On the cliff’s edge

Situated on a long, narrow rectangular strip of land on the Bukit peninsula, the design of this Bali villa was largely dictated by the confines of the site. There wasn’t a lot of room to play around with (1,148 square meter; 1,370 square yards), so the architect decided to concentrate on the cliff top location and its variety of moods and colors instead. Depending on the time of the day and the state of the weather, the natural environment changes dramatically here. Hues of seaweed green, sandy shades of taupe and beige, ocean emeralds and deep blues are all utilized in one way or another.

The result is a simple, functional two-storey Bali villa with an iconic pool on stilts. According to Walter Wagner of Bali-based architects Habitat5 the pool “almost resembles a boat on dry dock”. Seemingly floating with its prow facing out to sea, it is the central focus of the house. Built from concrete, batu hijau green stone tiles and Himalayan green slate, it is statement making in both shape and color. It even has cute “portholes” on its “hull”! Add since it is on two levels, with water overflowing from the upper lap pool to the lower paddling pools, the sound of water is ever present.

All structures radiate out from the pool: the functional two-storey Bali villa, with living quarters and master suite above, guest quarters below, a long balustrade walkway leading to a bale, and the double-height bale itself. The latter is also an interesting feature, as it projects out to the cliff from the pool end and provides a secluded breezy relaxation area with panoramic views. Both structure and deck are built from benkerai wood, while the roof is in copper. Wagner specifically chose copper because it ages fast, and when exposed to air, oxidizes into a creamy green color. He felt this matched the seaweed carpets far below.

The New Zealand couple that owns this villa in Bali mainly designed the interiors. Their desire for function and simplicity in the architecture is carried through in the somewhat masculine style of furniture and furnishings. In the living/dining area, severe grey pillars clad in batu candi stone and merbau wood floors form the backdrop for some clean-lined, custom-crafted furniture. Elsewhere, on the outdoor terrace and in the clean-lined bedrooms and bathrooms, materials predominate: excavated limestone cut to size, acid washed marble, polished and unpolished black granite, and merbau and bengkerai woods. Using a neutral palette of creams, greys and whites allows the natural textures and colors of these mostly locally sourced materials to shine through.

The owner sums up: “We are very happy with the final result. It’s a very easy Bali villa to live in and, of course, the view is spectacular.

An Italian businessman by the name of Kiko A Croserio began building his Bali villa in the year 2000 and put the finishing touches on it in 2003. He named his villa in Bali Puri Sejuk, which means, “cool palace”. His dream villa in Bali was to have one constructed mainly in bamboo. He wanted a natural and rustic feel to his home so he used materials such as pressed clay, mud, wood, pebbles, natural stones, and terrazzo.

Kiko A Croserio did the interior designing and landscaping himself, but chose a famous Indonesian painter by the name of Wolfgang Widmoser to design the rest of his Bali villa. He hand picked Widmoser because of his expertise in using bamboo to construct Bali villas.

This Bali villa is situated in the fishing village of Seseh where it’s rural and blessed with true beauty. It was built on a 2,990-sq-yard piece of land that offers endless views of the Indian Ocean, and also overlooks the well-famed Tanah Lot temple. There are not that many villas in Bali that are located near the ocean because the Balinese people believe that the ocean is full of evil spirits. Kiko’s Bali villa is an exception because the sacred and powerful Tanah Lot temple protects it.

This estate has an all-natural swimming pool that is surrounded by tropical palms and frangipani trees. Curvy forms are followed from the house into the garden, where the pool meanders around a grass lawn. There is a tiny island in the middle of the pool and a bronze and metal sculpture, which was handcrafted especially for this area.

An outside dining area with asymmetric bamboo canopy is a super spot for al fresco dining as it has views over the pool and to the ocean beyond. During the day, the bamboo poles may be covered with fabric for shade. The refectory-like wooden dining table with benches is somewhat austere.

