often find ourselves arriving late at hotels or needing to take photos in an airplane cabin when the shades are shut. After a little research and a lot of help from K's Dad (an insanely good photographer, the kind that takes photos of hummingbirds feeding at a distance of 30 m) I had decided to buy a Panasonic Lumix LX100.

I had an idea of a couple of stores selling the camera and went to ask the concierge for help. He immediately called the two nearest stores and said that he had arranged for one of them to hold a camera aside for me. He wrote me a detailed set of instructions and gave me his card, should I require any assistance whilst in the shop.

I left K napping in the room and headed to BIC Camera in Ginza to buy my new toy. I tested it out by snapping a few pictures of the area near the hotel, on my way back.

Back at the hotel K was awake and hungry, as was I, having only eaten a plate of fruit and a single truffle all day. Our choice was obvious. One of my favourite restaurants in the world. Sure, it may not be Jiro level sushi but it's quick, delicious, cheap and delivered in an unbelievably cool way:

Uobei Sushi - Shibuya, Tokyo

The premise at Uobei is simple. You are handed a kind of pager with your seat allocation on it. You order whatever you want from the video screens in front of you. It is freshly made and shoots out along a set of magnetically charged rails in front of you. At the end you take your pager to the counter and pay. You rarely spend more than £20 including booze.

As you can see, the menu is certainly extensive.

O'Toro for 237JPY!!!

O'Toro, Ikura and the pager

Testing the macro function

Periodically the ordering system challenges you to a game of rock, paper, scissors. I've won a fair amount of free sushi over the years

Sated but slightly suspicious...

After dinner we took a snap in the centre of Shibuya Crossing...

...Before meeting my good friend Mossy for drinks at the Cerulean Tower Hotel

My Aviation was excellent. Mossy's Old fashioned on the other hand, resembled a fruit salad.

After a couple of rounds of drinks we made our way to the circle line only to find that our train was the last of the day and was stopping two stops short of our hotel.

Let me tell you this. You have not truly experienced Japanese culture until you have taken the last Yamanote Circle line train on a Friday night.

A squadron of railway employees in quasi-militaristic regalia are entrusted to go from carriage to carriage, shaking and repeatedly slapping salarymen who are inebriated to the point of near paralysis.

This guy had ingeniously managed to wedge himself between a couple of railings. Nothing five strong slaps to the face couldn't fix.

Outside the station, the carnage continued.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. The drunkest man of the evening.

He became something of an icon, with people crowding round to get their picture taken with him. It was only when this other guy lay down beside him that he came to and wandered off.

After all that excitement our Uber showed up. In Tokyo they aren't really any cheaper than cabs (i.e. they are expensive as hell) but they are a good way to skip the enormous queues at stations once the trains stop running. The interior decor is also quite interesting

Back at the hotel, we spent some time enjoying the view before heading to bed. For me, Tokyo has the best views of any city in the world. No matter which part of town you're in, once you get high up and can see the red lights blinking across every building, it feels like you're watching the heartbeat of the city. There's nothing like it, every time I'm here it feels like a piece of me has come home.

I love this temple-like shop/ restaurant which overlooks the check-in counters

Once past the lounge dragons you are faced with this amazing hallway lined with Japanese screens, capped with a screen depicting a pair of contrails intersecting. I love how this serves to build both physical and metaphorical distance between the lounge and the terminal.

Immediately to the left is a quiet area with amazing runway views. In terms of views, this really has to be one of the best lounges in the world. It was definitely designed by an AVgeek.

Past this small room is the main dining area. The chef makes an absolutely amazing breakfast galette.

There are also countless hot and cold buffet options. The small plates are particularly creative and delicious.

A freshly made egg galette, curry with scrambled eggs, braised vegetables, double espresso and a glass of Laurent Perrier. Not a bad breakfast

Followed by more LP and a chicken liver parfait.

On the far side of the restaurant area there is another quiet seating zone

Beautiful lacquer sculpture

Here you can also find some more relaxed lounge chairs, with foot stools, facing the runway. During fine weather, the outdoor viewing platform (landside) is usually full of spotters.

Also located within this quiet area is a large self serve bar. The Hibiki was trying to hide from me but did not succeed.

I also took the opportunity to have a quick go on one of the massage chairs. You can actually get a massage performed by a genuine human but honestly the chairs can just deliver way more pressure and there's no wait... and they look like Gundams.

On to the best part of the lounge. The absolute heaven of aviation geekery. The RED Suite.

Upon entering you are immediately faced with a display cabinet containing all manner of amazing JAL memorabilia.

This room is where the Jonh Lobb shoe shine area is located. This guy did an awesome job on my Ashills. He was great to talk to and was keen to talk to me about Jermyn street, visits to Northampton shoe factories and the rise of Japanese bespoke makers. As both an AV Geek and a shoe geek, this place is my nirvana.

One day I will own a house with a study that looks like this and a living room that looks like The Pier in HKG

To the right of the polishing room is the champagne room.

A selection of chilled sake

Doesn't look like they'll be running out any time soon

To the left of the main room there is an area with even more memorabilia, including this amazing desk.

I spent a good hour here editing photos for this trip report: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ore-suite.html

This is as busy as I've ever seen the RED Suite. I honestly don't get it. It is such an amazing place!

At the far end of the RED Suite is the games room. The stitching on the stools is reminiscent of the new SQ F seats.

This is truly one of the best lounges in the world. No question about it. I would way rather spend time here than TG's F lounge in BKK or the CCR at LHR. Great food, decent champagne, beautiful glassware, fantastic views, a ton of airline memorabilia, massages and John Lobb shoe shining. If I had to design a lounge from scratch this would probably it.

As we stepped into the F cabin we saw a guy with a pretty serious looking camera snapping away. The Cabin Supervisor explained that he was permitted to board early to take pics but today we were the only pax in F. All of this was just for us!!!

As she poured me a glass of the quite spectacular Amour de Deutz Rose 2006, the FA reminded me that it was my duty to finish all the food and drink on board

You can imagine how insanely happy I was at this stage. The entire nose of a 744 to ourselves for more than 4 hours. It really doesn't get much better than this.

There is a huge amount of storage space in row 1 of the CX 744

Such an amazing feeling having only this sotrage cupboard ahead of you.

I've seen far more wear and tear on other airlines' A380s. CX obviously takes pride in the appearance of its cabins

Not the best headphones but then again we didn't have to worry about ambient noise from other pax

This is new since my last CX 744 flight. Glad to see they added universal power sockets. Previously they had those ones that require a special power pack.

Fresh orchids placed at every seat, adding to the ambiance of the cabin, despite us being the only guests. Quite a contrast to miserly BA, who not only lack flowers at the seats but have now even removed them from the F bathrooms, in a bid to further cut costs

Some people complain that the CX F seat is too big. I bet they're a ton of fun at parties.

What a great job the guy at the RED Suite did on my John Lobbs ^. Is it even worth mentioning legroom in F?

I love my GoPro, it is so good at capturing the actual feel of your personal space within a cabin environment. For the record I'm 5'11" and around 75kg. This seat dwarfs me.

Whilst we were still on stand I took the opportunity to peruse the menu for today. I really like the new presentation, tying in with theme of the Ilse Crawford designed lounges and featuring the new logo.

CX always has a wine promotion running.

The Western menu looked pretty good...

...but I knew before boarding that I was definitely going to order the Japanese Kaiseki.

I hate to say it but I think that the Deutz Rose is actually better than Krug. No joke. CX are not cutting costs on this route, at all.

As we began our taxi, we passed R2D2 getting a final checkup before his maiden voyage.

Peering into the ANA Hangar

Once we got above the clouds, the grey drizzle of Tokyo was a distant memory. This global metacountry, the cloud kingdom. This is where I belong. So yeah, this was glass number three of the Deutz Rose, accompanied by some Japanese rice crackers.

After seeing how quickly I polished off the rice crackers the FA came back with another dish as well as some cashews and of course a top up for my champagne.

After destroying all those dishes of snacks I decided to wait a while before taking on the Kaiseki. I took the opportunity to sit in seat 3.5A, surveying the kingdom of the clouds below, through twenty four gleaming windows.

Although I had ordered the Kaiseki the FA talked me into trying the iberico ham starter. "We have so much food Mr Jermyn, you need to help us to eat it!"

The dish was simple but effective. The ham had been allowed to reach room temperature which is absolutely necessary to truly appreciate the flavour.

The opening salvo of the menu. Exquisite presentation. The tableware, even at this early stage of the meal was clearly a cut above JL. The satisfying chopstick pebble and the intricate detailing on the dipping dish have clearly had some thought put into them. The rice had a pleasant balance of sweet and sour although it was still quite cold when it came out. The scallop and salmon were both enormous and very fresh.

Again, far better presentation and better attention to detail than JL. The CX serving board is slightly tacky on its surface, which prevents items from slipping around during minor turbulence. It is also totally devoid of any scratches or marks and elegantly branded with a small CX detail.

A testament to a great dish is your ability to recall precisely the flavours and textures, months after eating it. This prawn was incredibly sweet and fresh tasting but the star was the duck and egg cake. It had been reconstructed to resemble a cube of pork belly and was a joy to experience. So rich and savoury, offset perfectly by the accompanying green apple liqueur.

Next up was the braised dish. Very well executed indeed. The vegetables still retained a satisfying crunch. The grilled sillago and yuzu soup was insanely good. Outlandishly perfect. Borderline incomprehensible. It looked like a cup of totally clear water but contained an endless ocean of flavour.

Then came the main course. What an exquisite display. The tableware is thoughtfully and elegantly selected, nothing matches anything else but still the elements work together in perfect harmony. The aim of Kaiseki of course is that this ethos should underpin not only the choice of tableware but also the ingredients contained therein. I am still something of a neophyte when it comes to this style of cuisine but even my primitive mind could comprehend that something very special indeed was going on here.

Soba noodles, maitake mushroom, yam paste and egg julienne. A wonderful combinations of flavours and textures. Soft, springy, crunchy, smooth - creamy, sour, sweet salty.

Matsusake mushroom, chrysanthemum flower and greens in bonito-flavour soy sauce

A selection of different pickles

The showstopper. Yaki style grilled red snapper and grilled beef with sansho pepper teriyaki suace. Both were cooked to perfection. The fish flaked effortlessly upon being touched, the beef appeared to have been slow cooked rather than being grilled, the tender meat melted after a single chew.

At this stage I was in a europhic state of near ecstasy. The food was incredible, the service was perfect - synchronised precisely with my pace. I had finished off a bottle of champagne and the sun was shining into our private haven, the entire nose of this majestic craft - our private sanctum.

Thankfully the dessert was a simple and palate cleansing plate of fresh fruit.

Of course I needed a coffee to keep me awake after all of that. CX has to have the best coffee presentation of any airline. The dish of pralines totally negates the need for a larger dessert.

As I sat sipping my espresso, with this view beneath me I couldn't help but marvel at the wonder of what our community is capable of. I never in my life imagined that I would find myself in Business class, let alone First. Every time I'm up here I know how special this is; sure the novelty factor has worn off a little but in its place has come a sense of deep comfort and familiarity. This is my happy place, this borderless utopia almost free of the Earth's gravitational grip.

With only 30 minutes or so before landing I went to freshen up (i.e. wash chocolate residue off of my hands and face). Nice to see a complement of full size Aesop amenities here. My absolute favourite. The sink is also very cool.

The best feature of the bathrooms on the 744 is clearly the windows though. Why doesn't every plane have these?

After returning to my seat I marvelled at the views below. The approach to HKG has to be one of the most beautiful in the world. I love seeing all of the boats moving around below, wondering what life must be like for the people aboard them.

The ICC as seen from Hong Kong island.

Despite being the 'back door' you can see that the no expense spared mentality is deeply imbued within this establishment.

The escalator up into the lobby

The entrance lobby even features a branch of the super exclusive and expensive Pierre Herme. Purveyor of the finest macarons on Earth

If you arrive by car, you will pass through this spectacular entrance...

...which boasts this rather impressive view

We were greeted by a bellhop and had our cases taken from us and tagged. Another employee then escorted us to the elevators and showed us to the main lobby on the 103rd floor.

Everything about the experience at The Ritz Carlton Hong Kong feels immensely solid and polished. Our check in took less than two minutes. Despite having no status at the time we were proactively upgraded to to a room with a partial harbour view. Much like our hotel in Tokyo, I was happy to pay for the upgrade if necessary as I knew it would be absolutely worth it, particularly as we were planning on spending all of our time at the hotel.

I had gotten in touch with the concierge beforehand to arrange reservations at Tin Lung Heen and Ozone bar, I can't say for sure if this factored into us being upgraded but I always feel that it makes sense to get in touch in advance, if you will be spending extra at the hotel. Whilst hotel cars are usually poor value, for example, a hotel car plus a complimentary upgrade can often be a decent deal. No guarantees of course but this line of thinking has yet to let me down.

