The best few days you've ever spent in a resort will be the few days you should spend in Candidasa, Bali. There, practically on the beach, is a small mum and pop resort called Lumbung Damuh. The mum and pop are a young couple who run a tight yet beautiful ship. It's all atap, ratan, wood and bamboo, lovely. I was there with my girlfriend a few years back and we're thinking of going again this year.

The funny thing is that it is luxurious, but in a charmingly primitive way. It's like The Flintstones meets The Fullerton. The bathroom is immaculate: pristine wash bassin faucets, little bars of scented soap here and there, an oversized bath tub, a wooden scrubber and a large wooden ladle (not sure what that's for). The kicker: The bathroom is open concept, as in, no one can see in, but you can see out. Quite different.

In the morning, when you take the steps down into your lounge from your kelong chalet, the table is all set with fresh fruit, juice, a few warm croissants and fresh scrambled eggs, a simple yet enjoyable breakfast, especially given the green setting and the surf reverberating in the background. Utterly tranquil.



Some drawbacks though: It's a few hour's drive from Kuta. There's not a lot to do but laze around (which can be a good thing too, mind you) and when we were there, we only had a fan and a klambu around our poster bed, no aircon. Sure, it was nice to hear the cicaks, the surf and the wind in the coconut trees, but it was a bit warm. Then again, that was a few years back, so the rooms may have aircon by now.