This Bali villa is a perfect getaway for guests who want to be away from all the hustle and bustle of Kuta and Seminyak. It’s an ideal place to relax and enjoy everything that nature has to offer. If you are interested in booking the Puri Sejuk villa, our company, Pambali, can make it a reality. We have over 350 villas in Bali and can assist you in finding the right one. Contact us through info@pambali.com if you have any questions or comments.

The Calyx Bali villa is a four complex estate located on the cliff-tops of southwest Bali. It takes its name from the part of a plant that supports the flower. It is intended to portray the caring attitude of the Japanese owner. “Just as a calyx, or to use the Japanese word, the utena, supports its flower, we support the guests in the resort,” says the management. A large part of that support structure comes from the richness of the resort’s chosen location, the architecture and the clean-lined interiors.

The commissioned architects were Gfab, a firm that tries to introduce energy efficiency and sensitivity to the environment into each and every project. “As with all projects, ” says Gary Fell of the firm, “the design of the Calyx was dictated by the site.” In order to preserve uninterrupted views of Dreamlands beach below and the volcanoes behind, Gfab “buried” all the buildings so that you enter at a high level and drop into the living spaces. The soft sandstone that was cut from the site during excavation work was then resized and used to clad the walls, giving the villas a creamy cool look. Pitched roofs were minimized; indeed, many are flat and covered with either plantings or water. This has the dual purpose of further blending the buildings into the landscape as well as adding to their thermal capacity.

Fell explains: “With plantings, the soil acts as insulation and the water roofs reflect the sun’s rays off the spaces below, so all rooms are naturally cool without air conditioning despite being in the tropics. The effects are aesthetic, yet the principals behind are practical and vital.” Gfab believes that in the present economic and cultural situation intelligent designers should be concerned about their carbon imprint and all of Gfab’s work explores ways of minimizing impacts.

In keeping with Gfab’s usual modus operandi, the company oversaw the Calyx’s interiors, lighting and landscaping as well. A huge Seiki Torige glass sculpture forms the centerpiece of the resort, which retains the site’s indigenous gum trees. The Bali villas were built so as to make the most of open-air living with floor-to-ceiling glass fronts, private infinity-edge pools with whirlpools and plantings instead of walls between each Bali villa. White limestone combines with wood, suede and white cotton furnishings. Floors are cool underfoot in polished and roughly-finished terrazzo. The overall feeling of these villas in Bali is sequestered, tranquil, refreshing- with a hefty dose of modernism.

Each two-bedroom Bali villa has been named after the elements water, fire, earth, and air. We’re not too sure about the fiery aspect (though perhaps that comes from being able to see both sunrise and sunset from one vista), but water, earth, and air are all supremely present the resort’s water bodies, cool breezes, and characteristic local paras stone see to that.

GM Architects designed this unusual yet sophisticated Bali villa in 2004. It is situated in the fishing village of Canggu within a natural and exotic setting. This home has so many different dimensions to it starting from its steep and sloppy land to its structural design. This villa in Bali was uniquely designed to be hidden and sunken into the ground. One might ask, “Why would someone like to design their house in this manner”? Well, the owner of this property wanted their home to appear one with nature and to blend naturally with its lush surroundings. The best way to make this home appear this way is to construct their Bali villa to look like it’s rising out of the ground. By doing this, it achieved what the owner wanted for his dream home.

This Bali villa is built on a property within the forests of Canggu. Lots of trees and wild vegetation surrounds this beautiful home. The guests who rent this Bali villa are totally fascinated with the beauty of this villa inside and out. The gardens are lovely and the setting of the infinity pool offers extreme relaxation.

The owners wanted to build their home to have an all natural organic feel. GM Architects made this a possibility by constructing this Bali villa with 100 percent organic materials starting from the type of wood shingles used for the roof, the type of wood used within the home, and the stone used to build the rest of this villa in Bali. The owners even used organic materials for their furniture.

This Bali villa encourages natural ventilation and flows transitionally well indoor and outdoor. There is a strong relationship between the architecture and it’s natural surroundings as you enter the home. It’s modern and stylishly furnished with form and function. It offers all the amenities that a typical luxury villa in Bali would have and much more. It definitely compliments the island of Bali and all it’s beauty.

