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In Southeast Asia, one island ranks above all others when it comes to relaxation and tranquillity. Gavin Nazareth reports from Bali’s laid-back luxury oasis of Sanur.
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hirty minutes from Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport, Made our driver turns off the main road into a quiet, narrow back alley, one of many that seam the revered village of Sanur. A slice of local life slideshows through the car windows as we head to our final destination, an amusing bouche of the sort of the things to come. Sanur is a Brahman Kuasa village, denoting that it is controlled by members of the priestly class, and one of the few remaining ones in Bali. It has a long history dating back to 913 AD, a fact inscribed on what is considered to be the island’s oldest stone inscription, the Prasati Blanjong. It is also where over a century ago, the first Westerners, not counting the Dutch colonialists, made their homes on the island. Historically the village of Sanur has played a role in a major event that shaped the island on a political level and was also a precipitating factor in Indonesia’s struggle for independence. In 1906, the Balinese were falsely accused of looting a cargo ship stranded on a reef offshore. Colonial Dutch forces came ashore at Sanur Beach and marched to Denpasar under the pretext of settling a compensation claim with the king. What should have been a peaceful discussion turned into bloodshed. Outnumbered and outgunned, members of the royal family and their followers decided that instead of surrendering they would do the honourable thing and fight unto death, and nearly 4,000 Balinese died in that battle. The Dutch then burned the palace to the ground. From then on one by one the different kingdoms of Bali either capitulated to
Dutch forces or were defeated and the island became part of the Dutch East Indies. In the years that followed Bali became an exotic retreat for European travellers who stayed at the island’s only luxury hotel in Denpasar. A few guests ventured to Sanur to soak up the tropical ambience of the palm-fringed beach and balmy shallow waters. One visitor of note to Sanur during the 1930s was Belgian painter Adrien Jean Le Mayeur de Merpres who was so enamoured by the people and culture that he decided to stay on. He built a modest bungalow and studio by the beach and eventually married the renowned dancer Ni Polok, who was also his model. Many believe that Le Mayeur’s studio was Sanur’s first tourist attraction as international travellers began seeking out the eccentric artist to buy his works. His house still stands today and is now a museum that exhibits his body of work. Artists like Miguel Covarrubias, Walter Spies, anthropologist Jane Belo and choreographer Katharane Mershon all spent time here as well Simple tourist bungalows began sprouting in the 1940s and 1950s, but it was in 1960, that Sanur’s popularity began its ascendancy, when Indonesia’s first president, the charismatic Sukarno chose Sanur as the location to develop a five-star hotel in an attempt to encourage mass tourism. Funded by money that came from the Japanese war reparation, the Bali Beach Hotel opened in 1965, dominating the skyline as the island’s tallest building. After some 30 years in operation, including playing host to important dignitaries and heads of state, it was completely
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destroyed in 1993 by a fire. In an unusual twist to the tale, one lone ocean-view room survived the intensity of the blaze, remaining completely intact. The Balinese’s intrinsic belief in the supernatural led them to believe that the Goddess of the South Sea saved Room 327 to claim as her own. Guided by a team of priests, paranormals and spirits, the hotel was rebuilt in record time, but Room 327 was preserved as a shrine dedicated to the unseen force that saved it from destruction. Sanur has always been the domain of astute priests and scholars, who established village cooperatives that own land and run tourist businesses, ensuring a fair share of the earnings remained in the community. They also imposed the famous rule that no building could be higher than a coconut palm after the Bali Beach Hotel was built. Today their influence continues and the village is one of the few neighbourhoods still ruled by the Brahamana caste. Adding to its mystique is that it is known as a home of sorcerers and traditional healers, as well as a centre for both black and white magic as evidenced by the ever-present kain poleng, the black and white checked cloth that symbolises the balance between good and evil.
Above: Sanur’s quiet shoreline is the perfect place to watch the sun rise or catch some rays during the day. Below: Rice is not just the staple food, it is an integral part of the Balinese culture. Opposite from right: Perched on a steep cliff, Pura Luhur Uluwatu is one of Bali’s directional temples said to guard the island from evil spirits.
