This Ubud resort is ‘Bali as we used to know it’
Originally a 1980s holiday home designed by a legendary architect, this small luxury hotel has been transformed into a relaxing retreat.
This is Bali as we used to know it. Amid the holiday island’s glamorous resort openings and shiny new wellness retreats, small luxury hotels such as Tanah Gajah: A Resort by Hadiprana near Ubud have defied the trend and remain resolutely respectful of old-style ways.
Originally known as The Chedi Club under Singapore-based management group GHM, the estate was designed in the 1980s as a family holiday getaway by legendary architect and art collector Hendra Hadiprana, who died in 2018.
Two years later, Hadiprana’s heirs rebranded and upgraded it in his honour. Hadiprana was internationally applauded for his integration of Eastern and Western design principles, always with an eye to the particular nuances of Indonesian heritage, and guests here can expect an experience that is rich with cultural connections and artistry, and clear gestures to the architecture of Bali and Java.
The name Tanah Gajah loosely translates to the “realm of elephants”, a homage to Goa Gajah, or Elephant Cave, a 9th-century sacred temple located close by.
Aside from two stone elephants guarding the gates of an amphitheatre, and motifs of the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesha, there are no real jumbos to be seen, though, across the expansive estate, not even when going up, up and (not quite) away in the basket of the estate’s tethered hot-air balloon in the cool of early mornings and late afternoons.
It’s the perfect perch from which to view the scope of the palm-bordered grounds and plantings, and an aerial aspect of Tempayan Restaurant, reconstructed and considerably expanded in 2021 after a fire.
This is the heart of the estate, a long building with pitched, two-tiered terracotta roof lined with a woven ceiling, indoor-outdoor seating overlooking the rice fields, and decor touches such as lamps and lanterns in bird shapes and patterns by the Hadiprana family’s Jakarta-based design house and consultancy.
Take a cooking class
A highlight of dining at Tempayan is executive chef Dean Nor’s five-course omakase menu of his choices of the day, which he complements by visiting tables in turn and explaining each dish.
It’s a special alternative to the all-day a la carte offerings (also available as in-room dining), which include pasta, rice dishes such as classic nasi goreng, grilled fish or chicken with fragrant spices and sauces, and irresistible banana fritters.
Nor also conducts The Art of Cooking group or private courses in an outdoor “classroom”, based on four dishes prepared with ingredients freshly gathered from Tanah Gajah’s organic vegetable gardens. He channels the muti-cultural cuisine of his Singaporean heritage and his signature dishes are punchy with spice and flavour.
Room with a view
There are just 20 accommodation options, across seven one-bedroom suites with terraces and 13 walled villas; the latter come with private pools, and three are aimed at family travellers, with two bedrooms apiece.
All guests have access to the 25m-long main pool bordered by cushioned loungers and stylish umbrellas.
Ranged across the grounds are ponds skimmed by white swans, which almost fit the realms of fantasy. Meantime, pavilions with swooping roofs, carved stone statuary, intricately framed paintings and substantial wooden pieces give me the sense of roaming around a semi-open museum, but there’s nothing too formal or contrived.
Hand-carved bedheads and furniture are decorative and sturdy; floors are mostly tiled or teak, and cool underfoot.
And the setting is semi-rural, overlooking rice paddies that are owned by Tanah Gajah, but the harvest is split 50-50 with local farmers who tend the crop.
Experience rich cultural-connections
I go on a complimentary guided trek through these fields, learn about the traditional subak irrigation methods on the way and we visit a nearby village to watch craftspeople weaving and working in wood.
The tours can range from 30 minutes to a comprehensive two hours, conducted mornings or afternoons, depending on guests’ preferences, and it’s not just good exercise but a glimpse into a much more traditional way of life than most of us see at Bali’s coastal hotspots.
Back at base camp, it’s soothing to take afternoon tea in the Panen Padi Lounge overlooking the green grounds and paddies and be served macarons, cakes, savoury bites and sandwiches, and possibly linger until the cocktail hour.
Or head to the two-suite spa overlooking the rice paddies; a cream hair-conditioning mask and scalp massage is a blissful signature treatment. A small health club has a treadmill, stationary bike and weights.
Along with more traditional style comes old-fashioned courtesy and a raft of extras. The tariff includes a daily replenished minibar of beer, water and soft drinks; several pieces of laundry daily per guest; afternoon tea and evening cocktails; and return daytime car transfers into Ubud, Bali’s cultural capital, about 10 minutes away. Best category?
The Club pool villas feel like a little house, with alfresco pavilion and shaded daybed, outdoor soaking tub and generously sized bathroom. “No mere dipping here,” promises the collateral, and it’s true.
The private pool is 8m long and immaculately maintained; order a “floating breakfast”, served on an improbably buoyant tray, for the ultimate indulgence. Or head to that sparkling main pool, or do a morning yoga class to a backdrop of twittering birds. The possibilities to relax and recharge from dawn to dusk are plentiful.
In the know
Tanah Gajah: A Resort by Hadiprana has a range of deals available for bookings made before December 23 this year.
A three-day Art of Exploring package includes return airport transfers, hot air balloon flight, 60-minute massage and picnic lunch plus Club benefits such as butler service, daily breakfast, snacks and cocktails, rice paddy tour, yoga and laundry; from IDR10.2m ($980) a night in a one-bedroom Club Suite. The property’s grounds are flat with wide pathways for wheelchair access.
The Hadiprana Estate Villa, originally the owner’s holiday home, can be booked for a maximum six guests; Dua Dari is a satellite option nearby, ideal for groups or families in one booking.
Jo Makito was a guest of Tanah Gajah: A Resort by Hadiprana.
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