The extravagant decor didn't let up on the way to our room

Our Room

The rooms at The Ritz Carlton Hong Kong are rather more understated than the public areas, I think they were right to go with more neutral tones here.

There are still quite a few cool touches, like the padded window seats, fantastically comfortable chairs and the Chinese screen features on the wall.

Despite only being a 'Partial harbour view room', the view was nothing short of jaw dropping.

The bed was ludicrously comfortable, like sleeping on a cotton cloud. Apposite given that we were at a height where its organic cousins could easily popup against our window.

The reassuringly heavy bedside tables, topped with a thick slab of black marble. Given the age of the hotel I'm not sure why the controls are so dated, although I do prefer this to hotels where there's technology overload, where it can take an hour to figure out how to turn all the lights off.

Similarly, as an Englishman its lovely to see one of our plug sockets but as an international traveller I'd rather see a universal power point.

Another small note: it's very nice of the RC to provide an iPod filled with a huge variety of music. However the music is only amplified by the small dock speaker rather than playing through an integrated speaker system as you'd expect in a hotel of this calibre.

The room featured a minibar area with a Nespresso machine and a selection of red and white wine glasses. The RC branded water was complimentary.

A selection of fine china plates, silver cutlery and even a serving slate (for those of us looking to emulate a tapas bar c. 2006)

The bathroom was of a very decent size, with enough onyx, marble and limestone to boost Rio Tinto's share price.

Note towel beneath the twin vanities, so plush that it stands at nearly two foot tall when folded. Fantastic oshibori style presentation for the flannels too.

The deep soaking tub with integrated HDTV.

I love seeing little extra details like this waterproof bath pillow

The rainfall shower (enormous shower head above not pictured). The water pressure on this was all the more impressive given the fact that this water had to be pumped up 110 floors!

Asprey amenities (as seen at Four Seasons in Hampshire), again a nice extra to have the body scrubber

Even more amenities. I really dislike having to call for a toothbrush at a 5* hotel, thankfully in Asia this kind of amenity-box setup tends to be the norm.

After settling into the room we headed up to the pool on the 118th floor. It occupies one half of the floor whilst Ozone bar occupies the other. If you want to see the sunset, you'll need access to the pool as the bar faces the other way.

As soon as I walked into the pool area my breath was taken away. It is a serene oasis of tranquility, nestled amongst the clouds. I've never been tempted to stay at the MBS in Singapore, just to use the pool. Here I can unequivocally state that the pool easily justifies the price of a night's stay.

This picture was taken from the outside area, feautirng hot tubs and some deck chairs. Whilst there are still glass walls, there is no roof, so you get the unusual sensation of almost being on a mountaintop.

Inside is the main lap pool, which has floor to ceiling windows running the entire length of HK Harbour. Spending as much time on planes as I do, it was strangely comforting being up here, seeing miniature life played out thousands of feet below

After a couple of hours at the pool we got dressed and headed to Tin Lung Heen, the hotel's 2 Michelin star Chinese restaurant.

Tin Lung Heen - Ritz Carlton, Hong Kong

The restaurant is housed on the 102nd floor of the hotel and has been very cleverly designed to be viewed from the reception on the 103rd floor above. The decor managed to be both over the top and rather understated. I've never really seen anything like it before. This definitely isn't bling but it is also quite far from being subtle.

Descending the escalators to the 102nd floor

The dark, brooding and shiny (another juxtaposition) lounge bar is straight ahead upon descending. This is far more my scene than Ozone bar, if you can live with being 16 floors lower, you'll get better views, less people and better service here. This is a place to come for a relaxing drink. Ozone is a place to 'go wild'.

Tin Lung Heen is on the right of the escalators.

We were warmly greeted upon arrival and immediately shown to our table. The service was impeccable throughout.

All the small touches you expect at a Michelin starred restaurant are here in abundance. A small banquette for K's handbag, sterling silver heater for the teapot, a fresh flower display on the table - even noting K was left handed and immediately re-arranging her place setting to reflect this.

We ordered a variety of dishes a la carte although numerous amuse bouches, palate cleansers and desserts were brought out free of charge, as tend to be the case when ordering a la carte at a place that features tasting menus.

The trio of barbecued meats was spectacular. The pork belly was an absolutely remarkable combinations of flavours and textures. The skin was intensely crispy; the fat, soft and creamy with the meat an intensely flavourful and tender base holding it all together.

Deep fried scallops with truffles and caviar. A dish of exceptional poise and quality. The intense smell of truffles reached our nostrils from the moment the waiter was within thirty paces of our table. The scallops were cooked to tender perfection.

Abalone with star anise and foie gras. Another perfectly cooked protein delicately counterbalancing a stronger flavour. The star anise made for an exciting and unexpected match to the foie.

I call this one, The Lady and The Fool.

We were given a small box of tea as a gift to take home. All too often you are given a small bag of pralines/ mignardises after a giant meal, when the last thing you want to do is eat more. I quite like the idea of giving tea instead.

Ozone Bar - The Ritz Carlton, Hong Kong

We planned to have drinks at Ozone because we figured that being guests of the hotel would ensure better treatment. It is a very popular bar with tourists, backpackers etc. given its location so it can get very busy.

The decor is not to everybody's taste. It is like finding oneself within the neon caldera of space volcano, from the future.

Despite confirmation to the contrary earlier on, we found ourselves at an indoor table with no view of the outside. We enquired about moving to the terrace but were basically told that it was a free for all and that we were on our own.

I have to say though, the selection of G and Ts is amazing and quite reasonably priced (especially if you're used to the price of drinks in London). The generous bowl of cashews would have been hard to resist had we not just come from a rather large meal.

After half an hour or so we just decided to head outside and chance it (our 'hostess' assured us that she would let us know as soon as an outdoor space became available). As luck would have it, a couple of seats were available .

The view is very cool but as I mentioned earlier, the best view on this floor is to be found at the pool. If you want a front on view of the harbour, head to the bar on floor 102.

We ordered one more drink each and then headed back to the room, where we could pick our own music, enjoy a better view, more space and enforce a far stricter door policy

After a wonderful sleep we woke up bright and early at around 5:30am, as I was deliriously excited at the prospect of visiting The Pier F lounge. We didn't get to experience breakfast at the property but I was quite impressed to see this area providing complimentary breakfast items in the 103rd floor reception area.

The entrance to the lounge is quite understated, which is perfectly in keeping with the theme of Ilse Crawford's design for the lounge as a whole.

Immediately down the escalators is the check-in, cloakroom and help desk area of the lounge. We handed over our boarding passes from both the Long haul inbound flight in F and our shorter onward connecting flight in J.

There is no clear stance on whether you get F lounge access on a sub-24 hour connection at HKG. Anecdotally it has gone both ways for members of the CX board. Initially we were told no but I managed to talk them around

The decor within The Pier F lounge is very neutral and features an abundance of natural materials. A world away from the red leather and black piano gloss of The Wing... and all the better for it.

This is the central hallway which serves as a path to the various sub-areas of the lounge: The Bar, The Dining Room, The Pantry, The Retreat and The Bureau (and also The Head, although that name is somewhat more unofficial than the others)

There's something perfect about the way that this seat fits within its environment. I wonder how many people worldwide have a need for furniture shaped like this...

The first place to catch K's eye was The Pantry. A self service area featuring a buffet of pastries and fruit as well as fridges filled with parfaits and freshly squeezed juice in bottles. There is something very cool about the design here. You don't feel at all like you're in a lounge but rather like you're helping yourself to food at a, particularly well stocked, family member's country home.

The Bar spans a number of different zones, each of which are accessible from different parts of the hallway. The immaculate green onyx topped bar sits at the far end of the hallway and is the place to go for an expertly crafted co*cktail or a quick coffee. The Wing was always terrible for co*cktails so this is a big step up for CX.

[On the right facing the bar] There is a very decent amount of natural light provided by the floor to ceiling windows, facing the tarmac. I'm not sure if I've seen anybody else make this comparison but to me the black furniture paired with the pale green is incredibly reminiscent of the Park Hyatt Tokyo. Although the execution in The Pier is clearly superior.

What a view!

If you are in a larger group then this area is ideal

[On the left facing the bar] There are numerous mirrors and small lamps used to light up the further corners of The Bar.

On this particular visit we had one major priority to take care of: Breakfast. So, naturally we headed to The Dining. The entrance of which is marked by these fetching rubber plants.

The Dining also features a large, manned bar, should you insist on only drinking in rooms with wooden ceilings.

The catering was handled by The Peninsula at the time of our visit, this contract has since shifted over to the Plaza Premium group. Despite the fact that The Wing was also catered and staffed by The Peninsula, the service here was notably better.

We were greeted by a very professional server the instant we arrived at the doorway. We were escorted to a booth of our choosing and immediately had water poured for us. Any time we began to veer our gaze towards a member of staff, one of them would quickly come over. The Wing's dining room has always suffered from poor service, The Pier categorically does not.

The breakfast menu is easily equal in scale to most hotels and restaurants. The crisp linen place mats and solid silver cutlery add to the overall impression of quality.

K ordered the noodle soup, which she loved. Personally I like my yokes more runny though.

The eggs Benedict were shockingly bad: Ham and beans? Bitter frisse lettuce? This alongside two decidedly vinegary, overcooked and vaguely scrotal eggs.

I thought I'd try again. Dim Sum in Hong Kong, should be good right? Wrong. I'm 90% sure this was steamed from frozen.

The fruit was fantastic though. Very fresh, great variety and excellent presentation.

After our breakfast we quickly jumped on the iMacs in The Bureau. An area which feels like a cross between a grand old library and a 19th century train car.

We did enquire about foot massages but these were booked out hours in advance. We also didn't go to the Day Suites as we wanted to leave something to look forward to on our follow up visit, ten days later!

Conclusion

Whilst the JL F lounge is a great airport lounge, it still very much feels like an airport lounge. The Red Suite is great but it is a little cold. You don't feel cosy there.

The Pier blows the entire concept of the airport lounge away. This is a lounge like no other. You can see planes on the tarmac but they almost seem absurd. Nothing else about The Pier gives you the impression that you are at an airport. You feel like you are in a den of tranquility. A calm, quiet and elegant space where stress vanishes.

I'm hoping that the switch in food providers will mean that the breakfast items in The Dining improve. The items in The Pantry and the coffees from the bar were absolutely fantastic.

I would definitely extend a connection or arrive early to make full use of this lounge. In my opinion, getting to the airport three hours before departure is not enough. You'll want to spend at least three full hours in the lounge itself, in order to fully unwind and appreciate everything The Pier F has to offer.

As you can see, we definitely made the most of the lounge. We were almost the last pax on board

We were seated in the mini-cabin for this short hop. Fore mini-cabins a la AA are definitely preferable to aft mini-cabins such as the ones on CX's A330s though. With CX you end up being closer to Y, having everybody boarding past your seat and you also get served last. In future I think I'd opt to be sat further forward in the main cabin.

[some very inventive censorship of K's sleepy face]

[yet more inventive censorship of K's sleepy face]
At this stage I think we're all familiar with the Cirrus seat. A breakthrough in design and the benchmark against which all long haul business class products are now measured. Being in the bulkhead row (seat 19A), means that you have a lot more foot space and can even sleep with your head in the footwell for a totally private, cocoon-like sleep, although I'd put a blanket down as a protective sheet first)

Huge amount of leg space. No 'foot coffin' here.

Same generic headphones as we got on the short F sector between HND and HKG. Thankfully these were able to block out a lot of the noise from a shrill and goblinesque child, who was intent on disrupting the cabin.

Upon finishing his PDB: [shouting at FA] "somebody needs to take away my water"!

[mother putting seatbelt on him] "Ow, you can't do that, you're hurting me"!

And best of all, after watching the safety video and learning a new word, he took to shouting, "BRACE! BRACE"! periodically throughout the flight.

Good for him though, mummy was there to make sure that her little emperor was immediately coddled and reassured whenever he became disruptive

I wonder if anybody has ever used the RCA or S video ports?

The most ridiculous thing about the control design. Bear in mind that this is the exact charger that all HK and UK Macs use. CX installed S-video but didn't think to check whether the charger for the most popular laptop on Earth would fit? (luckily I travel with the US tip too so was able to flip the charger around to make it fit )

Given that a lot of people went straight to sleep, the service was very prompt and efficient.

I tried the dim sum, hoping that it would be an improvement over the lacklustre offering in The Pier. Thankfully it was. The coffee on the other hand... Much like BA, CX don't actually make espresso based coffees available in J, only in F. They advertise espresso etc. but what you get is just a smaller measure of the same watery swill. A Nespresso capsule costs 10p wholesale; nickel and diming J pax like this is not cool.

