Villa Jiwa

From the lawns of Villa Jiwa the view runs out over coconut palms to the sea and the low silhouettes of the Gili Islands, with the mountains of Lombok rising inland. The villa sits on rising ground above Medana, near Tanjung on Lombok’s north-west coast, on more than half a hectare of tropical garden, and evenings here are best spent in one of the thatched bales watching the sky turn pink over the water.

The house is built in a traditional style with soaring alang-alang ceilings, hardwood floors and furniture in teak, rattan and bamboo. An air-conditioned living pavilion holds deep, colourful sofas, an eight-seat dining table and a well-equipped kitchen with a breakfast bar. Outside, an overflowing pool spills into a shallower paddling pool for children, flanked by an open-air dining bale and a lounging bale, with sun beds on the deck and across the lawn and a table tennis table under the trees.

The main bedrooms have canopied king beds draped in mosquito nets, and the master suite has a sitting area and a round bathtub. Life here is quiet and unhurried: the nearest beach is around a fifteen-minute walk, the Gilis are a short boat ride away for snorkelling with turtles, and rainforest trails lead to waterfalls on the slopes of Rinjani. Bicycles are provided for exploring the villages nearby.