I first visited Bali in 1988. These days it’s awash with Eat Pray Love seekers and commercial yoga schools, but to my astonishment Clove Tree Hill is a genuine echo of what Bali once was.
New and perfectly shaped, it’s a five-villa retreat nestled amongst rice paddies that have been handed down and cared for for generations. A few restless guests have been known to leave after the first night, citing ‘nothing to do’. They retired back to the hip and thrusting bars of Seminyak, leaving quieter guests to enjoy in peace the view of the rising sun from behind Mount Batukaru.
Every luxury villa has oodles of privacy, and consists of a large air-conditioned room with a king size bed and two sofas that can be turned into singles. It opens up with windows on all sides to a huge balcony with a desk and incredible, unrestricted scenery of undulating rice paddies.
The beautiful bathroom and shower are outside, walled in but letting the sun and stars in.
A few steps away is the springwater-fed infinity pool, and the restaurant which serves a range of carefully prepared western and local dishes. There’s a spacious yoga pavilion built in traditional Balinese style – all smooth, shiny dark wood, framed by lush coconut trees – and next to it, the massage pavilion visited by highly skilled masseuses from the local village.
If you follow the stone steps down for five minutes you get to the local jungle waterfall, a Disney-like dream which is perfect for a swim and usually all yours. You might plunge in after trying one of the walking trails, or the more strenuous hike up Mount Batukaru which is a short drive away.
I was invited to take part in a fascinating variety of religious rituals with the lovely manager Dian and her family, who own many of the surrounding rice paddies. The locals’ devotion and the village temple were awe-inspiring. Just don’t ask where you can find the holy man who features in Eat Pray Love.
I learned far more from talking with any of the locals, particularly the wise and ever-patient driver/ farmer Alit Suardana. He may have learned English from Rambo and Guns ‘n’ Roses, but he taught me everything I needed to know about the wheel of life, karma, and symbiosis.
Downsides? At €130/night, it’s not the Ritz. As a small and personal operation which seeks to minimise its carbon footprint, as with other guesthouses in the area, you’re asked to order meals a day in advance to reduce wastage. Effort is made to cater to special diets such as gluten intolerance, but you have to request it very clearly and the details still required some work.
Also there’s no bars, shopping or nightclubs (yay). It is the tropics – occasionally there may be critters, but considering the lush jungle location, much fewer than you’d think.
Price: €130/night (although check the prices since they depend on the time of year).
When to go: I went in November which is supposedly rainy season, but at least half the time was sunny, and rain was only occasional.
Getting there: Clove Tree Hill is about 2 hours’ drive from Denpasar Airport. All drives and pick-ups can be arranged by Clove Tree Hill.
Contacts: The website is www.clovetreehillvillas.com, and they’re on Facebook, or email [email protected]. Email Alit Suardana here.
Alternatively… For a budget option, check out the friendly Bali Lush nearby.
Mia Livingston grew up in Sweden, the Philippines, Zimbabwe and Indonesia, and continues to travel like a lemur on speed. Her work has been featured in TEDx, the Guardian, BBC Radio and Time Out.
