Top Draw
December 28, 2009
I is not hard to see why the whole world wants to stay in a penthouse. There is something extremely sexy about being above the crowds, quite literally, settled into an exclusive eagle’s nest and pampered to the point of pomposity by a private butler. It is all about privacy of course – even if you decide to throw a party and invite your friends. For a private party. Above the crowds. In your own personal penthouse. You get the picture.
The Anantara Penthouse positively oozes privacy. The hotel itself – newest on the beach and already packed to the rafters – has been a hit almost from the day one. It offers something quite different for Bali … luxury in the middle of what would otherwise be the island’s ‘town’ – the beach at Gado Gado. You can sit in glorious luxury on the pool deck and watch the world go by, just as we used to do from a rather lower-budget warung in what was once a nightclub car park. It is all changed … just as the island has moved on, so have the hotels we now enjoy.
It gets better the further you go up. And up and up to the spectacular top floor that comprises, for the most part, SOS, and for another, the Anantara’s penthouse. Access is granted via separate entrance, upstairs to a lobby deck that doubles as a personal library. Open the double doors and step into a rather expensive embrace – if you have to ask how much is it to stay here, then I am afraid you definitely won’t be able to afford it. Right in front of you at this point is a set of smaller steps that lead to an inviting day bed, then onward to a private pool (into which one can literally ‘fall’) and yet onwards again to the stunning blue horizon. With nothing in between.
It is a luxury apartment, of course, and so much more. One end of your private deck in the clouds is a lounge area, dining room and another daybed, while on the other lays sunbeds, and yes, a jacuzzi. Oh hell. The plasma in your bedroom is almost as big as the bed, swivels nicely on its hinges and is supported by a fab Bose sound system that reverberates around the entire place.It is all showers and more baths and of course your own private spa room (or a second bedroom, should you be staying with your family or friends), not to mention exceptional service in the form of a very attentive and highly discreet butler. Always on hand but rarely noticed.
Nudity is a mandatory at some point during your stay. Let’s face it, if you can’t walk around starkers in a penthouse, where can you? The only people likely to disturb your natural tendencies (once the butler has been safely seen off, that is) are helicopter passengers who flit by occasionally in the otherwise pristine sky. All in all, the Anantara Penthouse is about as good as it gets (did I mentioned the well-stocked Smeg fridge), and very easy to get used to. Exclusivity can come in many forms, but this experience pretty much took the biscuit … and the cake, bottle of Dom and winner’s trophy. Enjoy it if you can.
Published on The YAK
Vol 20, Sep / Oct /Nov 2008
