Villa Nalaka

Villa Nalaka gives you the water first. Behind the gate on Jalan Sempol the pool runs the whole length of the plot, green-tiled and edged in travertine, with alocasia and banana pressing in from both walls and a padded daybed set alongside. At the far end a bale of timber posts and bamboo thatch shelters a long built-in bench under black-and-white striped cushions, a round drum table in front of it and linen curtains that can be drawn against the afternoon. Set into the garden wall opposite, an arched recess faced in patterned tile holds a bench of its own. The house stands down one side, all black-framed glass beneath a deep timber eave.

Slide that glass back and the ground floor becomes part of the terrace. The living room runs up two storeys, and a black steel staircase with open teak treads climbs through it; where a television would be there is a projector instead, throwing onto the end wall, which is a better use of a double-height room than a flat panel. The kitchen turns a soft white curve into the space, with rattan bar stools pulled up to the island, teak cabinetry and a lit shelf behind it, a gas hob, a blender, a kettle, a coffee machine and wine glasses in the cupboard. Beside it a teak dining table sits under two enormous fringed rattan pendants.

Both bedrooms take a king and both have a bathroom of their own. One is the quieter and more Balinese of the two, set under a pitched timber ceiling with a teak-slatted wall behind the bed and a carved, mirrored medallion hung above it, twin rattan lanterns either side. The other faces the pool through full-height glass, a ceiling fan turning over a teak platform bed and a long timber console under the window. The bathrooms are the surprise: one draws a freestanding stone tub up to a window filled with banana leaves, with two oval mirrors above a timber vanity; the other sets a white tub against a whole wall of black-and-white patterned cement tile.

Housekeeping comes every day, and a welcome drink, towels for everyone, fast Wi-Fi and a safe are part of the stay; you let yourself in, with someone on call at any hour. Breakfast, a private cook, airport transfers, a car with or without a driver, scooters, massage at the villa, a nanny, a pool fence, laundry and day trips all run through the concierge. Four guests in two king suites suits two couples or a family of four, with warungs and cafes a few minutes up the lane and Echo Beach, La Brisa and the Pererenan sand about two and a half kilometres down the road.

Villa Nalaka is a long, narrow house built along a long, narrow pool, and it works because everything faces the water: the sofa, the dining table, both beds. Swim before breakfast, take the bale through the hot part of the day, and put something on the wall when the light goes.