Artha Hachi Villa

Climb to the rooftop of Artha Hachi Villa at the end of the day and Seseh spreads out below you: terraced rice fields, a patchwork of low rooftops and, on the horizon, a thin silver line of the Indian Ocean turning gold as the sun drops. It is a striking contemporary house over several levels, all dark steel frames, floor-to-ceiling glass and warm timber, built for a big group who want room to spread out without losing each other.

The pool runs the length of the building, a slim thirteen-metre lane edged with greenery and looking straight out over the paddies, with a shaded lounging nook at one end and steps for easy dips. Inside, a glass-walled dining room seats everyone at one long table beside a sleek kitchen, while the lounges are moody and comfortable with bold artwork and deep sofas. When the sun is too strong there is a home cinema with a big screen, a bright gym and, unusually for Bali, an enclosed basketball half-court.

Seven king bedrooms, several with full-height windows onto fields and distant sea, mean nobody draws the short straw, and a couple have freestanding tubs set by the glass. Seseh itself is calm and residential, a gentler pace than central Canggu, yet the cafés, beach clubs and surf of Canggu and the black-sand beach at Seseh are an easy drive away.