Club Med Bali sure knows how to deliver a fuss-free, all-inclusive vacation, a cross between the feel-good fizziness of Disneyland and the indulgence of a cruise ship.
The peppy staff, known as "GOs", operate all of the resort's activities, run the kids' club, serve at the restaurants and bars andeven perform in the nightly entertainment extravaganzas.
Club Med recruits their GOs from around the world and rotate them throughout their resorts, every couple of years.
Club Med
During my stay at Club Med Bali, the GOs derived from 33 countries, including one Kiwi! Before long, you'll notice them greeting you by name and intuitively knowing your drink preference.
Since Club Med is all about all-inclusive, your food and beverages are already taken care of, including fruit juices, beer, wine, spirits and cocktails.
Sunrise yoga
The only additional charges I came across were for premium beer brands and champagne. Not dissimilar to an ocean cruise, the food just keeps on flowing, with unbelievably expansive buffet presentations, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The globe-trotting gastronomy features quintessential Balinese food including nasi campur, a signature French "dish of the day", Italian woodfired pizza and pastas, Japanese sushi and kimchee dishes, and a fabulous fresh salad bar and fruit bar.
The lavish buffet affair takes place at the magnificently furnished Augung Restaurant, while you can dine a la carte at The Deck, an experiential must for the gourmet seafood selections.
In addition to the main dining services, tasty snacks and tapas are always available at the Kintamani Bar, a spectacular circular poolside structure, strobing like a UFO at night.
One night a clutch of Balinese food carts were wheeled out around the bar, sizzling away with grilled food on skewers. It's those sorts of unexpected extra thrills, alongside the flawless guest service, which makes Club Med Bali such a star performer.
With 393 rooms colourfully designed in traditional Balinese style, across five buildings, accommodation spans three categories - club, deluxe and suites, fresh from a major makeover.
Balinese motifs of gold, wood, stone and soft red paintwork celebrate the sense of place. Suites boast acres of space with a separate living area and super-sized bathtubs.
All accommodations feature a lounge area and furnished terrace or balcony with day bed.
The air-con is great if the weather gets steamy, you've got free Wi-Fi, a complimentary mini-bar, cable TV and a beautifully appointed bathroom with rain shower.
Club Med Zen Pool
Smorgasbord of activities on offer
My runaway Club Med highlight was the aptly-named Zen pool.
This multi-tiered hideaway is an adults-only, quiet-zoned watery sanctuary.
A triumphant celebration of luxury tropical tranquillity, the tinkling water feature feeding into the sky-blue pool, wrapped in hanging day beds, was my kind of perfect.
The main pool and stage roll out a nightly production ranging from a Balinese cultural show and water ballet to an exuberant Wizard of Oz performance.
Spilling out on to sun-kissed Nusa Dua Beach, with loungers and day beds at your disposal, I loved watching the local fisherman haul in a fresh catch, at twilight, from a surging water channel that intersects with the deep ocean.
It's also a dreamy spot to catch a sunrise, join a day-break yoga session or marvel over the locals' ginormous kites.
Fringing the beach, a gorgeous public boardwalk shadows Nusa Dua's coastline, weaving past all of the area's resort hotels and ending up at the fantastic shopping precinct, The Bali Collection.
TOP TIP
As much as Nusa Dua is a gated community of holiday resorts, if you want to immerse yourself in the region's riches, Club Med offers a wide platter of excursions you can book.
But with everything laid on, many guests, particularly families, seemed more than content to fly and flop for a week, during my visit to this ravishing Bali resort. www.clubmed.co.nz
I travelled to Bali, via Brisbane, with Virgin Australia. Enjoy specially curated menus, wireless entertainment, spacious seating and sparkling service.
Resident chef Luke Mangan oversees top-notch in-flight meal options, across all classes. If you crave extra legroom along with priority boarding and preferred overhead locker space, Economy X is just the ticket. Grab a great deal and seat to suit at www.virginaustralia.com.
