Luxury mountain retreat, great view, lush garden

Enjoy authentic North Bali and unwind at this quiet and pleasant villa. Elegantly designed and furnished in Balinese style and surrounded by a large and lush tropical garden. Big and sunny private swimming pool with crystal clear mountain spring water. Set in an age-old mango orchard with beautifully shaped trees. Ideal climate, superb views to jungle, mountains and sea, close to beach and cultural sites. Free staff, free daily cleaning and 24/7 security. Cook and driver available on request. A peaceful and relaxing place surrounded by lush greenery. Perfect for spending your holiday and exploring the treasures of North Bali. Cool climate, luxury, tranquility and great atmosphere. The villa is located in a resort which consists of seven villas, a staff house and a guard post. The house has three double bedrooms each with its own open air bathroom. Each room opens onto a large veranda which runs the full length of the villa with superb views to mountains, rain forests, dormant volcanoes and the ocean. A large wooden table with eight seats forms the center of the veranda. Here you can take in the view, enjoy the sunset, sit with your laptop, listen to music, have a drink or enjoy the local cuisine. There is a fully equipped kitchen where you can cook your own food or have someone cook for you. An experienced cook can be arranged by the villa staff on request to prepare wonderful local dishes cooked especially for you. A baby bed and a high chair for small children are available. The owners are especially proud of the villa’s spacious tropical garden with its magically shaped old mango trees. The garden is truly magnificent. There is an abundance of Balinese plants and flowers and it is a perfect place to spot many local species like birds, butterflies and squirrels. The gardener will be happy to pick mango's, coconuts or a sirsak (sour-sop) from the garden for you to enjoy. In the lower section of the garden you will find a large swimming pool and a sunny terrace with deck chairs. A smaller, shallower pool with a seating area around the edges is attached to the main pool. Sit in this pool and have a drink while watching the sun go down. This pool can also be used as a children’s pool. There are several separate private seating areas in the garden as well as on the veranda for guests to withdraw to for complete relaxation. One of these areas is a lovely traditional Balinese gazebo with exquisite wood carvings. The garden has many shady places, provided by the mango trees as well as many sunny places for sunbathing. There is a separate terrace for barbecuing. A full BBQ set is available for free. Many of our guests have enjoyed sitting around a bonfire in the evenings at the large fire pit. The sunset as seen from the garden is often spectacular. When the sky is clear you can see all the way to the volcanoes Kawah Ijen and Gunung Raung on Java, about 65 miles away. The villa sits on a mountain ridge at an altitude of approximately 200 meters. The climate at this altitude is much more comfortable than at sea level especially in the evenings and nights. The position of the villa to the wind as well as its design enables the breeze to flow through the house which adds to the pleasant temperature. We try to be as environmentally friendly as we can and keep our footprint as small as possible. All the trees of the old mango plantation in which the villa was built have been preserved and are maintained. We recycle and reuse as much as possible and make compost of our garden waste and organic kitchen waste. The villa, its surrounding structures as well as all the furniture are made with eco-friendly materials (such as local sustainable wood from coconut trees as well as certified plantation wood and recycled teak). A special and unique asset of this villa is that the water from all the taps is safe to drink. The villa’s water originates from an underground mountain spring. It is regularly tested by Balinese authorities and has always been proven safe. It is totally free of pollution and tastes great. The whole villa will be exclusively yours, meaning that you do not share it with any other guests. You will get all the privacy you need to fully relax and enjoy your stay. The villa staff members are very hospitable and knowledgeable. They can assist you with all the questions and requirements you may have. They can arrange all possible sightseeing trips, trekking and other activities like dolphin watching, snorkeling, relaxing massages, healing massages, yoga classes, hand reading sessions, etc. They all live in the nearby village and have spent their entire lives in the area. You are in expert hands. Villa staff is generally available throughout the day. Dedicated to the villa are a concierge, a gardener and a cleaning lady. Four dedicated security guards work in shifts and take turns in patrolling and guarding the resort even though there has never been a security incident. A freelance cook and driver are available on request. The cook is an expert in Balinese dishes and the experienced driver knows all the good spots on Bali. Staff costs are included in the rental rate. The cook and driver are not. You can ask the staff to fetch groceries for you in a shop or supermarket nearby. Please be clear in your instructions as he or she may not be familiar with the items you need. A small fee will be charged to cover fuel costs of his or her motorcycle. The groceries are for your own account. Please give the staff money for groceries in advance if you want them to do the shopping. Afterwards they will provide you with receipts. Should you wish to have our freelance cook take care of the cooking of the items you have bought a fee will be charged for the cooking (please refer to the services manual in the villa). Otherwise cook yourself or order from our menu. Your room and bathroom as well as the rest of the house will be cleaned daily unless you indicate otherwise. The staff will also make your beds if you wish. My husband and I will not be in the villa during your stay but we leave the villa in the capable hands of our staff. After the booking I will send you additional information about the services and activities you can enjoy during your stay. I will also add some nice recommendations for you to do and to see in the surrounding area. Please let me know your preferences before your stay. You will also receive a detailed route description. In the villa you will find brochures and information. Most tourists who come to Bali will not explore the island beyond the southern, most touristic part. In places