What is cool though, is being able to eat breakfast, use the IFE screen for the moving map and edit photos on my Mac, whilst still being able to get out of my seat whenever I want. This is why reverse herringbone seats are so good.

After the dim sum I opted for the fruit, once again this was excellent.

Post breakfast I carried on editing photos for TRs and was pleased to find Violator by Depeche Mode and Purple Rain by Prince loaded on the IFE. Not quite as surprising as when SQ had Mar1lyn Man5on and Slipknot on the IFE but very cool nonetheless.

Around an hour or so before landing I was quite hungry, unfortunately short flights like this don't have a snack menu so I just went with a diet co*ke and some cashews to tide me over. An FA came immediately over as soon as I pressed the call button and returned within a minute (try than on a European or North American carrier).

Part 6: Mesastila Resort Central Java (plus Amanjiwo visit)

Guests first arrive at this former railway station which now serves as the reception area of Mesastila. Check in was quick, simple and efficient. Usually guests are given a full tour on arrival but due to our late arrival this was instead given to us on the first morning.

Walking past the reception carriage you find yourself in the breathtaking central lawn, surrounded by the majestic volcanoes for which this country is renowned. The joglo to the left of this image is the main restaurant, where dinner is served. Walking towards the orange wall, towards the volcano...

...you come to the pool. The orange dome is actually the roof of one of the steam rooms. The entire spa is one level below the pool, with balconies and windows offering sweeping views of the jungle landscape.

Whilst the pool/ restaurant area is quite open and 'resort like', once you start walking towards the villas, everything is more private and intimate. The ground staff did a fantastic job of keeping all of the foliage in check and would always smile and greet us as we walked past.

The Villas are all very traditional looking on the outside. We would later come to find that brightly coloured houses are quite popular in this area

We were staying in two of the larger Arum Villas

Our Arum villa was decorated in a very rustic and traditional fashion but was spotlessly clean, with no visible scuffs or marks on any of the walls, floors or furnishings. It was very impactful, walking into such a well preserved space.

We never turned the TV on but I'm sure it could come in useful on a rainy evening.

A day bed for relaxing when it is too hot to stay outside on the terrace.

I love the little details, like the old-fashioned alarm clock

The grand four poster bed faces out towards the jungle and volcanoes. It was slightly firm but very comfortable. Housekeeping would always fold our PJs and tidy up loose charger cables.

No Nespresso machine but there were some great teas, complimentary bottled water and packets of the Mesastila estate's own coffee.

The bathroom was a great size, with white marble counter space and an amazing copper sink

The soap is actually made in-house using coffee grounds!

Mesastila is a very eco-conscious resort, so the shower gels, shampoos etc were all supplied within refillable containers. Various other amenities were provided, inside a leather box.

The bath was the biggest I've ever seen in any hotel room, ever.

With an awesome view to boot.

The shower may not look like much but you could peel paint off a car with this thing

The Arum villas also feature a large outdoor terrace, with a dining table...

...and a day bed, perfect for enjoying a sunrise cup of tea.

Food and Beverages

Dinner

The main restaurant is a beautiful display of minimalism as luxury. Much like the rooms, this area was simply and elegantly decorated with traditional furnishings, maintained to very exacting standards.

I've never been to a resort that has such an abundance of space, allowing the tables to be spaced out in this way. It really helps add to the impression that you're a guest on a private estate rather than a tourist at a resort.

Something that really stood out to me: the dining staff always asked us specific questions about our excursions and activities each day.

"You went on the plantation tour today? Which was your favourite coffee"?
"What did you think of Borobudur? Did you prefer that or Prambanan"?

This was most notable at dinner, as we were a captive audience. However it seemed that pretty much every member of staff knew what we were up to and was interested to see how things were doing.

The service, presentation and taste were all outstanding. The menu was varied enough that you could order different dishes and not get bored for a week. The wine was also very reasonably priced, given the usual prices in Indonesia.

Breakfast

Each day began with a shot of jamu at the entrance to the breakfast area, on the fringes of the main pool. Jamu is a Javanese concoction made of various leaves, spices and often sugar.

These shots ran the range from delicious to, well let's just say there's a reason they're only served in a shot size

The breakfast area. The four of us represented 50% of the resort's clientele during our stay, so everywhere we went was like this. Talking to the GM, he said that they had been at 100% a few days earlier, so we definitely lucked out!

K was chewing in this pic so an 'executive decision' was made to remove her. Sitting on the water's edge, immersed in the jungle foliage, with volcanoes looming large in the distance - being served an a la carte breakfast with a french press of Mesastila's own coffee. Wonderful.

The service was unsurprisingly very attentive, given the small number of guests. Our preferences were proactively remembered and suggested to us on subsequent days. The food was freshly cooked to order and quite good on the whole.

The Bircher muesli was fantastic

The Nasi Goreng was colourful but lacking in flavour, with little spice and a negligible amount of meat.

The egg white omelettes were decent but I was not a fan of the chicken sausages at all.

In-House Activities

The Clubhouse

One of my favourite features of Mesastila is the Clubhouse. The owners of the coffee plantation used to live here and when you step inside it is like taking a step back in time. We loved whiling away evenings reading books, playing board games and playing the piano. During the day the Clubhouse is where you'll usually find the GM and the administrative staff as their offices are also here.

During the day, the Clubhouse is also a great place to unwind. There is a giant chess set...

...and what soon became a favourite for the four of us: Croquet!

Those wanting to just lounge in the shade are also well catered for

The Sunset Bar

Just across the lawn from the Clubhouse was the Sunset Bar, where we were served our complimentary afternoon tea, watching the sun set amongst the volcanoes. [sticking little fingers out whilst drinking tea, not compulsory, but encouraged]

In the evenings pre-clubhouse, we would plug our music into the sound system at the Sunset Bar, knock back some bottles of wine and play pool. Mr R pictured taking a regular shot. Something of a rarity for him, his pool playing is on a savant-like level where he has to play either left-handed, one handed or both

Coffee Plantation Tour

On our second full day we chose the coffee plantation tour as our free activity. We were taken around by two members of staff, one of whom was filming the other for a promotional video. Both staff members were very engaging and knowledgeable, if there was a language barrier of any kind it was only because our Latin was not up to their standard. They knew the names of every plant imaginable!

A few plants near the coffee roasting area

We tasted a few different coffee types as well as the local palm sugar

Mesastila also has some stables where a small number of beautiful racehorses are kept.

Including baby racehorses

Yoga

A complimentary activity for all guests, regardless of stay package, are the morning yoga classes. They are hosted in a huge pavilion facing the jungle.

As tends to be the case in Indonesia, the classes can be adapted to suit your level, with very high level practitioners catered for. Here K does the crow pose for the first time ^

Bike Riding

Whilst Bali has some amazing rice terraces, the ones we saw on our bike ride near Mesastila were totally unspoilt. The majority of people we saw seemed genuinely shocked and happy to see us. It was amazing to see people just tending to their private little plots in the massive fields.

To begin with, we passed through the outskirts of a nearby town, where we spotted this group of schoolgirls on their way home for lunch.

A lot of the houses were very brightly coloured but this one definitely took the crown for most garish home in Central Java.

Heading into the terraces

Where the buffalo roam...

Fields of green

Central Java Sights

Prambanan Temple

Whilst everything else at Mesastila was very keenly priced, their rates for visits to the temples of Java were very high. We opted instead to use one of the drivers recommended on the FT Asia forum. He charged us $150 for a full day tour taking in all of the sights below.

I can't quite figure out the point of having to wear a sarong when the dress underneath is longer...

Prambanan temple is located around 20 minutes drive from Yogyakarta (or Jogja as the locals call it). It is a Hindu temple built in the 9th century and is still very much in the process of reconstruction. The piles of rubble are slowly being sorted and categorised so that more of the temple can be rebuilt. Indonesia has experienced countless earthquakes and volcanic eruptions over the years, so very few temples last more than 500 years before going through a major reconstruction.

Outside the temple we were astonished to see a Cassowary. Although evidently not as surprised as he was to see us. We spent a few days in 2014 in Queensland, right in the the middle of the Cassowary coast and never saw so much as a feather!

There was a market out side the exit selling all of the usual tourist stuff too, although we were more interested in a cat we found, between two stalls, that had a litter of tiny kittens with it.

Whilst trinkets are not really my thing, I always like to try the local cuisine when I find myself at a market. I'd never really paid much attention to salak a.k.a. snakefruit before but this was an absolute revelation. All four of us were instantly hooked, buying it throughout the trip whenever we got the chance. I've since tried it on return journeys to Bali, Thailand and Cambodia but I can honestly say that none of those places come close to the snakefruit you get in Java. The flavour is like a lychee dipped in custard and the texture is utterly unique, it isn't at all juicy but not dry either, almost like an apple made of rubber.

Pimp my ride (possibly literally)

After Prambanan we stopped briefly at Candi Sambisari, a sunken temple on the outskirts of Jogja, heading back towards Borobudur and Mesastila.

Our guide initially told us he had a good place in mind for lunch. My scam sense started tingling (see also: my cousin has an art shop, I gave a tour to Robert DeNiro and he buys suits at this great local tailor etc.) but I gave him the benefit of the doubt... then the car pulled up to a giant restaurant with two coaches parked outside and signage in multiple languages stating that the restaurant was a "Traditional Colonial Buffet". I quickly checked Foursquare for something a little less grotesque and came up with this:

I don't know many words in Bahasa Indonesia but Bebek, Goreng, Sambal and Pedas are all very useful We tried pretty much everything on the menu and still managed to spend less than $20 between the four of us. Mr R says that this was the best meal of the trip, I'm not sure if I'd go quite that far but it was good; crunchy, spicy, fatty, salty good.

Borobudur Temple

After our late lunch we continued on to Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in the world and the main reason why people visit Central Java. We went in around 45 minutes before sunset and paid the regular daytime rate. I hoped that this would give us some beautiful light and a chance to see the temple with less crowds. There is a transition period where everybody with day tickets is cleared off to make room for those with the more expensive sunset tickets, that would be our chance!

I put my stick mounted gopro to great use by using it to spy on another group of very shy kittens that were playing amongst the stupas.

The crowds were already thinning out just as we arrived

Which meant we could take some cheesy pictures...

...and by evading the guards a little we were able to get some very cool shots too. The feeling of tranquility here is quite something. If you are able to get the place during a quiet period, you will find yourself hugely outnumbered by Buddha statues inside their stupas, surrounded on all sides by mountains, with a light mist filling in the gaps on the ground. Magical.

Amanjiwo

After visiting Borobudur we decided to check out Amanjiwo, which is a fifteen minute drive away. We wanted to get a feel for the place and see if we could get a handle on why it would cost six times as much as Mesastila. The approach was pretty interesting, we drove up a winding road and turned left into a barricaded forest road, protected by armed guards. Our guide explained that we were there for drinks and the guards smiled and waved at us before asking the driver to pop the trunk and running mirrors on sticks underneath the vehicle. You certainly don't see that kind of security at something like a Four Seasons or a Park Hyatt.

Upon entering we were welcomed and briefly shown around the main building. The architecture of the restaurant resembles that of Borobudur and is certainly very striking, although the silver furniture looks a little tacky and the tables are far closer together than at Mesastila.

We settled into one of the outside tables, hoping to catch the final stage of the sunset, over Borobudur. The decor outdoors is quite elegant and minimal, although the flowers looked a little basic and wilted.

Round the corner from our table were the steps leading down to the rooms. Although the resort ostensibly has Borobudur views, you do have to squint quite a bit to make it out. The valley setting, surrounded by mountains is very atmospheric though.

Amanjiwo also has a jamu lady although she really puts some hours in, the one at Mesastila shut up shop at 11am, this lady was still going strong at 6pm!

Jamu ingredients

We ordered a round of co*cktails which were quite reasonably priced. Same ballpark as what you pay in a bar in London, £10 or so. Far worse bars in Bali charge similar prices as a result of the draconian taxes on imported alcohol in Indonesia. I have to say that the drinks took an inordinate amount of time to serve though, around 30 minutes or so.

The drinks were accompanied by some very tasty bar snacks.

Our second round of drinks took a little less time but they did make a mistake and bring out one of the drinks incorrectly. No big deal I guess but far from the ecstatic accounts of perfection of some Aman junkies.

The sunset however was quite special.

After drinks I quickly went to check out the library, I remember reading that every Aman has a library and that they are a focal point, giving you a feel for the resort as a whole. The library was quite nice but I was surprised to see a cheap portable air conditioning unit.

As well as a frankly shameful excuse for a computer.

