Jungle Fish: A Balinese Secret Haven
Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Deep in the Balinese Jungle, quite literally off the beaten track, I found a hidden gem; Jungle Fish.
The road there was long, hot and a little scary. Scary why? Scary because you lose all signs of civilisation five minutes after leaving the bustling tourist lined streets of Ubud, the village dubbed as Bali’s cultural hub. You also lose the nice flat roads that are the norm in the areas popular with the everyday traveler, in exchange for near-vertical hills taken up by locals who were riding with utter ease and a certain level of speed I might add. The journey was fascinating don’t get me wrong, I mean who can say they’ve driven through and past rice paddies whilst sharing roads with the odd strolling monkey and horse-drawn carriage in the modern-day?
If you’re not too traumatised after the tricky trip (Please don’t let me put you off, my boyfriend wasn’t really fazed by the journey and just found it funny and went on to call me a drama queen...) then take time to soak up the sheer beauty of the reception area, and the lovely short walk to the main restaurant and pool area. It has a very oriental vibe to it. A sacred feel, with beautiful stone sculptures in dragon and religious Hindu forms. Surrounded by small rectangular shaped ponds teaming with orange Koi, Waterlilies and pretty water features.
First stop: food, always food, and this restaurant did not disappoint! It’s set up overlooking the beautiful turquoise pool and bar area, it gave diners the chance to get an Ariel view of this quirky little place and the deep jungle its surrounded by, which really gives this restaurant an elegant and exclusive feel. The menu has a lot to offer, a total mixture of cuisine, from burgers and sandwiches to salads, pizza and grill. Naturally, I chose pizza, as I am an addict, and there was one on the menu that I couldn’t push aside... the ‘Persian’. It was a concoction of a bit of everything I love, all combined into one thin and crispy pizza. Lamb mince, feta, mozzarella, walnut and tzatziki, a few very nice ingredients that I’d never thought I’d see on one pizza. Delicious! Oh, and the freshly squeezed orange juice is a must, especially in that humidity. The pizzas are around 75-100k Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) which translates to about £4-6 in GBP, so considering this style of restaurant was more on the upmarket side, those are pretty amazing prices.
After not so strategically bloating my belly so much so to look about five months pregnant, it was time to strip down to swimwear and take a dip in the stunningly enticing infinity pool. It was beautiful, and the infinity design of it meant there was a whole invisible wall running along the whole length of the pool where you could take a breather, or like me and most of the couples lucky enough to be there, the ideal prop for that perfect Instagram snap. I know what you’re thinking, ‘Was it a sheer drop to the jungle floor 50 feet down?’ the answer is no, kind of disappointingly it was just an illusion, it actually dropped about a foot to netting and a path connecting the spa to the restaurant.
Surrounding the pool were funky swing beds and hanging chairs, along with the usual sun-loungers. Just some advice, if you’re wanting to nab one of the dreamy beds to sunbathe on in style, then I recommended booking one in advance (There’s only two or three of them, and are obviously rather desirable).
So, if you're ever so fortunate to be in this tiny but wonderful part of the world, you'll definitely thank me for taking a day out to visit this place. Its got the food, beauty, luxury and relaxation that one could only dream of putting together into a single place. A true piece of paradise.
The road there was long, hot and a little scary. Scary why? Scary because you lose all signs of civilisation five minutes after leaving the bustling tourist lined streets of Ubud, the village dubbed as Bali’s cultural hub. You also lose the nice flat roads that are the norm in the areas popular with the everyday traveler, in exchange for near-vertical hills taken up by locals who were riding with utter ease and a certain level of speed I might add. The journey was fascinating don’t get me wrong, I mean who can say they’ve driven through and past rice paddies whilst sharing roads with the odd strolling monkey and horse-drawn carriage in the modern-day?
Enter
If you’re not too traumatised after the tricky trip (Please don’t let me put you off, my boyfriend wasn’t really fazed by the journey and just found it funny and went on to call me a drama queen...) then take time to soak up the sheer beauty of the reception area, and the lovely short walk to the main restaurant and pool area. It has a very oriental vibe to it. A sacred feel, with beautiful stone sculptures in dragon and religious Hindu forms. Surrounded by small rectangular shaped ponds teaming with orange Koi, Waterlilies and pretty water features.
Eat
First stop: food, always food, and this restaurant did not disappoint! It’s set up overlooking the beautiful turquoise pool and bar area, it gave diners the chance to get an Ariel view of this quirky little place and the deep jungle its surrounded by, which really gives this restaurant an elegant and exclusive feel. The menu has a lot to offer, a total mixture of cuisine, from burgers and sandwiches to salads, pizza and grill. Naturally, I chose pizza, as I am an addict, and there was one on the menu that I couldn’t push aside... the ‘Persian’. It was a concoction of a bit of everything I love, all combined into one thin and crispy pizza. Lamb mince, feta, mozzarella, walnut and tzatziki, a few very nice ingredients that I’d never thought I’d see on one pizza. Delicious! Oh, and the freshly squeezed orange juice is a must, especially in that humidity. The pizzas are around 75-100k Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) which translates to about £4-6 in GBP, so considering this style of restaurant was more on the upmarket side, those are pretty amazing prices.
Swim
After not so strategically bloating my belly so much so to look about five months pregnant, it was time to strip down to swimwear and take a dip in the stunningly enticing infinity pool. It was beautiful, and the infinity design of it meant there was a whole invisible wall running along the whole length of the pool where you could take a breather, or like me and most of the couples lucky enough to be there, the ideal prop for that perfect Instagram snap. I know what you’re thinking, ‘Was it a sheer drop to the jungle floor 50 feet down?’ the answer is no, kind of disappointingly it was just an illusion, it actually dropped about a foot to netting and a path connecting the spa to the restaurant.
Relax
Surrounding the pool were funky swing beds and hanging chairs, along with the usual sun-loungers. Just some advice, if you’re wanting to nab one of the dreamy beds to sunbathe on in style, then I recommended booking one in advance (There’s only two or three of them, and are obviously rather desirable).
So, if you're ever so fortunate to be in this tiny but wonderful part of the world, you'll definitely thank me for taking a day out to visit this place. Its got the food, beauty, luxury and relaxation that one could only dream of putting together into a single place. A true piece of paradise.