Our company, Pambali, specializes in finding our clients the perfect Bali villa for their holiday. If you are interested in booking a Bali villa such as the one that GM Architects designed in Canggu, we can make it a reality. We have a large array of villas in Bali and will make sure you find the one that fits what you are looking for. We have the best competitive rates on the island! Contact us today at info@pambali.com if you have any questions or comments.

This Bali villa is every surfer’s dream home. Tim Watts is an American businessman who has a real passion for surfing. He visited Bali for the first time in 1970, and like everybody else who comes to the island for the first time, totally fell in love with the place. He was fascinated and blown away by how epic the surfing was in Bali compared to his home in California. He also loved the year round warm tropical weather and the friendly local people. Recently, he decided to finally build his fantasy villa in Bali, where he spends half the year soaking up the sun- rays and enjoying his private estate.

This luxury private retreat is located in the Bukit and offers incredible views of the Indian Ocean. It is situated on a hill that overlooks two of the best surfing beaches in Bali, which is Padang Padang and Suluban. Tim Watts picked this plot of land to build his Bali villa not only because of its awe-inspiring views, but also because of its easy walking accessibility to the beaches below. It is also only a few minutes away from other world-renowned surfing spots such as Uluwatu, Balangan, Bingin and Dreamland.

This Bali villa was designed by the famous David Lombardi to use the ocean as its focal point. It was built with an open and spacious living and dining area where guests can take advantage of the beautiful views, garden, and the rest of the villas surroundings with an indoor outdoor feel.

This Bali villa consists of a long infinity lap pool that appears to be spilling into the ocean when looking from a distance. It also has a unique diving board built from a very old piece of driftwood. The landscape is green, clean, and simple with tropical palms, plumeria trees, and sea almonds.

This oceanside residence is definitely full of character. It has a one of a kind main entrance with large perforated copper doors, which was designed and constructed by Pintor Sirait, a well-acclaimed metal artist.

Are you an avid surfer looking for an ideal Bali villa to fit your lifestyle? Our company, Pambali, specializes in finding the perfect villa in Bali for your holiday. If you are interested in booking Tim Watts dream home or looking for something similar, our staff will go through all your options with you until you are satisfied. Contact us at info@pambali.com if you have any questions or comments.

This Bali villa is situated in between the villages of Umalas and Kerobokan. It is a very exclusive villa that was specifically designed to pay homage to the Indonesian archipelago. A French couple was so fascinated by the culture and artifacts of Indonesia that they decided to build their villa in Bali as a “tribute to Indonesian art and architecture”.

If you stepped foot in this Bali villa, you would automatically get a feeling of being in a very luxurious museum. It is totally decorated with masks, primitive artifacts, folk art pieces, ancient woodcarvings, and tribal paintings that were collected from all over Indonesia by this couple over the last 20 years. The art pieces are not placed in show case boxes, but instead put in strategic positions all over this villa in Bali to present the uniqueness in each piece.

This Bali villa may seem a little bit archaic, but don’t be fooled! It was designed and built for the Twenty first century with a state of the art modern kitchen, an infinity pool, contemporary jacuzzi, and a highly developed plumbing system. The deck that surrounds the swimming pool is made out of natural recycled teak wood and the poolside pavilion is made from an early 20^th century Minangkabau rice barn from Sumatra. This place has a lot of soul and history from the types of material used in constructing this Bali villa.

Guests who rent this Bali villa enjoy the outdoor feel that this place offers. The villa was built with an amazing relaxation area that is surrounded by rattan chairs, iconic bubble chairs, and stools that we’re made from the gamelan instrument. It’s a great area to socialize and make some music being that it is a room decorated with Indonesian instruments such as a drum, gong, zither, and the famous gamelan.

