Villa Vastu Seminyak

Lie back on the timber pool deck at Villa Vastu and the loudest thing you will hear is the river running just beyond the garden wall. The villa sits at the very end of its street in Batu Belig, between Seminyak and Canggu, with a twelve-metre pool framed by dense tropical planting so thick it hides the boundary entirely. Frangipani, palms and flowering shrubs line a stone path to the gate, and at dusk the pool glows against the lit pavilions.

The design is classic Balinese with a light, modern touch: peaked alang-alang roofs, white walls, hand-carved timber sofas and bright orange cushions. The living pavilion opens straight onto the water, with only blinds between you and the garden, and the dining pavilion next door pairs an eight-seat table with a fully equipped kitchen and a counter with stools for breakfast. A thatched poolside bale is made for afternoon naps in the shade.

Each of the three king bedrooms opens onto the pool or the garden, with Balinese platform beds and semi-open bathrooms, one with a stone bathtub set among the plants and another with a garden shower against a slate wall. Two bedrooms sit just off the pool and the master is tucked away at the rear for extra privacy. Batu Belig beach is close by, and the cafés of Batu Belig and Petitenget are an easy walk or short ride away.