The fresh orchids were a nice touch but overall I have to say that this library falls far short of the ones at Alila Villas Uluwatu or Soori (resorts started by former Aman staff).

After our relaxing sunset drinks our driver pulled up the van, ready to contend with the heavy duty trucks on the road back to Mesastila.

Onwards to Bali

We left Mesastila with heavy hearts, although the free snacks in the airport car took the edge off a little

After a quick and painless drive to SRG (sans HGVs for once!) we entered the melee that was the check-in area. It seemed like a cross between a market auction and a bus station. All kinds of obscure packages (and money) were changing hands and none of it seemed to make much sense.

We thought we did a good job of blending in with the locals, taking our pan galactic papaya beast with us. Fun fact, it was bigger than Mrs R's head, hell it was probably bigger than my head. Must be something in the water...

I love getting up close to the planes when the sun is shining!

Once again we all managed to get exit row seats and this flight even had decent IFE. Can't complain for a one hour flight

I'm not sure why nobody else took exit row seats this time. Maybe people in Indonesia just don't care?

Surprisingly sharp screen, there was also a decent selection of Western sitcoms and documentaries

Box of carbs

The reflecting pool separating the two main pavilions

In a way I like arriving late at night. The shroud of darkness imbues the arrival experience with a dreamlike quality, your mind naturally tries to fill in the blanks.

We were greeted by the full staff upon arriving at the villa. The butler, Dedung, handed each of us a welcome drink inside a carved cucumber and guided us towards the living room, whilst other members of staff took our bags to our rooms.

After we'd finished our welcome drinks Dedung handed us menus as well as a leather bound book of activities and information about the villa. We had pre-ordered dinner via e-mail for this evening but were told that we just had to let him know the day before, what we wanted each day and he'd ask the staff to prepare it for us. He also said that if we had any special requests, the staff would do their best to find whatever we wanted to eat and drink.

Finally he said he noticed we had duty free bags containing some Tanqueray Ten and some white wine. He asked if he should chill the white wine before dinner and perhaps bring out some ice, limes and tonic water so that we could enjoy a G&T before our meal.

It didn't take long for us all to realise that Dedung is pretty much the best guy of all time. The man is so on top of his game that the mind boggles. I have never in my life experienced service on this level. Dedung is like a benevolent apparition, effortlessly gliding around the mortal world to improve the lives of others.

As each day went on he just seemed to get better and better, always anticipating our desires and making excellent and proactive suggestions to improve our stay.

After an excellent dinner (which I'll cover in detail, in the food section of this review) we decided to take some post meal G&Ts down to the pool. Watching the twinkling lights of fishing boats in the distance and hearing the roaring surf just metres away, we knew that this was going to be good. Really, really good.

The Villa Grounds and Rooms

I was the first up in the morning and like an excited child on Christmas day, I ran around by myself trying to take it all in.

I hadn't really noticed the two streams running along the entrance stairs, the previous night.

Looking towards K and I's pavilion, from the bottom of the stairs.

The lounge area of our room, featuring sliding screens printed by a Japanese artist living in Ubud.

The decor was very tasteful. Kudos on the Eames office chair and iMac, a very comfy setup for catching up on FT

The Villa owner is French and has left little reminders of his home country throughout Bulung Daya. Here the vintage Hermes barometer sits next to some incredibly old pots from Papua (the villa brochure said that we should treat the villa as if it were our own, however these pots were thousands of years old and were the only truly irreplaceable items in the house)

Hidden away in the wardrobe next to these pots was our in room refreshment station, including an actual espresso maker.

The bed was perfect. Really comfortable with some super high thread count linens.

Some more iconic chairs flanking the view at the foot of our bed.

We tended to keep the wooden dividing screens open during the day and drew them shut at night to make two separate cosy rooms: a lounge and a bedroom.

Both Pavilions featured incredible views from the beds themselves as well as the outdoor terraces.

The view from the far end of our pavilion down to the unspoilt beach below.

Mr and Mrs R's pavilion containing their bedroom and the living/ dining room.

The living room

The library

Mr and Mrs R's bedroom

The second bedroom's bathroom

Rainfall shower

View from the shower to the rice terraces. Our visit fell during the tail end of the dry season so the usual green had given way to a more arid landscape.

Whilst the pool looked like an ethereal alien landing strip at night, during the day it played second fiddle to the surrounding natural landscape.

At 33 metres long, this pool is bigger than the ones at a lot of resorts in Bali.

Plenty of space for some front flips

Underneath Mr and Mrs R's pavilion and next to the pool, was an area which could be converted into a third bedroom.

This area also contained the gym.

There was also an additional bathroom as well as a cinema room with a large projection screen, which we never got the chance to use.

Continuing down the path in front of the cardio machines, you reach the beach.

Bali is not really a beach destination. The water is warm but the currents and waves can be savage. Great for surfing but not so much for regular swimming. The sight, sound and smell of the ocean were captivating though.

We rarely saw other people on the beach, although those that we did see were definitely not tourists!

One of the many activities on offer at the villa was making use of a photographer for half a day. I knew that Mr and Mrs R had been looking to get engagement pics taken so I arranged for them to have a photoshoot and afterwards the photographer stuck around to take pics for K's blog: www.euriental.com as well as taking some shots for this TR. The cost for half a day was around $150.

Activities

As well as the photographer, the villa offered numerous activities and experiences. Including fishing, tours of the local area, massages and spa treatments (around $10 per hour).

We enjoyed massages every day but other than that we spent most of the time relaxing in the villa.

The only time we left was to show our friends Tanah Lot temple. The drive took an hour each way.

We took up our usual spot at the bar at the top of the hill, facing the temple, and enjoyed some fresh coconuts and pork satay whilst watching the sunset.

This evening was made particularly magical by thousands of birds flocking in the area above the temple complex.

Food and Drink

Given the remote location of Bulung Daya, we were totally captive to the kitchen staff. The quality and variety of the food could conceivably make or break the experience at this villa. Thankfully the food was plentiful fresh and absolutely delicious.

Fresh fruit to begin breakfast and end lunches and dinners

Spicy chicken with mixed vegetables and garlic rice

Deep fried banana with ice cream

Fresh garden salad

Mie Goreng

Mixed satay

Pandan pancake with fresh coconut and palm sugar

Homemade garlic bread

One day Dedung mentioned to us that he could get us fresh lobster if we wanted. We thought that sounded like one hell of an idea. It was only a day later that he let slip; this involved him and Wayan the chef going down to the beach at 4am and personally hauling back fifteen of these pristine creatures!

Another one of Dedung's many talents. He knows how to fold napkins into precisely twenty four unique styles.

Mr R enjoying his spicy chicken on lemongrass skewers

As well as the regular meals, the villa offers some more extravagant dining options. For our last evening I figured we might as well go the whole hog, literally. Our final dinner was an entire spit roasted Balinese pig (Babi Guling) served poolside, with local musicians to entertain us. Pretty amazing for $50 per person.

Wayan stands proudly next to his creation.

Dedung wowed us with his most extreme creation to date: the polo shirt!

During this meal we also found out that the mild mannered and gentle Dedung (pictured), also sports and enormous dragon tattoo on his back. Seriously. After the meal we shared all of the leftover meat with the staff but Dedung let us know that he had reserved us a small plate of 'drinking meat', to enjoy with our co*cktails after dinner.

Best. guy. ever.

Villa Amrita is set amongst rice terraces at the end of a single lane road. Although we didn't have a traditional welcome ceremony, the local ducks were out in force and belted out a very boisterous greeting.

Past the dark wooden entry gate was a large outdoor bale, set on a beautifully kept lawn, surrounded by tropical, jungle foliage.

You enter the villa itself via the kitchen and dining area. We were given freshly squeezed watermelon juice upon arrival. My favourite!

The owner had a hell of a setup although there were way too many remotes, receivers and amplifiers to be able to figure it all out. The staff seemed a little perplexed too Unfortunately the wifi connection was also very patchy.

Although wifi wasn't exactly our chief concern with this amazing pool to relax in

Much like Bulung Daya, Villa Amrita has entirely separate wings for each bedroom, that way groups travelling together can still enjoy privacy.

I really liked how high the ceilings were here, they added a great dramatic touch to the bedrooms. Unfortunately though, this bedroom is right by the field where the ducks were. The field is also home to a lot of roosters who start crowing at 2am and do not stop until 8am, even with earplugs in we had trouble sleeping.

Leading on from the bedroom was a dressing area with plenty of storage space (as well as a cupboard containing some basic weights and yoga mats)

Our bathroom featured a real showstopper of a jacuzzi bath

As is the case in many Balinese villas, particularly in Ubud, the bathrooms are all open air. It takes a little getting used to, seeing geckos on the wall of the shower but it is a great feeling, showering under the rainfall head with the sun beaming down on you.

Twin vanities to match the twin showers and double jacuzzi

Mr and Mrs R's bedroom was in the wing on the other side of the pool.

Just before reaching their wing there was an extra twin bedroom, which we didn't make use of.

The twin room also had its own outdoor bathroom

Buddha keeps watch between the second and third bedrooms

Mr and Mrs R's room was very similar to our own, although it had a slightly brighter colour scheme.

Their bathroom was very similar to the one in the twin room. Villa Amrita even had its own branded amenities, I told you that villa owners go all out in Bali!

We only stayed for a couple of nights and had most of our meals outside of the house. The breakfast was ok but not great. Nasi goreng is K's absolute favourite and she was a little disappointed with this one. The freshly squeezed lime and watermelon juices were fantastic though.

Because a stay in Ubud involves a lot more eating out and exploration of the nearby area, this was far more of a 'usual' hotel-style stay (albeit one in a spectacular setting with private staff and pool facilities). We disappeared at around 10am and made it back just before sunset both days. This meant we were able to enjoy the pool for a quick morning dip...

...As well as using it as our venue for some sundowners, after a day spent exploring.

The view over the edge of the pool

However most of the time we were on our way out...

...because the allure of life outside the villa was so strong

Total cost $400 for 4 people, per night - including breakfast and roundtrip private transfer into Ubud centre each day.
http://villaamrita.com/

A massive statue of the goddess Shiva towers over the Ubud traffic

Seniman Coffee Studio
http://senimancoffee.com/

After dropping our bags at the villa the first thing we needed to take care of was coffee. As luck would have it, Foursquare showed that our drive into town would take us past a proper (let's call it what it is) hipster coffee place.

Our friends are native New Yorkers and hit the nail on the head when they said that it was like we were suddenly in Williamsburg.

Pour over, aeropress, cold brew, french press, siphon, tubruk.
You name it, they do it.

The coffee is great, the staff know what they're talking about and the take away cold brew concentrate is astonishing stuff. I took to sipping it on the rocks, poolside, back at the villa. I don't think I've ever felt more alive

I was in real need of some caffeine so ordered a 'tasting menu' as my first coffee. This was composed of a series of serving boards, each of which contained two coffees and a small snack.

We also ordered some food and were quite surprised by how well executed the small snack menu items were.

Seniman has fast wifi, plenty of comfy indoor seats (I loved the rocking chairs) and a decently sized terrace area outside too.

Tukies

From the outside this place doesn't really look like much. In fact it sort of looks like a coconut dumping ground.

Step inside though and you will get one of the most delicious creations on the planet. Freshly made coconut ice cream, mixed in with young coconut flesh and coconut sugar, topped with crunchy coconut brittle. It is insanely good. The sort of good that would compel you to commit lewd acts in exchange for just one more scoop.

Temples

There are thousands of temples in Bali, literally. It can seem daunting at first. What if you miss out on 'the best' one? Honestly I just wouldn't worry. Being in Ubud and enjoying the leisurely pace, wandering from one place to the next is part of the appeal.

I googled Ubud temples and flicked through the images. I stopped when I saw something that piqued my interest and marked it on Google Maps with a star.

Our first stop was the Elephant Cave temple - Goa Gajah. Why? Because it was hot as hell outside and the combination of a cave and plentiful water looked like a cooling counterbalance.

We had similar motives for visiting Tirta Empul. Here you are given one sarong as you enter the temple; you can then hire a second bathing sarong if you'd like to get into the water.

Water temples are a little out of the ordinary though. Batuan's sprawling complex of orange and grey is more representative, an archetypal and unmistakable piece of Balinese architecture. We stopped by to dry off in the sun after our visit to Tegenungan Waterfall

Tegenungan Waterfall

There are plenty of spectacular waterfalls in Bali, a lot of them are easily accessible from Ubud, a quick Google search will reveal top 10 lists compiled by dozens of different sources. My advice would be to pair a waterfall with a temple and make a day out of visiting just those two places. You could cram more in but it feels great to take your time and just enjoy your surroundings when in central Bali.