like Seminyak, Kuta, Sanur and Canggu you will undeniably find the most popular and well known touristic hotspots. The huge popularity of these areas over the last decades has however eroded much of the original attraction of Bali which was the reason why Bali became so popular with tourists in the first place. You will have a hard time here trying to see a glimpse of the “real” Bali amidst the crowds, the traffic jams and the air pollution. North Bali however still comes close to the original paradise like setting and offers many of the sights and attractions which originally made Bali famous. Away from the main hub in the south you can still encounter genuine, traditional village life, see beautiful waterfalls in pristine jungle areas as well as stunning views, attend ceremonies and dances which are not performed only for tourists and watch many of the animal and plant species Bali has to offer in their natural environment. You will also quickly notice that the local people are friendlier and more straightforward here, less influenced by the tourism industry. The location of the villa is a perfect starting point for wonderful hikes in the surrounding rice fields, to natural waterfalls and jungle pools, to remote villages where time seems to have stood still and in pristine jungle areas where only decades ago the Balinese tiger was still roaming. Munduk, a very popular hikers paradise in the mountains is a short drive to the south. Get directions from the villa staff, or ask them to come along to act as your guide, or just wander off in any direction on your own. Chances are that you will be invited to a local ceremony, find yourself at a soccer match with local school kids or impromptu teaching English to a class of pupils at the village school. The Bali Sea is visible from the veranda and a quick drive will get you to the coast in less than 10 minutes. The village Lovina, which offers many nice restaurants, bars and shops is about 20 minutes to the east. The historically rich former capital city Singaraja is another 15 minutes. There are several small shops in the direct vicinity of the villa for basic needs. The proprietors make lovely snacks in the morning for those on their way to school or work. The nearest ATM’s are in Seririt, a village near the coast, 10 minutes down the road. This is also where you will find a large and scenic wet market and a Hardy’s supermarket. In Lovina you will find a fairly large modern luxury supermarket named Pepito on the main road in front of Spice Beach Club. It has everything you need for your holiday. There is a wide range of interesting locations and attractions which can easily be reached from the villa on foot, by car, motor cycle or mountain bike, like for example: • Menjangan Island (perfect for snorkeling, diving, fishing and deer watching) • Many spectacular waterfalls like the ones in Sekumpul, Munduk, Sembangan and the most famous one in Bali the “Git Git Waterfall” • “Bali Barat National Park” (jungle trekking in primary rainforest) • Turtle rescue center and hatchery in Pemuteran (also perfect for snorkeling and diving courses) • "Bali Myna Rehabilitation Center", where Indonesian government officials are trying to save the beautiful endemic Bali Starling from extinction • Botanical Garden in Bedugul (the largest of Indonesia) • Mountain lakes Tamblingan, Buyan and Beratan (trekking, boat trips, fishing, etc.) • Wanagiri Hidden Hills Selfie Points (extremely popular at the moment) • Traditional markets (Bedugul, Seririt, etc.) • Dolphin watching tour in Bali Sea • Mountain village Munduk (famous for hiking and its clove and coffee plantations) • Hot springs in Banjar • Buddhist temple and monastery in Banjar, “Brahma Vihara Arama”, nicknamed “The Little Borobudur” because of its resemblance • Various Hindu temples like the famous “Ulun Danu” temple in the Beratan lake • Play golf at the “Bali Handara Golf & Country Club” which is beautifully situated in an extinct volcano amongst mountains and jungle. The entrance gate is also a very popular selfie spot now. • Zipline and treetop adventure in Bedugul (especially interesting for kids) • Lovina Beach (“Spice Beach Club & Restaurant” is recommended) • Former capital city Singaraja where you can see many old Dutch colonial buildings, the Royal Palace, the Singaraja museum and the “Gedong Kirtya” library with its famous lontar manuscripts and the “van der Tuuk” collection of books from the colonial era • Bali Biking Park Pancasari cross-country and downhill biking • Krisna Funtasticland (adventure park with many activities like parasailing, quad riding, jet ski, paintball, etc.). A great experience for kids. • “Kubu Hobbit” in Pedawa (Small village of hobbit houses inspired by “Lord of the Rings”). On the road at about 150 meters from the villa you can catch a bus or a minibus to anywhere on Bali. Riding the bus or minibus may be convenient for short distances and a nice local experience, but long distances can be rough and challenging. Seats are not designed for westerners so it can be quite cramped and rides usually take a long time because of the many stops. There is free parking in front of the villa if you are driving your own (rental) car or scooter. The staff can assist in hiring a car (with or without driver), scooters and mountain bikes through external contacts. For bookings of one week or more we offer one FREE lunch or dinner for all paying guests at the day of your choosing and a FREE breakfast the next day. FREE Included in price are: • 10% government tax • Tourist tax • Daily cleaning and turn down service • Butler service at meal time • Wireless internet access • One free dinner and one free breakfast for all guests for stays of a week or longer • Welcome drink • Free drinking water (tap water is high quality drinking water) • Gas, water and electricity • Bath towels, pool towels, bed linen, soap, toilet paper • Flat screen TV and media player so you can watch your own movies • Free use of pool toys • Free use of Weber BBQ set • 24/7 security At additional cost we can organize for you: • Car with experienced English speaking driver • Pick-up and drop-off service from and to the airport • Experienced Balinese cook • Laundry service (external or by villa staff) • Motorcycle, scooter and mountain bike rental • Relaxing and healing massage • Pedicure, manicure • Yoga class • Meditation class • Hand reading sessions • Day trips like snorkeling, diving, dolphin tours, sightseeing, trekking with guide, etc. • Cooking class • Basket weaving class • Babysitter • And many more, just ask staff Charges to be discussed with the staff.