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Many travellers tend to bypass Sanur, put off by its reputation as a sleepy village, ‘Snore’ being its other monicker. But while it doesn’t have the manic energy of Kuta, or much of the urban attractions of Seminyak, it is a place of extraordinary contrasts, where ancient beliefs and modern comforts exist in harmony, just like our residence for the next few days. From the outside, it looks like any of the family compounds we have just driven past, but the high ivy-covered walls that the car stops in front of secludes an intimate retreat from the outside world. A gaggle of staff is there to greet us with garlands of fragrant flowers, welcoming us through the angkul-angkul, or the traditional gate entrance, into The Gangsa Private Villa’s leafy courtyard filled with bunga jepun or frangipani trees, and its open reception area with water features to one side. The check-in process done, we go on a quick tour of the resort to orientate ourselves. Ketut, the butler assigned to us, explains that for centuries the Balinese have resided in family compounds symbolic of their heritage and status within society, and that they regard the house as a human being. “The family shrine is the head, the sleeping quarters and the social parlour being the arms, and the navel, the sexual organs and the legs and feet the courtyard, the gate and the kitchen and granary respectively.” Even the pit in backyard where the rubbish is disposed at has a name.
According to local belief, everything has a proper and proportionate space in the universe, and this is implied in the architecture with a place to eat, a place to sleep and a place to relax. The Gangsa has adapted this unique concept to create a space to introduce travellers to the harmonious serenade of life that the Island of the Gods is, and where living is free from the complications of the outside world. A part of the exclusive Kayumanis group that has other villa properties around Bali, and one in Najing, The Gangsa gets its name from the collective term for metallophones used in Balinese and Javanese gamelan music, with each consisting of several tuned metal bars which are hit with a mallet. Much like the Russian matryoshka dolls, courtyards within courtyards ensure total privacy for the 11 spacious villas in one-, two-, and three-bedroom configurations, are each impeccably appointed in traditional Balinese décor and fitted with every imaginable modern convenience. Balancing the outdoor with the indoor is what the Island of the Gods is all about, and the Gangsa adheres to this principle with the kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms open to the clement
“The Gangsa gets its name from the collective term for metallophones used in Balinese and Javanese gamelan music”
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elements. The Villa Kantil, allocated to us, also has a high wall fitted with a traditional gate and guarded by two stone demons that wear red hibiscus flowers in their ears. The gate opens onto a large courtyard filled with large trees and tropical plants. The fragrance of the frangipani and incense fill the air. To one side is a kitchen and dining area, open on all four sides, and furnished with a teak wood dining table and chairs. Connected to this by a stone path is a spacious open living area, filled with an assemblage of comfy armchairs and sofas, and in one corner the kantil, a musical instrument belonging to the gangsa family, and after which the villa is named. In the far left corner is the master bedroom, while a twostorey building in the opposite corner houses the two remaining bedrooms, and in the centre the jewel-like private outdoor pool with its own sala. With four of our five senses being constantly stimulated over the last few hours, its time to take the tastebuds on a culinary adventure. Gong, in keeping with musical nomenclature of the place, is this hideaway’s open-air signature restaurant that tempts with traditional Balinese morsels, which are a harmonious blend of the freshest local ingredients, herbs and spices available. For the next hour we sample local delicacies like ‘Sate Lilit Bebek (skewers of duck), ‘Gado-Gado’ (a half-boiled salad of a variety of vegetables served with peanut sauce) and Balung Misi Gedang (boneless pork sparerib soup with young papaya) washing it down with ice-cold Bintang beer, a light pilsner that complements the spice in the food. For the main course, we ask for the Balinese Rijsttafel. Literally “rice table”, it was a meal favoured by the
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Dutch plantation owners and consists of a large dish with rice, surrounded by up to 20 smaller dishes, each with a serving of meat or vegetables, and is a nice way to sample Balinese cuisine at one sitting. At the end of the meal we feel like we have literally consumed the rice table and decide to walk off the feeling. Outside the village is winding down for the night, the houses surrounded by their dark high-walled courtyards that line the narrow streets, furtive in the gloom. A few chickens scratch the hard dirt outside one, while a couple of puppies gambol outside another, barking joyously at each other. Small knots of local men stand around the street corners talking about the day’s events. They are attired in the traditional kamben, a single piece of batik wrapped around the waist, falling a little below the knees, and the udeng, the ubiquitous head-cloth we see most men wearing, and which is apparently tied in a style individual to the wearer. The moon emerges from behind a cloud, bathing the area in a silver shimmer, photoshopping the various vignettes into a composite of bucolic quietude, which reminds us of the need for rest after the long journey. The next morning the sun begs for worship and a ‘Beach Picnic Lunch’, is what we opt for, choosing from the unique collection of activities guest services at The Gangsa have put together to give the visitor a unique window on to Balinese way of life. Other personal recommendations include the ‘Sunrise Indulgence’ This page: The Entrance to Gangsa Villas Opposite page: The Gangsa’s Pool Villa
