With the launch of Alila Villas Uluwatu, the Alila Group has taken a bold step into a new marketplace - 5 star villa resorts. The resort itself is currently in soft opening, with only 45 of the eventual 61 villas completed. We were fortunate enough to get a tour this week.

The resort sits atop the cliffs of southernmost Uluwatu, giving the facility never-ending views of the Indian Ocean. The location is perhaps not the most convenient for those who wish to explore other parts of the island -- being about 30 minutes from the airport, and a full hour from Seminyak. However, in terms of location, Alila is no more disadvantaged than the Bvlgari, Karma Kandara or the Banyan Tree. The remoteness of the location is simply par for the course if you want to be in Uluwatu.

The good news is that this is a destination resort. The villas are comfortably furnished and private - perfectly suited for hiding out from the world. The common areas include a large pool, a spa, numerous comfortable sunset cabanas (pictured in the main photo, above) and a lounge (pictured at left). The property has two restaurants. One is traditional western cafe / restaurant and the other an inventive and stylish take on the classic Indonesian warung. Both restaurants are cool, comfortable and very nicely appointed.

The style of the property is exceptional and markedly distinct. They've chosen to step away from typical Balinese design in favor of flat roofs and signature brick work. The property is primarily done in whites and greys, with stained work and artworks used for the accents. The sunset cabanas are one of the first things you notice as you arrive -- they look from the distance like piles of timber at a construction site. Fortunately when you get a bit closer they resolve into something more pleasant, that is, lattice style aged timber screens wrapped around couches and day beds. While they are questionable from a distance, they are quite nice up close. At sunset each day the largest of the cabanas is made up for tea service.

The villas are fully private and with their own pools. There is a mix of one, two and three bedroom units, with the majority being spacious (291 sqm) one bedroom open plan villas. The prices range from just slightly over USD 1,000 per night for a one bedroom villa in low season to over USD 4,700 per night for the three bedroom units at high season. Currently, there are very attractive soft opening rates available from the Alila Uluwatu website (see below). In room facilities include 24-hour butler service, flat screen 32’ televisions with satellite channels, DVD player, WiFi, espresso maker and both showers and bathtubs.

The property also includes a very nice spa facility, a library and a wedding venue.

This is Alila's first venture into 5 star territory and their first true villa resort. They plan to open a second property based on the same model in the Maldives in the next few months. While this is a bold new move from the company, and the prices certainly put them at the top end of the market, they have put their best foot forward with Alila Uluwatu. The property is stylish, luxurious and distinctive.

Learn more by visiting the Alila website: www.AlilaHotels.com/uluwatu