“Welcome Home”. That’s how they greet you when you return from a long day out. If that doesn’t melt your heart, we don’t know what will. L Seminyak was full of these beautiful surprises. Let’s start at the lobby. On one of the walls, you’ll find Audrey Hepburn checking you out as you sit on their stylish armchair, filling up the form, sipping the refreshing welcome drink. And that’s how your check-in is done. Then, one of the happy helpers escorts you to the room, where your luggage is already waiting. Taking you through the room, she hands you a mobile phone, and says if you need anything, give them a call, any time of the day, and they’d be more than happy to help. Yes, we had a personal butler service. And we were just paying 100$ a night. This is what they meant by ‘small luxury hotel’.

This ultra-stylish room had a see through bathroom, which could be covered with blinds, which by the way, emerged from the ceiling. The fantastic Kiehl’s toiletries sat on the open sink. Yes, Kiehl’s. A large king-sized bed with a plush headrest adorned our room. This little luxury room also had a DVD player and boasted of a sizeable library of the latest in Hollywood. There were little touches planted at every corner. For instance, there’s an apple we got every day. And from what we read, single travellers got a goldfish for company. How cute is that! Even their ‘Do Not Disturb’ and ‘Wake Up Call’ tags were quirky. Every evening, with their turndown service, we got a bedtime story. I mean, how wonderful is that. Never have we stayed in a place that was so thoughtful. It was the metaphoric mint on the pillow, but this one read way better. Even their in-house tea dressed itself for the occasion. Breakfast was served on their rooftop restaurant, overlooking a row of traditional houses and greenery as far as the eyes could see. Breakfast tasted nice, but looked way better. In their restaurant next to the pool, was one couple’s table, where the tabletop was a mini-waterfall in itself, with the word LOVE resting on it. It was absolutely gorgeous. That butler service too came in really handy. Not only did we use it to make dinner reservations, but also got to know the happening places around town. The entire staff went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and looked after.

Another service that the hotel provides is a ride to the Seminyak beach. They also give you beach towels, and once you’re done, they’ll come to pick you up too. This personalized service is available to all. In every sense of the term, we felt pampered. L Seminyak gave us so much more than just a hotel experience. So if you are on a budget, yet want your dose of luxury, don’t think twice before staying at the L Seminyak Hotel. You may have booked a hotel, but when you’ll return to it on your first day, tired and exhausted, those two words will make your day – Welcome Home.