which allows you to experience an authentic spiritual Balinese blessing ceremony in the home compound of a Hindu priest; the ‘Rice Field Tour’, a fascinating interactive tour that explores the rural landscape, rice cultivation and a stop at a plantation to see how chocolate, coffee, lemongrass and other tropical produce is grown; or the ‘Twilight Sensation’ that includes a one-hour treatment at the villa’s well-appointed Rehab spa, before you are transported to the awe-inspiring cliff-top temple of Uluwatu for a mesmerising performance of the vibrant kecak dance against a backdrop of the setting sun. The kecak is one of the best know dances of the island, and tells the tale of the Hindu mythological legend, the Ramayana, accompanied by a choir of men who provide the accompaniment. Afterwards you are driven down to Jimbaran Bay for some scrumptious grilled seafood with a chilled bottle of white wine. Sanur’s beachfront is a short drive from The Gangsa, and we are soon set up in their beach facility, a designated area set up with permanent sun-loungers and umbrellas. The white soft sandy beach with its swaying palm trees is protected by a reef and is considered one of the safest on the island. It stretches six kilometres south, fronted by a paved walkway lined with resorts, cafes, local fishing boats and a handful of graceful villas before it ends in mangrove marshlands opposite the Serangan Island. As with most tourist beaches, here too there is any array of water sports from canoeing, paragliding, windsurfing and jet skiing to snorkelling. Come sundown and JL Tamblingan, Sanur’s backbone, puts on its party clothes, offering a variety of cafes, bars and shops that cater to all tastes. But as an important religious centre, there are plenty of ancient temples to visit, and colorful ceremonies and festivals to attend. And to experience the traditional aspect of Sanur, dance forms like the barong, janger, and kecak and traditional puppet shows with themes taken from such great epics as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana are a must see. One of the Gangsa staff serves us our picnic lunch; like a magician pulling out a rabbit from a hat, he hauls out gourmet delicacy after delicacy from multi-tiered traditional basket. It’s a life one can used to, and pretty quickly. Eat When in Bali eat what the Balinese eat and there is no better place to sample local fare than the Warung Mak Beng. Located near the Grand Beach Bali, 86-year-old Ketut Tjuki, has been cooking up a storm since 1941, satisfying palates with her specialities like fish soup cooked with traditional spices, satay, grilled fish, all served with her remarkable chili sauces. Choose from a wide selection of fresh fruit juices, healthy salads and light dishes at Café Batu Jimbar, a casual sidewalk eatery on Jalan Danau Tamblingam. The vegetables and herbs are grown at the owner’s farm near Bedugul are fresh as they come, and people swear by the banana smoothies. For a taste of Italy, everyone recommends Massimo again on Tamblingam. Chef Massimo Sacco, a long-time resident of the island offers a good selection of specialities from his hometown in the southern tip of Italy in a setting that is an Italianstyle café inside and a Balinese garden outside. His gnocchi and risottos are to die for, but don’t turn your nose up at the pizza
either. Beachside fare is the name of the game at the Bonsai Café along Tamblingam, that lives up to its name with hundreds of bonsai trees, while diners feast on a wide range of sandwiches with sides of chunky French fries or salads. The Indonesian and Western dishes here are also good. Shop The Ulutwatu stores around the island specialise in handmade Balinese lace, made using traditional methods though the styles are modern. The elegant products, especially those for women show off the artistic skill, beauty and intricacy of Balinese craftsmanship. The branch in Sanur is on Tamblingam. Visitors dragging tiny tots around will want to visit Hug A Bug on JL Tamblingam that entices with its wooden toys, handmade dolls, puppets, games, books, costumes, party supplies and more. Gudang Cermik on Tamblingam, is an outlet shop for the much sought after Jenggala Keramik Bali that sell all things ceramic. A word of caution though that this one sell “seconds” so be sure to check your souvenirs well. Play The nightlife scene is Sanur is laid-back compared to Kuta and Seminyak but there are a few places that you can enjoy a great night out. Cafe Wayang near Bypass Sanur has local bands with the usual selection of umbrella drinks, while the Jazz Bar & Grill also in the vicinity is well known hang out for its cool sounds that sometimes features famous Indonesian performers. The Cat & Fiddle Pub is just that; a British pub that serves some of the usual. For a night out on the town that could cause some serious damage to your wallet, head over to Gratang at the Bali Hyatt which has a chic cocktail bar and live jazz.
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