Be warned though, some waterfalls require significant hikes and the paths are not set up for regular tourism. That can be great if you're well prepared but not so much if you turn up in flip flops with a 300ml bottle of water for a 2 hour jungle hike.

Tegenungan is easily accessible though and only requires around 30-40 minutes of walking to get to. The path is reasonably well maintained, I did it in boat shoes with no problems. There are also a few food and drink stalls at the car park, should you need to stock up before heading down (or if you fancy a well deserved beer after the walk back uphill).

The path to the waterfall is all downhill and offers a tantalising view of the crashing water, at the very beginning.

Although there were a lot of backpackers I really liked the fact that large groups of locals were here too. Who needs a swimming pool when you have this?

Tegalalang Rice Terrace

This used to be just a regular rice terrace that people would stop at to take pictures. Soon locals appeared to sell drinks to the picture takers, then coffee shops and bars appeared and now it charges an entrance fee.

It's a cool place to a take a picture, if you're heading North anyway but as I said in an earlier section, I much preferred seeing the real rice terraces of Java than this attraction.

Kintamani

Kintamani looks like it's really far from Ubud but actually the drive only takes an hour, along a very smooth and traffic free road. I really enjoyed coming here for a change of scenery. There are a lot of tourist trap buffet restaurants around. We hired a driver through the villa and he was clearly very keen on us coming to this specific place.

We'd only had breakfast 90 minutes earlier, so skipped the food and ordered fresh coconuts and beers instead. The drinks were totally standard Balinese prices, the view was magnificent and the driver got his free lunch, so all in all it worked out well

Naughty Nuri's Warung

This roadside BBQ restaurant has spawned a multi-national empire since originally opening its doors in the 90s. Like many no reservations restaurants, this place gets mixed reviews.

As you can see, the decor is basically full on dive bar, with constant plumes of delicious smoke wafting in from the grill. Come hungry with clothes you don't mind staining Still, just because the decor isn't upscale that doesn't mean you have to be a savage and forego a pre-dinner co*cktail
The Gin Martini at Nuri's is without equal. It is shaken tableside and the glass filled to an absurdly meniscal state. You are then required to sip from the glass (the use of hands is not recommended here) in order to make room for the remainder of the drink to make its way out of the shaker and into your glass.

Absurdly meniscal

One of these martinis contains at least four shots of gin. Of course you'll need another one to go with the food, once that arrives.

Grilled pork chop. Crunchy salty and utterly delicious.

The star dish at Nuri's is the rack of babyback ribs. They are not quite as tender as something that has come out of a wood-smoker but have a deep, rich, sweet and spicy flavour that goes on forever.

I think the best way to tell how good a meal is, is to see what you look like after. Yeah, it was good.

Bebek Bengil a.k.a. Dirty Duck Diner
http://bebekbengil.com/

I've often said that Michelin starred restaurants struggle to do anything with duck that surpasses a thorough deep frying as found at any high street Chinese take away. Luckily one of the cornerstones of Balinese cuisine is crispy duck and Ubud has a couple of restaurants that base their reputations on their execution of this dish.

Bebek Benkil looks like just a regular dining room, from the road. Walk through though and the restaurants opens out into a beautiful garden with numerous dining bales dotted around.

The garden setting is very tranquil but as with all of Ubud, spiders are a not uncommon sight. Thankfully no spider in Bali is poisonous to humans. I'm usually not a fan of spiders at all but knowing that they're harmless actually makes it quite fun to get up close and look at them. This orb weaver was playing around in a plant next to our table. It was roughly the size of my hand.

Even if you are arachnophobic though, it's worth persevering as the food is excellent. We tried a variety of different crispy duck dishes and they all hit the spot, although the Balinese ducks aren't nearly as large as what I'm used to in the UK. The freshly prepared dips and spices added a whirlwind of flavour and really took the food to another level.

Spice
http://spicebali.com/

Spice is a very trendy looking, glass fronted tapas bar in central Ubud. This alone wouldn't really leave me salivating to visit. What did draw my attention was the fact that it was started by the man who runs Mosaic, the fine dining sensation which many claim would be deserving of **, were it located in an area where the inspectors do the rounds for the Michelin Guide.

The food and drink are very keenly priced for somewhere in such a central location with so much having clearly been spent on the decor.

We started things off with a bang. The Beef carpaccio with rendang, mushroom and parmesan was one of the most inventive and brilliant interpretations I've encountered yet, of this global menu staple.

Tuna tataki with sambal and tempe crackers was spicy, fresh, bright and acidic.

The grilled vegetables were exceptionally fresh and flavourful. The sauce was great too

The grilled rib eye with Indonesian sambals was solid but not particularly exciting

I barely tried the apple pie as I was on the verge of total explosion, we ended up ordering almost every dish between the four of us. It was ok but not a patch on Tukies coconut ice cream.

Swept Away at Samaya
http://ubud.thesamayabali.com/experi...ning/?id=6&v=0

On our final night in Ubud we decided to go for something fancy and booked dinner at Swept Away, a riverside restaurant located within the exclusive Samaya resort. We were greeted at the elegant and atmospherically lit lobby building and driven through the resort on buggies. The staff were incredibly friendly and efficient. Torches were brought out with the menus as were additional stools for ladies' bags.

We began the meal with a round of co*cktails. I was even asked if I wanted gin or vodka with my espresso martini. Very good.

The setting is absolutely beautiful. A word of warning though, if you come here as an unmarried couple, your partner may well be expecting a certain question to be asked. The staff told us that they get proposals here on a daily basis.

This was taken as the guy was composing himself pre-question.

The service was phenomenal throughout and very much of the level you'd expect somewhere like London, or I daresay a little better. Scented cold towels made numerous appearances, always a relief when dining outdoors in Bali.

There are numerous different tasting menus, which present phenomenal value at around $50 per person for 6 courses. I would go as far as to say that this restaurant has the best price:quality ratio of any restaurant I have ever been to.

We each ordered different things, the regular tasting menu, seasonal truffle tasting menu and a la carte. Here is a selection:

Amuse bouche

The pan seared foie gras with waygu raviolo had me quivering in ecstasy.

The green gazpacho with avocado and prawns was fantastic. A cooling sip of refreshing nature in between heavier dishes.

Mrs R admires Mr R's phenomenally masculine choice of drink. He ordered this as an additional palate cleanser

Seared scallops with pomelo, avocado, caviar and green chili. Another spectacular dish

My cheese course was otherworldly. Thick slivers of truffle sandwiched between brie de meaux, accompanied by a white chocolate truffle.

Apple vanilla souffle with apple ice cream in a sesame shell. (plus coffee with mignardises)

Conclusion

When we first pulled up to the reception area of The Edge we weren't immediately wowed. Other resorts around these parts tend to have either minimalist lobbies which frame the horizon or enormous lobbies filled with fresh flowers, statues and fountains. The Edge is a lot more low key.

We were greeted by the duty manager and asked to take a seat whist he called a buggy for us. No towels or welcome drinks of any kind were offered. I was very taken aback, it seemed like we were putting him out and he really didn't seem too interested in us at all. I was so excited to see the amazing facilities that I just kind of let it slide, I figured that we probably wouldn't have much interaction with him during our stay anyway.

We sat and waited for a couple of minutes at which point the manager came to tell us that our buggy was ready and that our butler would bring us welcome drinks by the pool. It sounded like things were looking up! We were then driven the 30 metres or so to the main pool area, totally pointless using a buggy for this simple, straight line path but I guess it helped employ one more person in the local economy.

As you can see, they're big fans of the definite article around these parts

As soon as we got out of the buggy we all rushed to the wall to look down at the main pool. What a view.

The buggy driver, who we assumed was also our butler, showed us to the poolside bar and then disappeared.

We then spent ten minutes taking pictures and just enjoying the view. It felt almost like coming full circle, seeing a long natural wood table topped with flowers, ten days after being in the Pier F at HKG.

I absolutely love the design of this area, so relaxing.

The glass floor however, is not for the faint of heart!

There was still no sign of our butler (or towels or drinks) so I approached the bar staff and asked them what was going on. At this stage they had made no attempt to engage us in any way and were just keeping their heads down, wiping the bar, polishing glasses and playing with their phones. I thought that maybe I had misunderstood the manager and that we were supposed to order our own welcome drinks at the bar. The barman however asked us to keep waiting and assured us that our butler would be with us soon.

Ten minutes later (twenty minutes after our arrival at the bar) the butler introduced himself and offered us each a non-alcoholic lime and mint drink.

Despite it already being nearly 2pm the butler said that our villa was not yet ready and suggested that we order some food whilst we waited. The menu at The Edge has quite a variety of menu options covering all corners of the globe. We split a few starters to begin with and then each ordered separate mains.

Beef carpaccio and deep filled potato skins

Grilled scallops

Definitely one of the best lunch views ever. It feels very special having this to yourself.

I ordered the lobster Tom Yum soup as my main course. It was delicious and very generous for the price.

The service really dragged on despite us being the only customers. We got the distinct impression that the staff had been told to linger as our villa was not ready. Still, we didn't mind too much given the setting.

After our dishes were cleared there was still no sign of the butler and it was now 4pm. I decided to have a look at the rest of the resort and started to head towards this small relaxation area, I was quite surprised to see that on the right of this image was a large room with a water filled floor where a couple were receiving massages. There was no rope or sign of any kind to stop people heading this way, despite it being right next door to the bar. One of the therapists quickly hurried towards me and made an X shape with her arms. So I headed back to the bar and asked them to find out what was going on with our room.

It is all rather confusing with The Edge, as the resort is made up of a series of villas which are interconnected. Bedrooms can be added or subtracted to most of the villas, in order to accommodate groups of varying sizes. It wasn't exactly clear which villa we were going to get as Agoda.com was showing pictures from all of the villas under our booking. Given that we booked a two bedroom villa for four people, we assumed we were getting the villa called The Mood (the only one listed as having 2 bedrooms). In the end it we were given two bedrooms within a villa called The Cliff, with the adjoining door to the third bedroom (a standalone villa called 'The Villa') kept closed.

The entrance to our villa

Not exactly a warm welcome, the butler could have moved this sign or put it further down by the main resort path...

Immediately upon entering we could see that the hard product was very impressive. The furniture looked very solid and well designed plus it was nice to see little details like an umbrella stand with four umbrellas ready and waiting by the door.

At this point I should mention one of the main reasons why our stay was at a reduced price. The Agoda.com website that there was some construction going on at the resort but that this was being done in a way which would have a minimal impact on guests. That temporary bamboo railing was our privacy shield.

The shield unfortunately meant that our pool only saw the sun at midday

Although K quite liked the fact that there was no bright sunlight blowing out the exposure when shooting for her blog: www.euriental.com

The shade was also welcome during the early afternoon, whilst enjoying a glass of wine

On the other side of the bamboo screen was a giant building site, easily doubling the size of the resort, replete with pneumatic drilling and constantly moving heavy goods vehicles.

Our butler showed us the bedroom nearest to the entrance first. I actually quite like the design here, it has a bit of a 'W' feel to it, not my personal taste in decor (that tends to veer a lot more towards Park Hyatt territory) but fun for a holiday destination. There is plenty of space and a pleasing contrast between the dark wood and the neutral walls, against the bold colours of the carpet and furniture.

The bed was giant and supremely comfortable. (Thankfully there was never any construction after 5pm)

Plenty of sunlight in the afternoon.

We stayed two nights and I have to say that the turndown service was great both times. In addition to the water, our dressing gowns were folded up in a very cute way, on the bed.

We were also left a gift each evening. The first night we got sleeping masks filled with lavender (but no straps to attach them to our faces)

On the second evening we were given bookmarks, containing pressed flowers, that were purportedly handpicked by our very own butler.

Continuing on from the bedroom was a small hallway with a chest of drawers and a minibar (contents not included in the villa rate).

There were also two large wardrobes containing slippers and dressing gowns as well as some top quality hangers.

The bathroom was fantastic, a very light and open design with lots of nice little details.

Infinity bath with bedroom view.

Super high pressure rain shower

Very fancy Lanvin toiletries

First time I've ever seen infinity sinks in a bathroom (or anywhere for that matter)^

More Lanvin amenities

After showing us the first bedroom the butler led us into the spectacular lounge. I took this shot at night, as the dynamic range of GoPros isn't great and the sunlight in Bali is so strong.

Our jaws pretty much hit the floor as soon as we walked in.

Before we could get too excited, exploring the villa, our butler hit us with a pretty weird bombshell. We asked him why half the bags were still in the lounge. He said that the villa was only booked for two people so two people would have to sleep in the living room!

Taking some time out to enjoy the ocean view from our lawn, in front of the living room.

There was a lot of very cool artwork throughout the villa, these folders were our main source of info after we discovered that most of the staff were just winging it.

