Casa Mateo

Behind a discreet gate in the heart of Seminyak, Casa Mateo opens up into a surprisingly expansive tropical garden: wide lawns, frangipani trees and a slender twenty-metre pool cutting a cool blue line past white-painted, steep-roofed pavilions. It is an oasis in every sense, peaceful and private, yet the restaurants and boutiques of Seminyak’s eat street are just a short walk away and the beach is roughly five minutes by car.

The main living pavilion is double-height and open to the garden, with deep white sofas, sculptural timber tables and a long dining table beside a sleek, fully equipped kitchen and breakfast counter. Timber stairs lead up to a cinema room with a projector and big screen for film nights, and there is a rooftop lounge for sunset views. Down in the garden, a second, shallower pool with in-water loungers is ideal for children, while a spa room, a sauna and a river-rock bathtub bring a little resort-style pampering home.

Each of the six bedrooms has its own personality, from the upstairs master with its four-poster bed, dressing room and balcony, to the Japanese-inspired room and two garden guest houses. Every room has a private en-suite, most of them partly open to the sky with big tubs and rain showers. A team of nine looks after the house, breakfast is included daily, and a local chef can cook on request.