14th August 2012 – First Few Days in Spa Village Resort Tembok

We've spent the last few days being pampered into a state of near-comatose bliss! The food, the spa treatments, the pool, the wonderfully friendly staff and the constant beautiful weather have made the perfect start to our honeymoon. The surroundings are gorgeous, with the mountains we drove through on our way here on one side of the resort and black sand beaches on the other.

View from our balcony towards the restaurant and the sea

View towards the mountains

The food has been amazing, albeit slightly 'Westernised' – we are starting to crave something really spicy! Well cooked and served by charming local Balinese staff, we have been eating cooked breakfasts, three-course lunches and dinners. We're enjoying this part of our honeymoon while it lasts! Breakfast consists of fresh orange or watermelon juice, choice of breads with jam and sausage, bacon and eggs. I don't recommend the sausages! A typical lunch might be a clear prawn broth followed by chicken and rice with vegetables and ice-cream to finish. Dinners offer choices like squid starter, followed by beef and rice and apple pie for pudding.

On our first day we woke early to meet the guest liaison, who had prepared an itinerary of treatments and activities for us. After a couple of changes (I didn't fancy a pedicure and went for an extra massage instead!) we had our first one, which also included a pre-treatment where we sat with just our legs in a sauna while we ate palm-sugar ice. After about half an hour of this we were led to a dark and cool room where we lay down and had our first experience of a full-body Balinese massage. Fifty minutes later and relaxed almost to unconsciousness we retired to a beruga (a shaded raised platform covered in cushions) and dozed in the sun.

Becky relaxing after her massage

Also on our first day we were treated to a private dinner. The staff set up a table next to the pool just for us and we ate a delicious four-course meal of chicken, potato soup, fresh fish with mash and vegetables and ice-cream. Accompanying the meal was a bottle of a very drinkable Balinese rose wine.

Private dinner poolside

Other treatments we've sampled have been the Malay massage (a slightly firmer massage than the Balinese, and my favourite of the two), facials and a pedicure for Becky. When we're not being pampered, fed or asleep we've been relaxing by the pool, swimming lazy lengths or dozing in the sun. The resort also offers complimentary activities, most of which we have had good intentions of going to but so far only Becky has actually made it, joining a yoga class on the lawn.

Finally, it seems that jetlag can sneak up on you totally unexpectedly! On Tuesday, we woke up much later than usual, missing breakfast. Then that night sleep proved elusive for both of us – I ended up drinking rum and playing Civ for most of the night and Becky finished her book. Hopefully that will be that – I hate missing meals that we've already paid for!