Our welcome fruit amenity

The sound system in the villa was great, a bonus of being the only guests at the resort was that we could make all the noise we wanted

More cool artwork

The study

The dining area

Another member of staff came to supervise us whilst we waited for our butler to return. He poured us some water and made a perfunctory effort to answer questions.

We opened the drawers behind the bar and found a bunch of broken forks and a sticky mess left in one of them.

The second staff member disappeared around the corner into the service kitchen and then left the door wide open.

He said that if we wanted to make coffee we could use the nespresso machine in the service kitchen, pointing to a boxed machine on top of one of the kitchen shelves, although he qualified this by saying, "maybe it's broken though".

The kitchen itself was pretty run down and grubby looking, we went in from time to time to grab ice from the freezer and not much else.

We came up through this expansive staircase, overseen by a very cool and enormous painting

At the top of the stairs we had our second jaw dropping moment

Either side of the living room were two identical pagodas with moats surrounding them, containing master bedrooms.

The outdoor space of this villa certainly didn't suffer from the same lack of sunlight as The Cliff

After returning from Rock Bar and the amazing meal that followed it, it did feel good to be back at our awesome villa with the curtains drawn, no construction noise and no service issues. Just us and the villa. The little area directly in front of the villa looked pretty great at night too.

Lucky for us, I looked through the villa folders and found the section on breakfast. We discovered that breakfast was served in-villa and needed to be ordered the night before (I can only imagine the sh*t tornado that would have ensued the following morning, had I not discovered this). The selection was quite extensive and included continental, American, Japanese, Indonesian and Korean breakfast options.

Food at The Edge

We awoke the following morning to find the table already set. Having a leisurely breakfast, particularly one served in your room, has to be one of life's greatest pleasures. The butler wished us a good morning and asked if we were ready to eat yet. I said we'd wait for our friends to wake up first.

K couldn't resist though and after a token wait of ten minutes, started gobbling handfuls of cereal. The butler must have taken this as his cue as he quickly disappeared and returned with our breakfasts.

K opted for the Indonesian breakfast, which she really liked

I thought I'd brave the American breakfast. A high fat, high carb, low protein horrorshow. Everything was limp and soggy, despite being fried. The bacon was similar in consistency to fruit leather.

On our second morning I opted instead for the Korean breakfast, which was fantastic

Unfortunately Mr R didn't join us for breakfast either day. By the time we finished our first drinks at Rock Bar, on evening number one, his stomach was already hurting. As I mentioned earlier, we didn't share mains when we ordered our lunch whilst waiting for the rooms to be prepared (mainly because a couple of us ordered soups, which are pretty hard to share and only Mr R like the idea of the burger).

Everywhere else throughout this trip the four of us either shared our food or ordered the exact same things.

The chances are very high indeed that the food at The Edge made Mr R sick, to the extent that he created (he was quite clear about wanting me to share this detail) a profoundly green poo. The guy was just totally wiped out and missed out on the Uluwatu portion of the trip almost entirely (I'm glad to say that he managed to recuperate sufficiently to drink a bottle of Krug in CX F on the flight home though )

I personally found that first lunch to be really good in terms of taste, albeit unbearably slow in its delivery.

We had another late lunch at the villa, on day 2, which again took forever to serve and was missing a main course. When I asked what was going on, the butler disappeared and returned 45 minutes later with a criminally overcooked piece of grilled tuna.

Two things:

One - if you've forgotten my dish entirely and everybody else has finished eating, the appropriate response is to admit to this and ask me if I mind waiting for the dish to be freshly made (most good places would offer to comp the dish too), whilst advising me of the estimated cooking time.

Two - if you take 45 minutes to cook and serve a piece of tuna steak, something is seriously effed up in your kitchen. If that tuna is fresh, you only need to grill it for a minute on each side, put some salad on the plate and get it from the kitchen to the villa. Given the fact that the villa is directly connected to the kitchens via tunnels, this shouldn't be a problem. If it is, why not use one of those buggies to save some time?

So, the food was variable in quality, sometimes great, mostly below average, with terrible service and a high likelihood of making you sick.

Thankfully there are plenty more dining options in Uluwatu, many of them exceptional in terms of food quality, service and decor.

Other Villas at The Edge

On the last morning, during breakfast, I asked our Butler if we could hang out at The View, seeing as the construction was going on, The View was not being used and we only had a couple of hours to go until checkout.

There were a couple of staff members folding towels and generally tidying whilst K and I played in the pool and went exploring.

One of the master bedroom pavilions, next to the enormous living room

Hell of a place to enjoy a coconut. The View is the furthest villa from all of the construction, whilst it was still slightly visible and audible, it was markedly less of a nuisance from here.

After a while our butler appeared and offered to give us the full tour, starting with the outlandish home cinema.

There were also a series of smaller bedrooms and a kids room, which weren't too interesting. Then we came to the second living room.

Next to the second living room is a huge private garden where wedding receptions are usually held.

The garden gives a great view of The View as a whole.

The minimal and elegant entrance to the Ayana lobby

The Ayana lobby, like many others in this part of Bali, frames a view onto the endless blue ocean.

Walking down the steps, towards Rock Bar, you encounter numerous dining venues such as this one. I like the idea of the overwater restaurant but the tables are way too cramped for my taste.

We got to the line for Rock Bar just as the sun was setting. There are actually two lines, one for hotel guests and another for visitors - which I think is a good call. Our waiting time was about 20 minutes. The capacity of the bar is actually pretty sizeable, the main issue is that you need to wait in line for the funicular car to take you down the cliffside, to the ocean's edge.

The majority of the seating is obscured from above, only the two floating bars are visible whilst you wait in line

For whatever reason, we were told that one of us had to get out of the funicular, just as it was about to set off. I volunteered to let the others go ahead.

Once I got to the bottom I saw that my group had been given a table right by the cable car, bundled together with tons of other people and no view to speak of, there was also a really long line, snaking right next to these tables, of people waiting to go back up again. I spoke to a manager and asked for them to move us somewhere a little more relaxing.

The view to our right.

Rock Bar just seems to go on and on. This very cool looking beach section was below us, at the end of the area shown above. I think this was actually my favourite out of all the areas that we saw.

The service was very prompt, as you'd expect given our proximity to one of the bars. The drinks themselves, whilst inventively presented, were basically fruit juice. Way too sweet and no alcohol detectable. We ordered a couple of bar snacks but if you want dinner you'll have to go elsewhere, the menu is not very extensive and is limited to very small dishes.

After one round of drinks we figured we'd seen the place and ticked it off the list but I definitely wouldn't recommend going out of your way to visit. The drinks are pretty bad, the bar is enormous and impersonal and the lines can get really out of control. It's basically Disneyland for semi-adults.

The resort did look great at night though...

...and gave me a chance to play with the low light settings on my new Lumix LX100

Sangkar Restaurant - Bvlgari Bali

A short drive away from Ayana (and right next door to The Edge!) is the Bvlgari Resort. I was really looking forward to seeing it in person as the photos I had seen all looked spectacular.

From the moment we arrived we could tell that this was going to be several orders of magnitude above what is offered at Ayana.

As our car pulled up to the resort we were immediately wowed by the enormous lobby. Dark and brooding, it didn't look like a modern structure. It actually felt like stepping into a painstakingly restored, ancient temple.

Once in the lobby I was surprised to be greeted by a European member of staff (the only time I've ever seen a Westerner in a visible front of house role in Bali). He took my name and confirmed my reservation with the restaurant. A buggy was with us almost instantly.

The decor, furniture and lighting at Bvlgari Bali are all exceptional. Conceptually flawless.

The grounds of Bvlgari are actually very extensive, I was surprised at how long it took to make it all the way down to the main restaurant area. Our buggy driver was a delight, very fluent in English and quite well versed not only in the details of the resort but also in the history and culture of our home countries.

Arriving at night, the setting for the bars and restaurants is absolutely enchanting. It honestly felt like we were emperors in some long forgotten kingdom. The architecture manages to perfectly blend the old and the new, so many of the stone surfaces are rough and lava-like that the impression is one of aged elegance rather than brash novelty.

This beautiful lamp marks the stopping point for buggies.

On the left is Il Ristorante, a very highly regarded Italian restaurant. We dined at Sangkar, the Indonesian restaurant on the right, which boasts spectacular ocean views from its outdoor deck.

To reach Sangkar we first had to head towards the bar. This is how busy it gets when the resort is at full capacity.

I just can't get enough of the ambiance of tranquility here.

Looking across the water towards Il Ristorante

Sangkar is by far the larger of the two restaurants at Bvlgari Bali but that doesn't mean that it gets overcrowded. We asked our server why the resort seemed so empty. He said that although occupancy was at 100%, most visitors were on their honeymoons and usually just ordered room service

We opted to eat outside on the terrace, beneath the full moon. Poor Mr R, the food at The Edge really did a number on him. It's only now, looking back at this photo that I actually remember how bad he felt.

Thankfully he was at least able to enjoy the fantastic basket of breads that was brought to us.

Everything about the tableware was in fitting with the overall design aesthetic of the resort. I particularly loved the antique looking, bronze cutlery.

We ordered a variety of dishes a la carte and the price was considerably less than what we would pay for similar in NY or London. The value for money, given that most people eating here will be a captive audience, paying north of $1000 a night for a room, was great.

I think we ordered Bebek Goreng at the majority of our meals. This was one of the better examples.

The char-grilled prawns were deliciously fresh and generously portioned

Mrs. R fancied a bit of a change and went with sushi. It was fairly unremarkable but nicely presented.

I ordered the Ultimate Nasi Goreng served with Wagyu beef satay and lobster tail, which was really good.

I have no idea what this dessert was but my notes tell me that we all loved it.

http://www.bulgarihotels.com/en-us/b...kar-restaurant

(Finn's Beach club - Semara Bali)
now: Sundays Beach Club - Ungasan Clifftop Resort

As we awoke on our final full day in Bali, we figured we would take it easy and finally set foot on one of Bali's white sand beaches.

When we visited there were a couple of beach clubs, side-by-side in Uluwatu: Finn's and Karma Beach. Finn's seemed to be the more popular of the two, so we decided to make that our destination.

The club has since relocated to Canggu, much closer to the heaving throngs of humanity in Kuta and Seminyak. i.e. the No Go Zone.

The Semara resort itself is now under new management and is called The Ungasan Clifftop Resort. The beach club is now called Sunday's Beach Club.

The pricing remains unchanged. You pay 300k IDR per person for club access, which includes transport down on the inclinator, towels, non-motorized watersports and 150k IDR of F&B credit.

Unlike Rock Bar, there was no line at all for the inclinator at Finn's, we just had to wait for it to be sent up to us from the bottom. A relaxing enough wait...

...Until this absolute beast turned up. Remarkably enough, our server at Sangkar, the night before, had mentioned that one of the Uluwatu monkeys was something of a legend (the Uluwatu monkeys as a whole have a reputation as being the most aggressive in all of Bali). He said that one particular monkey was bigger and stronger than the rest, this monkey was recognisable as a result of the battle scar across his face. His name was Samson and he was not to be messed with. He didn't seem to like us too much.

Thankfully, the inclinator reached us shortly after he did...

...And we were able to escape to the paradise on the shoreline

Karma beach is just around the next corner so you can walk from one to the other. Note: Both beach clubs still charge you the full fee, including inclinator access, even if you make your own way there (there is a regular path down near Karma Kandara and you can walk here from Alila Villas Uluwatu in low tide too)

This way to Alila Villas Uluwatu

After the arduous task of looking left and right, we were just about ready to start drinking pitchers of icy old booze.

This is the only picture of any of us actually standing on a paddle board (there are plenty of me thrashing around in the water or flying through the air as my buoyant blue nemesis floats idly next to me)

It's not the most cultural way to spend a day but if you're in this neck of the woods and fancy a change from your villa, it makes for a very relaxing and fun alternative.

http://www.sundaysbeachclub.com

Uluwatu Temple and the Kecak Dance

There are seven Sea Temples in Bali, each visible from the next (like that awesome scene with the signal flares in LOTR). The most famous is Tanah Lot (which we visited during our stay at Bulung Daya) after that, the next most visited is Uluwatu temple.

The temple itself is rather unimpressive and can only be photographed from this adjacent walkway.

Uluwatu Temple

The views on the other hand are quite something. Particularly if you've not spent any time in Uluwatu before.

The main reason to visit though has to be the Kecak dance. This is a deeply impressive show in which an all male group creates a surging and rhythmic music, a capella, for an action packed dance performance. The show starts off quite peacefully, a tranquil soundtrack to the sun as it slowly extinguishes into the ocean.

As our surroundings got darker, so did the performance.