Many people who construct villas in Bali try to build and design their homes to have the ethnicity of the Indonesian culture, but none can compare to this amazing Bali villa. The owners of this property have traveled to the ends of Java, Sumatra, Sumba, Sumbawa, and to many other Indonesian islands to get the inspiration to build a home with so much culture and heritage.

If you are interested in booking this Bali villa or something similar to this cultural home, you can contact Pambali at info@pambali.com. Our trained staff is friendly and always willing to help you find the perfect Bali villa getaway.

The Bali villa of a famous home designer named Alessandro Landi is a unique pad amongst other villas in Bali, due to the fact that it was built without Indonesian design influences. It is a very modern home with a stylish, international, and contemporary touch. From the type of intricate artwork to the type of furniture used in this villa, you will notice that there is little reference incorporated to the culture of Bali, other than it being built to mediate the forces between nature and man.

This Bali villa is situated in the Bukit where the land is very dry and no rice field paddies are in clear sight. The theme that Landi was going for was something simple that embraces the feeling of abiding in nature, so an open plan living with beautiful plants and the natural scrublands of the Bukit were incorporated in the construction of this villa in Bali.

The style of this Bali villa has definitely a cosmopolitan habitat with the use of unfinished textures and materials that have a rough feel to it. They also integrated stone masonry, granite, slate, sandblasted glass, and bamboo flooring. It’s a home that uses contemporary colors such as red, blue, green, and many different shades of grey that are all intertwine with each other. The odd eye catching things in the house is the bright red day bed on the deck, crimson rug in the living room floor, and the red bar stools.

This four bedroom Bali villa offers spectacular views of the Indian Ocean and incredible sunsets. The location of Landi’s home is also a catch, being that it is so close to world famed surfing spots such as Uluwatu, Balangan, Bingin, Padang Padang, Dreamland, Green Balls and the famed Uluwatu Temple. At the same time this villa is private and is located in a quiet area. It also has a large lap pool made with green sukabumi stone, which is surrounded by a wooden sun deck and a lawn that has rows of Stipa gigantean grass.

If you are interested in renting Alessandro Landi’s Bali villa in the Bukit or something similar to it, our company, Pambali, can assist you in doing so. We have the ability in finding you the perfect villa in Bali that you are looking for. You can contact us through info@pambali.com if you have any questions or need further information in booking a Bali villa.

This year Nyepi Day fell on March 16^th. It is a day in the Balinese Hindu culture where the island is silent and the people fast and meditate. It’s a day of self reflection. From 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. the next day the whole island of Bali comes to a sudden halt. Nobody is allowed to be on the streets as special officials monitor and enforce people to stay in their homes and keep silent. Everyone is restricted from work, lighting fires, using electricity, traveling, talking, any kind of self entertainment, and for some, not eating anything at all.

Nyepi is predominately a Hindu holiday, but other people who live in Bali or visit the island observe this day of silent too. They may not believe in what the day is all about, but they participate out of respect for the Hindus on the island.

For people who spent their holidays in Bali during Nyepi and did not wish to participate in keeping the day for self reflection, they were taken in consideration. They were allowed to watch television and enjoy all the amenities of their hotel or Bali villa, but they were not permitted to be out on the streets or on the beach. They had to stay in their hotels or villa in Bali. Even all the busy touristic areas that are usually jam packed with people such as Seminyak, Kuta, and Ubud became total ghost towns.

During this day of silence, no airplanes were allowed to land or take off at the Denpasar International Airport, as it was completely shut down for 24 hours. Although no one was allowed on the streets, they made special exceptions for people to be transported to the hospital for any type of serious emergencies such as women who were in labor and life threatening causes. Planes were only granted special permission to leave Bali for people who had serious traumatic injuries, which needed special attention to be flown out of the island. The only people that were allowed on the streets were what they call in Bali the Pecalang, which are security guards and police who enforce the prohibition rules.

The day after Nyepi is called Ngembak Geni. Slowly everything came back to normal, as the streets were busy again. There were many ceremonies that were performed around the island and people celebrated for accomplishing a day of total self reflection and meditation. The Balinese Hindus repented and forgave each other for all the wrong they have committed. It surely was a very festive day in Bali, Indonesia.

