Villa Citakara Sari

Villa Citakara Sari sits on a low rise above a white-sand beach near Candidasa, east Bali, where a seventeen-metre infinity pool appears to pour straight into the Lombok Strait and the outline of Bali’s eastern hills fills the view. More than five thousand square metres of lawn and coconut palms surround the estate, which is made up of three traditional Indonesian houses, all yours for the stay.

The houses are built from dark carved timber, with high Balinese roofs and glass orbs that wash the rooms in warm light after dark. The main pavilion opens wide to the sea, with a ten-seat dining table, a cosy corner sofa and a carved lounge full of cushions, while terraces and open-sided bales scattered across the lawn give everyone a shady place to read. Six bedrooms are spread over the ground and upper floors, several with four-poster beds and open-air bathrooms with stone tubs set in pebble gardens.

Beyond the pool there’s a private tennis court, a sauna and a separate wading pool for small children, and snorkelling or kayaking from the beach out front. A team of seven runs the house, breakfast is included each morning, and return airport transfers are covered for up to three cars. The water palace at Tirta Gangga, the mother temple at Besakih and Candidasa’s seafront warungs are all close at hand.