Villa Kembang

A curving infinity pool spills towards a valley of palms and rice terraces at Villa Kembang, its stone-paved edge lined with loungers and thatched parasols. Set on a large hillside plot in the countryside outside Ubud, this seven-bedroom villa spreads across two wings of two-storey pavilions and cottages, giving a big group plenty of room to spread out while sharing one beautiful garden.

The heart of the house is a traditional wantilan pavilion with a high alang-alang roof, open on all sides to the breeze and the view, with sofas, a long dining table and a modern kitchen nearby. There is a billiards table and a home cinema for slow evenings, a spa room with massage beds for afternoons off, and lawns, frangipani and a shallow wading area for children. Tucked away in one wing, a second, smaller plunge pool opens off one of the bedrooms for quiet morning dips.

The bedrooms are calm and elegant, with dark timber floors, four-poster beds in white netting and wide windows or verandas looking out over the jungle; every one has its own bathroom with a freestanding tub by the window, a walk-in shower and twin basins. Breakfast is included, a team of eight looks after the villa, and return airport transfers are part of the stay. Central Ubud, its galleries, markets and temples, is a short drive away.