A piece of heaven on earth in Bali

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Bali

Is this heaven? No, it's Bali!

I sent that cheesy SMS to a bunch of friends two weeks ago when I shamelessly left my editor and colleagues with a pile of work to do and flew off to Bali.

Dozens of envious replies came a moment later, but I was already too busy getting a traditional Balinese massage and spa treatment, swimming, driving a golf cart around the course by the sea and digging into lobster.

All the hard work was part of a three-day media trip at the end of last month provided by Nirwana Bali Resort.

Located in the Tanah Lot area, a one-hour drive from Ngurah Rai Airport, the resort stretches for more than 100 hectares along Bali's south coast, facing directly onto the Indian Ocean.

Opened in 1997, Nirwana is an integrated resort that comprises the Le Meridien Nirwana Golf and Spa Resort Bali, Nirwana Bali Golf Club, Nirwana Bali Vacation Club and Nirwana Bali Residences.

Entering the hotel lobby, I was welcomed with a garland of flowers and a cold white towel. The lobby has a panoramic view of the crashing waves of the Indian Ocean, rice terraces as well as a golf course.

There is also the enchanting Tanah Lot sea temple, perched on a rocky outcrop. When I got there, however, there was a huge crane around it, building a tunnel to avoid the sea from eroding the rock any further.

Back in 1997 when the resort was about to be opened, it was the subject of an outcry because it was built near the sacred temple.

"I must admit that we didn't discuss the project much with the public. Afterward, however, we approached them and the local administration and now everything is clear," said the resort communications manager, Retno N. Priambodo.

Eighty percent of the employees at the resort are local people. And due to local religious demands, the resort has an environmental awareness program.

Almost 70 percent of the resort is covered with tropical greenery and rice terraces. The resort has also implemented an energy cogeneration system. The heat and exhaust gases are captured and utilized to provide electrical power and steam for laundry facilities. All waste water is processed to water the golf course and the landscaped grounds.

It's pure luxury, but you pay for it, with U.S. dollars. There are three swimming pools, a 54-meter water slide and a swimming lagoon with a man-made white sandy beach. Several gazebos sprawl around the place, allowing you to have the traditional Balinese massage there while looking at the ocean.

The hotel itself, with 278 rooms, is a low-lying Balinese inspired building -- no building can be higher than a coconut tree, remember? -- with wide open spaces and wooded areas.

There are also 12 Balinese-style one and two-bedroom villas with private plunge pools, courtyards and outdoor pavilions.

The resort boasts that you literally don't need to go out of its grounds for what you need. There are a series of health and beauty treatments in an outdoor and indoor setting at the rejuvenating traditional spa. Gym, whirlpool, sauna and penguin club for children are also on offer there.

Dining is a fun experience here, because the hotel conducts theme dining almost every night at the restaurant, amphitheater or pool grill.

Try the theme dining at the Pura Bima, a temple by the river, which was built around 1350. Dinner is served on the front terrace of the temple for a minimum of 10 people and a maximum of 50 people. Offering Rijstaffel (a traditional multicourse Indonesian meal, which is all halal), you can also watch some 80 dancers perform the traditional kecak dance. The scene is very pretty.

Another main attraction is, of course, golf at the 18-hole par 72 Greg Norman-designed golf course. The golf course is stunning with holes carved through rice paddies along creeks and with four holes played along the cliff tops overlooking the Indian Ocean.

I thought I spotted State Minister of State Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi, with red glasses, teeing off, plus businessman-turned-singer Peter F. Gontha.

If you get bored staying at the resort, you can go to Tanah Lot Temple where you can also shop at the market. Or you can go to nearby Ubud and Kuta, or Sangeh Forest.

Most of the guests, around 85 percent, are foreigners.

Many return over and over again, and even ask for the same room or villa.

Couple Jarno Salmivuori and Norma Cokery, who come from Finland and Ireland respectively but live in Hong Kong, have visited Nirwana five times since March this year.

"We came here on long weekends and usually stay for four days," Cokery said.

As for Salmivuori, it was the golf that first attracted him.

"The view is really spectacular and the caddies are professional. I like the general feeling here, it feels like home. Peaceful, serene, the staff and the service are great. We've done Nusa Dua, Kuta. It's different here," he said.

What about the threat of the "sweeping" of foreigners with the growing anti-U.S. sentiment in Indonesia due to the U.S.-led military campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan?

"We hadn't even thought about that. Our travel agent told us it was okay in Bali," Cokery said.