Tra villa is a chic Bali villa located in the countryside of the Canggu Village. When the owners of this tropical haven first set foot on the island, the first thing that came to their mind was how busy and full of activity this place was. The upbeat lifestyle of Seminyak and Kuta was something that did not tickle their fancy. They would have never thought of building their fantasy villa in Bali, until they explored the islands lush and green rural area of Canggu. They totally fell in love with the area.

Tra is a fairly new Bali villa. The Construction of this villa was launched in 2006 and was finished being built in early 2007. Yoka Sara is a well acclaimed architect that was chosen to design this Bali villa. Her aim was to construct a villa that was exclusive, yet have a simple outdoor feel to it. She succeeded in making a magnificent luxury villa with a modernist twist. Its use of materials such as alucobond aluminum, hollow steel, glass, and ironwood that was recycled from old electrical poles, gives a unique touch to this villa in Bali. The flooring in Tra villa is made from a combination of pebble washed stones, terrazzo, polished concrete, grey sandstone, and sukabumi stone. Yoka Sara and interior designer, Dominique Seguin, together created a unique style to this luxury villa that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

The villa is known for it’s tropical transparency. Yoka Sara says that this villa has the ability to “appear yet disappear” because of how it was designed to look one with nature and its environment. It totally blends with its surroundings of a beautiful flowing river, rice paddies, king grass, banana trees, and exotic plants.

This villa also catches everyone’s attention because of its two very distinct towering walls that were placed strategically in the middle of the pool. The wall structure is made of stunning green sukabumi stone, which look black when it is wet. The massive walls interplay with the horizontal planes of the whole structure of the villa, therefore eyes are always drawn to these walls no matter where you look.

Our company, Pambali, is the best Bali villa rental company on the island. We have the best rates and can help you find a villa in Bali that will suite your needs. If you are interested in booking the Tra villa in Canggu, contact us at info@pambali.com.

Have you ever been to Bali, Indonesia on the eve of Nyepi, and wondered what those scary, demonic, and monster statues were on the side of the roads? Those effigies are what the Balinese people pertain to as the Ogoh Ogoh’s. These large figures are primarily built for the Hindu Ngrupuk parade held the night before Nyepi day. This festive day is called the Balinese New Year’s Eve. Every Balinese Hindu participates in this sacred event.

The Ogoh Ogoh is usually constructed by an appointed group of talented artists in each village around Bali. They collaborate all their ideas into designing and building very intricate pieces of art. Before, they were made out of a wooden frame, woven bamboo, and paper mache. Now, they are constructing larger and stronger structures, which require the use of a metal frame, wire mesh, and sponge.

There are also Ogoh Ogoh competitions that are held for this festival in Denpasar. The youth challenge each other in constructing the best and most unique Ogoh Ogoh. This competition allows the youth of Bali to shine and show off their talents. It also gives them the opportunity to express their artsy and creativity side.

These statues are made to symbolize all the evil things that are put upon this island, such as spiritual impurities and any outside forces that cause harm or malice. They also represent Bhuta-Kala in the Hindu religion, which means eternal energy and eternal time. They are later destroyed to release all negative energy.

An Ogoh Ogoah is usually placed on a board made of wooden planks and bamboo. It stands upright on this board while it is lifted and carried by ten or more men on their shoulders. The Ogoh Ogoh is then paraded around the villages and burnt to a crisp at a near by cemetery to symbolize self purification, and also the exorcising of evil. It is an amazing sight to see and hear as the youth of the villages accompany the parade by setting off colorful flares and playing loud music.

During this celebration, the Ogoh Ogoah is turned counter clockwise about three times. They do this on the T- junction and crossroads in every village. It represents the contact of the bodies with the spirits. The Balinese people believe that if this act is done it will bamboozle the demonic spirits so that they flee and stop harming innocent human beings.