Anniversary overnight at Kayumanis

In celebration of our anniversary, Lynn and I spent an overnight at the Kayumanis, one of the high-end hotels in the Ubud area.  (Fortunately off-season rates took effect Sep 1st.)  We haven't spent a night away from the girls the whole time we've been here, and Lynn has been very busy with full-time parenting and shuttling the girls around during the 8 weeks of school break.

Lynn does nearly all of our travel planning, so it was about time I tried my hand at a little surprise getaway.  Unfortunately, this effort only proved, once again, that nothing stays secret in Bali for long.  When I didn't respond immediately to the hotel's question about the pick-up time, the woman in reservations tracked down the phone number for the manager of our house.  He in turn called Dewa, who was driving Lynn at the time.  So Lynn got the out-of-the-blue request to return a call from the Kayumanis, and the surprise was spoiled.

But there was a silver lining, as the advance notice gave Lynn time to get comfortable with leaving the girls for an overnight.  Fortunately we have a reliable babysitter whom the girls are very fond of, and with some reservations, Lynn gave it the green light.

Kayumanis means "cinnamon" in Bahasa Indonesian.  The hotel has 23 private villas tucked away amidst a tiny village reached by a bumpy dirt road.  It is located along a ridge overlooking the Ayung River.

We enjoyed our getaway and a little pampering, which included welcome cocktails, an anniversary cake at dinner, and half-hour side-by-side massages the next morning.

outdoor shower

private pool

the living room/dining room/kitchen area of our villa

my sweetie holding the sweets

maybe "anniversary" didn't fit?

breakfast at the villa

on the way to the spa

a stream below

hotel pool

not-great photo taken by hotel guy