The Monkey god Hanoman is the principal mischief maker of the show and also quite the acrobat

He likes to interact with the crowd too

And is soon punished for his transgressions

Before freeing himself by kicking a path clear through the flames

Ju-Ma-Na Restaurant - Banyan Tree Bali

After the Kecak Dance we decided to wrap up our final evening with dinner at the Banyan Tree resort. I hadn't really researched the available dining options in advance but figured that an all villa resort with this high a rack rate was probably going to do ok.

We were greeted at the lobby by these stone guardians.

Our main goal was to dine outside under the amazing full moon, which had started to turn red.

Our buggy driver took us directly to Ju-Ma-Na, the resort's French restaurant, without asking. We were more in the mood for Indonesian food but figured we might as well go and have a drink first.

Ju-Ma-Na has a beautiful outdoor bar area, which was deserted.

In fact both floors were

However, we really wanted to sit on the other side, facing the ocean and the moon. Despite the fact that the restaurant was completely empty, the manager was a complete stickler for the rules. One terrace was only for drinks and the other only for dinner. So, we called up the buggy and headed to the centre of the resort to check out the other options.

The pool had an amazing view of the ocean and the moon. (those leaf shaped loungers are everywhere nowadays!)

The Indonesian restaurant looked fairly basic and unappealing though, so we decided to head back to the Ju-Ma-Na for dinner...back where we started

I'm so glad we did.

From the get go, this was a very special experience. It was the most expensive meal of our trip and the only time we really paid metropolitan restaurant prices in Bali but it was most certainly worth it.

The meal began with a table side Balinese hand washing.

I was rather intrigued by the menu's description of the molecular G&T. Knowing how scarce a commodity alcohol is in Indonesia, I was very dubious when reading that I would be getting three glasses of G and T, filled with molecular tonic pearls, for the price of a regular drink at Rock Bar. I needn't have been. It was so good that I ordered a second one ^

The bread was super fresh

It was accompanied by two delicious dips

The amuse bouche was exquisitely plated with a taste to match

The lobster bisque cappuccino was a playful little dish with a rich, deep and utterly captivating flavour

I ordered the foie gras starter which was again beautifully presented and perfectly balanced. The foie was clearly front and centre, with the small waffle pieces adding textural contrast without detracting from the mouth coating richness of the goose liver. Each piece of foie then had a different accompanying gel to add acidity and freshness to the dish. Superb.

The octopus was grilled to perfection, with a sauce that ensured that the entire table's bread plates were left barren

Because we were sharing our dishes, I only got to eat half of a raviolo. This made me sad. It was one of the best I've ever eaten.

We finished the meal with a trio of cremes brûlées, finished table side - of course.

It was our last dinner so we felt it was appropriate to go all out and order the soufflé as well. This was a great idea.

Overall, a spectacular meal and well worth travelling for, even if you are staying in Nusa Dua, Jimbaran or anywhere in the vicinity of DPS.

Bonus fact: Ju-Ma-Na also has a pepper mill which is as big as a (small) person

The lobby was as stunning as ever

Every single aspect of this resort is utterly photogenic

Being here feels like being in the midst of alien civilisation

We were warmly greeted the moment we approached Warung restaurant. The server greeted me as Bapa and always referred to both myself and Mr R as such. K and Mrs R were referred to as Ibu.

This is a Balinese way of showing both respect and affection and Alila is the only resort in Bali which addressed us this way (I understand it is also standard at the three Balinese Amans, which is no co-incidence).

The enchanting manner of our server was a world away from the horrorshow of The Edge and reminded me of why I love Bali so much.

As soon as she found out that Mr R wasn't feeling well, she suggested that he have a plain congee and a ginger tea (we weren't charged for these. They wouldn't allow us to pay, to be precise)

One of these days I'll bite the bullet and actually buy one of these giant wooden sculptures to take home.

A firm Instagram favourite, shot from the other side.

The meal started as always with two types of crackers and a variety of pickles, sambal and sauces. This beats the hell out of a regular bread service.

We were also brought a supply of freshly chilled lotions and sprays. Why don't other places do this?! Why?!

The menu at Warung is unbelievably extensive. You could stay here for two weeks and never dream of heading to Cire, the western restaurant.

This was a new one for me. Deep fried eels with chili. This would be better as a bar snack than a regular dish, although it did mix well with the vegetables and pickles.

Until proven otherwise, this is the greatest Bebek Goreng in all of Indonesia. I order this dish everywhere and nowhere else comes close. The depth of flavour, the crispiness of the skin and the amount of meat - this is the best fried duck ever, in every possible way.

Enough to make even the most devout vegan salivate. I don't know what arcane witchcraft allows this to be bone dry and moist at the same time but its utterly amazing. Nothing is better than this.

We moved across to one of the bales for dessert and coffee

We ordered another one of my favourite dishes ever for dessert: the jet black Bubur Injin, a reduced palm sugar and black rice porridge served with coconut cream. It features on the breakfast menu too and is one of the most delicious things ever.

After our meal, I took the chance to head up the stairs of the hidden nest, to snap a shot of the villas themselves. I remember looking online before our stay here and never seeing a shot like this, so figured somebody else would be interested in seeing the layout of the resort (note also the volcanic rock on the roofs, used to heat the water here)

I have to admit, the other direction is a bit more photogenic though

Our car was waiting to take us all to the airport but I had one very quick visit to make first. The best toilet in the world.

The trip then ended in the same way as our first, with the Alila Villas Uluwatu car driving us to DPS and the sad, sad journey home. A journey made a little less sad by the fact that I already had another trip to Bali booked

In the past I had used one of the terrible gate lounges (open to everyone but Skyteam) at DPS so was really looking forward to using the GA lounge at one of their flagship airports. When we first got to the lounge the place was overrun with people but after about 20 minutes or so most of them cleared out.

Past the greeting desks you enter an area which kind of resembles a hotel lobby.

The buffet is in the centre of this area and features a selection of both Western and Indonesian food. There was no liquor or champagne but beer was available (much the same as on domestic GA planes)

After visiting numerous Japanese lounges, I thought I'd seen everything...

Time for one quick instagram post before our flight

Indoors was pretty boring, so I made myself an iced espresso, grabbed K and waited outside until boarding was called for our flight. There's something very cool about being able to escape the hermetically sealed confines of an airport and these experiences are memorable for their rarity if nothing else. To be honest though, it was nice to be outside enjoying the heat but this area is not a patch on the outdoor terraces at the VS clubhouse at LHR or the Star Alliance lounge at LAX.

As soon as I caught sight of our magnificent bird the excitement started to build. This was to be not only my first ever flight on Garuda Indonesia's business class but also my first ever exprience of the staggered cabin layout of the sogerma solstys seats.

These are the same seats used by EK on their A380s as well as EY, IB and AB A330s amongst others.

As soon as I set eyes on the cabin I was like a kid in a candy shop. I had to photograph absolutely everything.

The solstys seats are alternately staggered, meaning that window seats are either close to the window and very private as a result of having the side table by the aisle, or closer to the aisle with the table close to the window. I personally prefer the former but can see how people who are less mobile/ claustrophobic would prefer the latter.

The cabin on this Boeing 777-300ER looked brand new and the finishes of the seats were of a high quality without looking tacky.

As you can see, the cabin wasn't exactly full, which was actually quite surprising given how decent the J fares are on this route.

Loads of space here, no issues with 'foot coffins' or 'foot cocoons'

2 USB ports in addition to the universal power sockets

Headphone and S-Video sockets. It's amazing how often S-Video appears in IFE systems, by the time HDMI is finally rolled out I'm sure it'll be obsolete too

Plenty of ways to adjust your seat plus a massage function.
The IFE remote isn't touch screen but it is very responsive and has a crisp and clean design.

The tray table and coat hook

The centre seats alternate in the same fashion as the window seats, meaning that you end up being either very close to your seatmate or very far away.

I was offered either water or orange juice as a pdb by a really smiley and friendly FA. My water was brought out almost immediately with a thick cold towel placed on a bamboo holder.

Once airborne, we entered the front cover a Pink Floyd album

I honestly can't get my head around people who don't like window seats. Even in Y, I'll put up with some discomfort if it allows me to set my eyes on sights like this.

The captain switched off the seatbelt signs shortly after take-off, given the sparse occupancy of the J cabin the meal service was very quick and efficient. There was no pre-meal drinks run though, this may well be due to the fact that only soft drinks and beer are served domestically on GA. I was initially given a tray featuring breads, a fruit salad and some unidentifiable but quite delicious savoury parfait.

I was then offered either a beef or vegetarian option. I asked for the beef rendang, which was hand delivered from the galley. The vegetables were well cooked and still had a bit of a crunch to them, the rice grains didn't stick together at all and the rendang? It was spectacular. If you're going to serve beef on a plane, slow cook it. I can't remember a bad braised beef dish on a plane, steaks on the other hand? BA =

After the dinner service the cabin lights were dimmed and the starry night lights were switched on.

An hour later we touched down at CGK.

I caught sight of out ride to NRT during our taxi

In some circ*mstances bus gates can be a total PITA. This was not one of them. Having the chance to get up close to those enormous engines on this balmy evening was absolutely awesome.

The Pura Indah lounge is a single, poorly decorated room, free from any partitions or privacy of any kind. The carpeting tiles are particularly shocking.

Much like the domestic GA J lounge at DPS, this lounge doesn't serve any alcohol other than beer. Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country though, I get it. What I don't get, is the fact that there were no regular water bottles - instead there were only single serving water cups: the type that come with incredibly hard and thin straws which bounce off the plastic cover.

First class?

Really?

The food situation wasn't much better.

Overall, a sallow pit of despair. A deplorable attempt at a lounge. A blight on this Earth.

We left the lounge after ten minutes or so and headed to the security screening area before the gate. Once into the gate itself we were greeted by the JL supervisor, who handed us a new set of boarding passes, a window and an aisle, next to each other at the back of the J cabin.

I'm not going to lie, it felt really weird being aboard a JL 77W and turning right. I was hardly going to enjoy JL F to its fullest on a seven hour redeye and I was intrigued to see what JL's J cabin was like. For the second time in one day I was going to try a new long-haul J product!

My seat: 12A was right at the back of the cabin, I quite like being back here as it gives you the opportunity to see everything that's going on.

My first impression upon seeing the seat was that it looked very private indeed and basically had a lot of the same ideas as BA's Club World without the two major flaws:

1. No clambering over peoples' legs to exit the window seats
2. No rear facing seats and awkward eye contact that ensues

I also really liked the fact that this seat has a permanently deployed foot rest with storage below, space above and a fixed shelf under the TV.

My only slight concern with the seat was that it felt a little narrow, although my shoulders never actively touched the sides. I really liked the shelf running all the way along the right hand side though. It was wide enough to put down a phone, a pair of glasses or a drink (again comparing this to BA where there is no shelf at all).

The shelves actually carry on all the way into the 'alleyway' leading to the aisle. This was useful as a place to open up my carry-on as well as being useful for placing the meal tray when I was finished eating and wanted to get up and get changed.

The J seats get the same touch screen IFE control as F

Universal power, USB and the usual defunct video socket

Plenty of ways to get comfortable. I also like that the controls for the divider are easily found, together with those for the seat.

Above my head was another small storage area, good for placing things both on top and underneath.

K was sat in the aisle seat next to me. Again, this has a number of benefits over a similar seat in BA J. Firstly you gain a lot of privacy by having an enclosure both around the IFE screen and around your head.

The aisle seats on JL J also have more storage than those at the window. There is a large cubbyhole with a hook for headphones and an area to charge electronic devices.

JL doesn't supply Bose headphones in J but the Sony headphones were really comfortable, high quality and looked super cool.

A rudimentary sleeper kit (earplugs, mask and toothbrush) was handed out to each passenger before takeoff.

Of course, it would be unthinkable to not provide slippers on a Japanese airline.

Breakfast cards were also distributed before our departure from the gate. A sneaky move by JL as breakfast is not only the main meal on this flight but also the one that most people are likely to skip (as I did).

Post take-off a lot of people went immediately to sleep. I was initially worried about being seated by a family with two young kids but they made no noise at all. Once the seatbelt signs went off, both kids were placed in the middle seat and left to their own devices, whilst the parents, sat on the outside seats, doing their damndest to finish all of the gin on the plane.

At one stage I was sure we were going to get some crying as this baby got punched clean in the jaw by his big sister. Dude just completely shrugged it off, hell of a chin on him. Potentially the second coming of Kazuyuki Fujita. Well trained for a future of taking five slaps to the face on the Yamanote line, on a Friday night.

With so many people going to sleep, service was very quick, even in the back row. I ordered a glass of the delicious Delamotte a.k.a. 'Salon Jr' which was served with a packet of dried natto and a packet of rice crackers.

