Villa Rumah Lotus

Fifteen metres of still, dark water stretch from the thatched living pavilion at Villa Rumah Lotus straight towards the rice terraces, so the pool seems to pour into the paddies, with coconut palms and the distant peak of Mount Batukaru on the horizon. The villa stands alone in open farmland outside Ubud, with no neighbours in sight, just birdsong, ducks working the fields and the soft rustle of rice in the breeze.

Under a soaring alang-alang roof, the open-sided living room is furnished with deep sofas, round rattan loungers and Balinese art, with an eight-seat dining table and a sleek island kitchen alongside. Thatched bales with red cushions sit right on the water’s edge for afternoon naps, and a lotus and koi pond and some 2,700 square metres of lawn and tropical garden wrap around the house. There is even a dedicated spa room with two massage tables for treatments without leaving home.

The bedrooms have white-draped four-poster beds, dark timber and doors opening to the garden and fields. Bathrooms are wonderfully indulgent, with freestanding natural stone bathtubs and walled outdoor showers open to the sky. Breakfast is included, a small, warm team cooks and looks after the villa, and bicycles are on hand for rides along the paddy paths, with central Ubud around twenty minutes away by car.