Sentosa … it’s the Little Things

“I don’t believe that there has been a more photographed villa development in Asia than Sentosa”, says Steve Dawson, the new GM of Sentosa Private Villas and Spa. Harpers Bazaar, Vogue, FRV, Madison and a long list of etcetera’s have all been to stay, and it just takes one night here to see why the big boys and girls of lifestyle publishing have chosen to plug Sentosa in their appointed task of passing on the best of the best to their high flying and free-spending readerships.

What has made Sentosa demand this quantity of glossy print interest? “It’s a hundred different things that make the difference,” says Steve, “the attention to detail for the smallest little objects”. And the colors of fish in the pond, the hand-crafted soaps, the epiphyte laden frangipani, the mirrors positioned in the most unexpected of indoor and outdoor walls, the four-figure thread count sheets and the sensuous lighting, which transforms the villa into a whole new entity under the cover of darkness.

Even the gardens are detailed in their simplicity. There isn’t a lot of color: it just doesn’t need any. “I have never seen a project that doesn’t have any color in its garden other than green”, muses Steve. “Every villa garden is green … gray and green. If you told me that you were going to build a property and that the gardens were going to be green I wouldn’t have believed you, but it works”.

All of Sentosa’s 32 three- and four-bedroom Seminyak villas are a blend of traditional Balinese and — contemporary Asian styles with spacious open-plan living and dining areas, and hardwood decking surrounding the central pool; perfect should you be planning on entertaining or even bringing kids into the equation.

While dining out every night is a holiday requisite, it’s always nice to be able to cook at home when the relaxation becomes too much or the kids start howling. A swift bowl of noodles or a Nutella sandwich does wonders sometimes to soothe the savage little breast. The sexy, black marble-topped kitchen would make any wannabe amateur celebrity chef blush, is well-equipped and has a six-foot plus tall fridge that makes dinner parties and supermarket shopping a reality. Sentosa’s chefs and butlers can even prepare a sumptuous steak and seafood barbecue poolside; or for the more adventurous of you, prepare babi guling – a suckling pig, that Balinese delicacy worth sinning for.

The service is pure class and the staffs are only distinguishable from the quality of the ubiquitous English butler by their accents; with the added advantage of the Balinese smile. All the staffs are trained in-house under the tutelage of Krisna Irvine, Sentosa’s training guru. Formerly of The Ritz in London, Aman and the Shangri-La, her credentials are enough to make the Queen of England herself request a second interview. Upon asking Steve who of the world’s A-listers have been spotted here, the question was met with a smile and a polite, “a few, but no names”, showing the kind of discretion you would expect in such a beautiful and private place.

Sentosa is a winner, and it is the quality of service and the luxury of the villas themselves, something that the owner is unafraid to keep investing in, that keep Sentosa at the top of its game. “They spent more money than anybody else has ever spent, and they are still spending money on it”, Steve says proudly before quietly adding that, “many a property man has toured the complex with their personal architects, surrepetiously taking pictures with tape measure in hand, secretly coveting Sentosa’s success”. The highest form of flattery, indeed.

Sentosa Villas and Spa
Jl. Pura Telaga Waja
Petitenget, Seminyak
Tel. +62 361 730333
www.balisentosa.com

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