巴厘岛总督酒店
Viceroy Bali
www.viceroybali.com
2005年开业的总督酒店是巴厘岛乌布丛林酒店的代表，它隐逸在一片幽静的山谷中，俯瞰热带丛林与河流，美得仿佛像另外一个世界，距离乌布繁荣的文艺中心只有5分钟车程，拥有乌布酒店中唯一的直升机停机坪。
据业主兼总经理玛格丽特・班布里奇Margaret Bainbridge回忆，很久以前，她的兄弟骑摩托车带她在乌布兜风，穿过一大片稻田才发现了这座曾属于某个乌布王朝的山谷，被称为“国王山谷”。后来他们建酒店时，在不使用“国王”一词，又能与山谷历史有所关联的条件下，总督Viceroy就成为最适合的酒店名字。
家庭运营的方式给总督酒店带来很多特色，业主将自己的生活品味和旅行时喜爱的一切都融入酒店。特色的茅草屋顶，浪漫的无边泳池和巴厘凉亭，与自然融合的开放式建筑，还有面朝山谷丛林的40间别墅和4间套房全部配备私密的户外恒温泳池，为客人创造美妙的度假体验。
以大堂三米宽的描绘巴厘岛传统舞者的手工雕刻壁画为代表，整个酒店点缀美轮美奂的乌布土著艺术品，传承几个世纪的古老艺术耀耀生辉，都是玛格丽特班布里奇和家人从无数个当地石雕村木雕村淘来的。
总督酒店的员工也是大家庭的一份子，客人经常提到某位员工为他们创造了难忘的体验，对我和朋友来说也是如此。我们要特别感谢司机Nofa，他带我们游览圣泉寺时全程陪伴并做细致讲解，可以说，我关于巴厘岛文化的知识有一半以上来自Nofa先生。
Viceroy Bali, which opened in 2005, represents the Ubud Jungle Resorts in Bali. It is nestled in a tranquil valley, overlooking tropical jungles and a river, creating a breathtakingly beautiful setting that feels like another world. Located just a 5minute drive from the bustling artistic center of Ubud, it boasts the only helipad among hotels in Ubud.
The owner and managing director Margaret Bainbridge once recalled, that a long time ago her brother took her for a ride on a motorcycle in Ubud, and they stumbled upon a vast expanse of rice fields before discovering a valley that once belonged to a Ubud kingdom. It was known as the ”Valley of the Kings.” When they later built the hotel, they wanted a name that would be associated with the valley‘s history without calling it kingdom, and thus the Viceroy became the most suitable name for the hotel.
The hotel‘s distinctive features are influenced by the family‘s personal tastes and everything they love about traveling. With its characteristic thatched roofs, romantic infinity pools, Balinese pavilions, openair architecture that blends seamlessly with nature, and 40 villas and 4 suites all facing the valley jungle equipped with private outdoor temperaturecontrolled pools, the Viceroy creates a wonderful vacation experience for its guests.
Represented by the handcarved mural depicting traditional Balinese dancers, which spans three meters wide in the lobby, the entire hotel is adorned with exquisite indigenous artwork from Ubud, showcasing centuriesold art that Margaret Bainbridge and her family collected from numerous local stone carving and wood carving villages.
The staff at the Viceroy are also part of the big family, and guests often mention how a certain staff have created unforgettable experiences for them, which holds true for me and my friends as well. We are especially grateful to our driver, Nofa, who accompanied us throughout our visit to the Holy Spring Temple and provided detailed explanations. It can be said that more than half of my knowledge about Balinese culture comes from Mr. Nofa.
