Old is gold. In the over-crowded expanse of today's resort-scapes, simplicity counts for little as the hordes descend all around poised with their selfie sticks and garrulous poses, determined to lap up the excessive flourishes all around. Kerry Hill evidently had not anticipated such a world, rather fortunately, and the handful of serene hideaways he left behind clearly reflected a different world that needed less but aspired for more. As it is with Alila Manggis, an understated Hill-designed retreat that is big on simplicity and minuscule on fuss, what was raised complements the grandeur and pristineness of the location, Manggis being so removed from the thick of action and developments in Bali, and there is nostalgia and memories etched into the simple lines and forms of this resort. Here we get to inhabit a faraway escape, a contemplative little oceanic outpost that isn't so much about checking--in (on instagram) but rather checking-out of our mundane doldrums and what nots.