Unfortunately the dinner option was pretty lamentable. Some convenience store sushi and a little salad thing. Not acceptable for a 21:25 departure on a seven hour flight. Really disappointing given JL's reputation for good food.

I finished the 'meal' in about ten seconds and got changed for bed.
Thankfully the cabin wasn't too hot and I was able to find some more packets of natto to sate my hunger.

I slept really well and woke up around 20 minutes before the seatbelt signs came on, the wait for the bathroom was improved considerably by this spectacular sunrise. Apposite given our destination.

After two amazing weeks in Bali, it was time to return in quasi palindromic fashion, through Tokyo and Hong Kong, back home to London.

The three pieces of sushi for dinner and lack of breakfast on the redeye had left us both with an insatiable hunger, which is definitely a great position to be in, in Tokyo.

I honestly think it is impossible to have a bad meal in this city, every single dining establishment just seems to take so much pride in every aspect of serving food. We were so hungry that we decided to get some food at the first place we set eyes on, after getting through the barriers at Shimbashi station.

The noodles were perfectly chewy, the tempura had an amazingly crisp crunch with no softness whatsoever and the broth was rich and complex. So yeah, bog standard Tokyo food

K went for a slightly different and equally delicious noodle dish and we also shared some karaage from the extensive selection of "add ons"

Suitably sated we walked through the myriad labyrinthine twists and turns that link Shimbashi sation with Shiodome station and The Conrad Tokyo.

The Conrad Tokyo is one of my favourite hotels in the world and having been there a few times already, it is one of those places in which I feel an instant sense of familiarity, a sense of home.

The moment that you step into the ground level lobby you are instantly transported in a gleaming and elegant world of art and foliage.

Up on the 28th floor the decor changes to dark woods, thick carpets and designer lighting. This really helps to set a quiet, inviting and residential tone to the hotel.

Our visit was just before Halloween and the Conrad had made an effort to decorate the lobby bar accordingly

The check-in area is dominated by this enormous painting by the acclaimed Japanese painter Toko Shinoda, who is still going strong at the age of 103.

A huge selection of her works were actually on display at the time of my visit, to commemorate the ten year anniversary of the Conrad. It was great to have our own private art gallery on site, without having to leave the building.

Check-in was handled by the amazing Ari, head of guest relations and one of the nicest people I've ever come across in the hotel business. He was effusive and friendly in his welcome, he explained that as a returning guest and (at the time) HHonors Gold, I had been upgraded to an executive floor room. He also went on to explain in depth about the Toko Shinoda exhibition, telling us about her life and how she came to work with the hotel.

Although the Conrad is undeniably elegant, it is also modern and playful in its design. Something that the PH with its frankly appalling and terrifying medusa headed babies, has never seemed to quite get a handle on.

The landings by the lifts are beautifully decorated

I love the dark wooden hallways too

I got a twin room on this occasion, as K was only in town for a few hours before heading over to PVG, to spend a couple of weeks with her family. My good friend Mossy got a pass from Mrs M to stay over instead.

Elegant, modern and unmistakably Japanese decor. The beds here are supremely comfortable too and all the light switches and room controls are simple and intuitive (which is particularly welcome when you've been out drinking in Tokyo's karaoke bars)

Every little detail is flawless. There are no scuffs or scratches anywhere. Also they have Time-Life Eames chairs! I shudder to think what it cost to decorate and maintain these rooms.

The minibar is particularly impressive

Even the hotel pamphlets come in a bespoke, glossy wooden box, lined with suede and the directory comes bound in a buttery soft leather

The glass wall between the bathroom and the bedroom allows loads of natural light in, if you want privacy though, you can lower the electric shutters.

Twin vanities

Super high pressure rain shower

The standard Aromatherapy Associates amenities, I requested Shanghai Tang during check-in and two full sets were brought up, a couple of minutes after we got to the room.

A special duck to add to the collection. I still think it's bizarre how travelling seems to be indelibly linked to cute animal toys... SQ bears, LH ducks etc.

One day I'm going to get one of these for home... then everything in life will be good.

After dropping off our things and grabbing a quick shower, K and I headed off for a walk around Ginza.

Unfortunately nothing there really opens before 10:30, so we decided to walk through the Tokyo Forum, one of my favourite buildings ever

We then grabbed a coffee and headed back, past the Ghibli clock, to The Conrad. K grabbed her bag from the lobby and we walked together to the station to say our goodbyes.

Thankfully some treats had been left for me in the room, so I wasn't too sad

Given how many times I've been to Tokyo I didn't feel the need to go out and walk just for the sake of it. Instead I just hung out in the room, a room which I can only ever hang out in whilst I'm in Tokyo, catching up on TRs and photo editing.

I swear, I would be so productive (and relaxed) if I had a setup like this at home.

I've had rooms with both city and harbour views and actually think I like them both equally. There's just something really unique and exciting about the clean density of the city's buildings and the constant flow of traffic below.

After a few relaxing hours I made my way to meet my friend Mossy in Omotesando, one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Tokyo, after he finished work.

Omotesando Koffee

Since we were so close by, I suggested that we should check out Omotesando Koffee - the notorious hipster coffee shop, whose enormous queues had thwarted me in the past. We picked up some cans of Strong Zero at a Family Mart, to entertain ourselves, incase the line was long... this was a solid strategy.

We waited for around 25 minutes, inching through the tiny Japanese courtyard...

...until finally, we stepped into the reverential, zen-like silence of the Koffee Shop itself.

The menu consisted of the usual espresso based drinks, as well as a couple of boozy options and one food item, square Japanese cakes - one by one, or five in a box.

I'm not sure if the coffee here was necessarily better than what you get at places like Nude, Milkbar or Kaffeine in London but the atmosphere and overall experience were definitely cool. I'm also glad I went because this place was only ever meant to be a one year pop-up and two short months after my visit, it abruptly closed its doors for good.

There are now a few other locations in the Koffee family though, including one in Toranomon, right by the Andaz. So I'm sure I'll have a chance to try the cakes on another occasion

http://ooo-koffee.com/

After drinking our coffees we went back to the Conrad to check out the Halloween afternoon tea spread, in the lounge. The service at this lounge is absolutely fantastic and the quality and presentation of the food also far exceeds the offerings at other city Conrads I've been to, in London and Singapore.

Whilst Rangali and Koh Samui are undoubtedly the crown jewels of the Conrad brand, when it comes to their city hotels Tokyo is head and shoulders above the rest.

Unfortunately we weren't able to stay for co*cktail hour as we had arranged to meet Mrs M and a couple of other friends at the Hilton Shinjuku. The Hilton recently underwent an extensive remodelling of its F&B outlets and it now looks pretty great, the design is very open plan, sleek and modern. A far cry from the staid, traditional and slightly depressing atmosphere that the place used to have.

As soon as Mrs M showed up she greeted us with a bag full of liver drinks. For those of you that don't know what a liver drink is: Japan has a multimillion dollar industry which churns out tiny metal bottles, with bright colouring, which purportedly cure hangovers. These are sold at every convenience store in Tokyo (i.e. they are sold every 3 metres you walk). Some of these drinks contain turmeric, some contain taurine. Hepalyse contains that plus a load of liquefied calves liver... and it is the bomb. It is as close as I've come to genuinely feeling bulletproof before going out drinking.

Mrs M knew what she was doing.

The drinks at the new bar, Zatta, are really well executed, I also love how you get oshibori service and cheese sticks too

Adding to our base layer of caffeine and mixing in some booze. Never a bad way to get things started.

Junisoh - Hilton Shijuku, Tokyo

After a couple of drinks we headed over to the new Teppanyaki restaurant: Junisoh. Mrs M pulled some serious strings with her contacts at Hilton to get us the chef's undivided attention for the evening. The first time I ever stayed at the Conrad was on her friends and family discount rate, if it wasn't for that I probably never would have strayed away from the PH and never would have realised how good the top end Hiltons can be.

I'm a really big fan of Japanese tableware. We're slowly replacing all of our plain white crockery at home with amazingly textured, coloured and shaped Japanese pieces like this.

The meal was served Kaiseki style, with dish after amazing dish served to us whilst these outrageously marbled pieces of A3 Wagyu sirloin and fillet, slowly came up to room temperature, on the edge of the grill.

The meal commenced with this unbelievably delicate flan topped with a fresh goji berry

Next came an insanely delicious assortment of sashimi, ikura and some sort of fried thing, in terms of texture and flavour this dish was immense.

Whilst we were eating that mixed dish, I began to notice something very awesome going on. The chef was preparing grilled prawn heads, heads which he was pressing and pressing into ever flatter shapes, whilst reserving the meat to one side.

The resulting dish was one of the most intensely flavoursome seafood dishes I've ever eaten. That orange sauce was imbued with the flavour of an entire ocean of prawns. There were no loose strands, no unpleasant shell, the prawn heads were perfect.

Even the vegetables were outrageously good. They tasted like vegetables that had somehow eaten other vegetables. The quality of ingredients was just on another level to almost anywhere I've ever been to.

Again, a boring salad that was somehow elevated to an unprecedented level of freshness and flavour

Next up came the main event. The A3 Wagyu Sirloin. The texture and intensity of flavour reminded me of eating Xiaolongbao. Like eating gel capsules, each containing an intense, liquid steak centre. Unbelievable. The kind of food that you'd gladly debase yourself for.

The kind of food we'd all gladly debase ourselves for

After that came the rice and miso soup, served with thin slivers of fried garlic and assorted pickles. All of which were, of course, spectacular.

The dessert. Everybody else had pretty much demolished theirs in the time it took me to take this picture. You get the idea, it was epic.

After that intensely amazing banquet and the various bottles of red wine, white wine and sake that accompanied it, we headed into Shinjuku.

No matter what time of day it is, it always seems to be this busy.

We ended up in one my favourite bars in the entire world. At the time I was there, my eagle eyed readers may have noticed, Mojitos were a shade over $2... and they are premium drinks. Regular spirits with mixer are 5 for 1000JPY, or $8 back in October 2015.

We drank and sang until our voices and legs didn't work anymore. I didn't take a huge amount of pictures, in fact I only took one. This dude was quite insistent on wanting to appear in my trip report. So, here you go buddy.

The next morning, I felt... OK. Not great but certainly far better for having woken up in a cloud-like bed, in one of my favourite hotels in the world, with one of my favourite people in the world; who was feeling just as bad as me.

Thankfully we were seated in the elegant, quiet and welcoming confines of China Blue for breakfast, as opposed the more 'family friendly' area of the main buffet.

The buffet here is slightly limited but the staff are more than happy to head over to the main buffet and retrieve anything you want.

There is also a bona fide a la carte selection (included alongside the buffet for HHonors Gold and Diamond).

I went for the Eggs Benedict because they are legitimately the best Eggs Benedict that have ever graced the face of this planet.

The Conrad Tokyo is one of my favourite hotels in the world. The decor is modern, elegant and understated; the service is friendly and effusive without being overly stuffy and formal; the views are fantastic, the beds are super comfy and it's close to HND.

There are numerous other luxury options in Tokyo but at this price point The Conrad Tokyo is very hard indeed to argue with.

I started off with a PDB of water, which came with a slightly less impressive oshibori than on the last flight. I was very impressed however by the large, freshly cut ice cubes. I had never seen ice like this on a plane before, usually you just get the slushy little pre-made cubes with holes in the centre.

Spotting some local traffic on the tarmac

Menus were distributed on the ground, unfortunately there had been a mistake and we had some shoddy looking photocopies inserted into pages of the menu. This is strange as the kaiseki meal was identical to what I had been served on the flight two weeks earlier.

My sobriety didn't last long, as soon as we reached cruising altitude I asked for a glass of the spectacular Amour de Deutz 2006 Rose. It was just as good as I remembered. On this occasion though I was offered either nuts or Japanese snacks, rather than just being brought both. With the flight being full, I guess they had to ration.

The sushi was exactly the same as on the last flight i.e. surprisingly good for sushi on a plane (and orders of magnitude better than the deplorable, crumbling oddities served on JL J)

The plating was a little more haphazard on the prawn dish this time:
This flight

Previous flight

The plating on the main course was not as impressive this time. It still looked great but a few little details were off.
This flight

Previous flight

I did manage to save room for cheese this time though. I always love when you get proper blue cheese on a plane and the addition of Carr's water biscuits did not go unnoticed

I followed this with the fruit platter, which was the same as on my last flight: ok but not very well balanced.

I finished the meal with a double espresso, which Cathay consistently produces at a higher level than any other airline (but only in F, their J "coffee" is woeful, watery swill).

This is why I never feel the need to order dessert on CX F

After the meal I caught up on some sleep, as I still had quite a few hours to catch up on from the night before. I awoke around 45 minutes before landing and just enjoyed the views.

The construction of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge is well underway.