The Bulgari Resort, Bali

The Bvlgari Resort is located near the village of Pecatu and the stunning cliff-top site of the Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple, on the island’s far southwestern tip. The Jimbaran Bay and the international airport lie approximately 20 kilometres north of the resort while Kuta, the touristy heart of Bali, is a 40 minute-drive. Uniquely positioned at more than 150 metres above the sea shore, the resort offers unrivalled views across the Indian Ocean. Nestled between the cliff and the ocean, a 1.5 kilometre long beach is accessible only through the resort’s inclined elevator.

Designed by architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, the resort’s layout and overall design incorporates the culture and natural elements of the location. The hotel has been built and furnished using hand-cut volcanic stones, rich exotic woods and refined fabrics. Natural lava and palimanan stone are used for the garden and interior walls, refined bangkiray hardwood in the villas, natural green-colored sukabumi stone to clad outdoor showers, plunge and swimming pools. A collection of exquisite Balinese antiques and exotic art pieces adorn the entire resort. Furniture and decorative details, such as stemware, flatware, ceramics and woven fabrics, were designed and produced in Bali by a team of local artists and designers in collaboration with the resort’s architects.

The resort is comprised of 58 villas with ocean view, 5 mansions offering 3 to 5-bedroom accommodations, and the 1,300-sq.metre Bvlgari Villa. All accommodations offer a plunge pool and patio with secluded tropical garden, high technology features and an extensive range of amenities. Besides its unrivalled natural setting, the resort also boasts sophisticated facilities, such as the Italian and Indonesian restaurants, the lounge bar, the Spa and the cliff- edge pool which have been planned to become the vibrant hub of the resort. A Bvlgari store, a Balinese arts and crafts store as well as business, conference and wedding facilities complete the resort’s unique features. An impressive Hindu Temple rises on the highest point of the property, designated as a place of worship in accordance with the Balinese tradition, while, further inside, the imposing arrival pavilion with its magnificent proportions and masterful design welcomes guests.

The Balinese culture and architecture greatly inspired both the design concept and the construction process. The work of island artisans, who represent Bali’s vibrant artistic heritage, has been incorporated in the Bvlgari Resort project. All the hotel’s accessories and details have been expressly designed and produced in Bali, exclusively for Bvlgari: from every single piece of furniture to the handcrafted unique tableware and refined textiles. Centuries-old tribal ceremonial antiques and exotic art pieces are on display in the resort’s villas, gardens and dining areas.

Local Indonesian art is the focus of the Bvlgari Resort antique collection. Spanning from Stone Age to present, the collection includes artefacts, specifically selected for their vibrant primitive energy and former practical use. Original and impressive works of art from contemporary Indonesian artists, created exclusively for the Bvlgari Resort, also decoratepublic spaces.

The wide range of woodcarvings, stones, statues, pots of various sizes and shapes, originating from Flores Island, Toraja, Sulawesi, Celebes, Java, East Java, Sumba Island, Nias, Sumatra and Bali featured in the resort reflect an artistic depiction of the local history. Woodcarvings and carvings from stone are among the oldest and most traditional art forms, usually gracing pillars, panels, doors, walls, lintels and shrines of temples, palaces and gardens over the region. Chiselled mainly from the local volcanic tuff and native woods, the prime function of these artefacts has always been to entice and entertain the gods.

Bulgari Bali, Residencies.

A unique collection of ceramic and other functional and decorative objects of magnificent craftsmanship is displayed throughout the resort’s public spaces and guestrooms. Exclusively designed and hand-made in Bali for Bvlgari, the items result from accurate research on materials, methods and production techniques. Indonesian and Balinese themes – ranging from daily life to local culture and religion, the arts, crafts, and nature – inspired the creative process thus providing every single item with a touch of history and meaning, strongly tied to the region.

Finely handcrafted with high quality local materials, the line depicts a wide range of shapes and objects, designed not only as mere decoration but also for indoor and outdoor use in the resort’s restaurants, bar and Spa.

Geologically and climatically, the area resembles the coastal regions of the Mediterranean far more than the verdant tropical landscape of inland Bali, a richly fertile plain surmounted by mountainous rainforests. The uplifted limestone plateau is one of three areas of vertical coastal cliff on and around the island and differs dramatically from the abundant surroundings in part due to its thin soil covering and lack of surface waters. Although fairly isolated from the rest of Bali, the Bukit peninsula is home to one of the island’s holiest places, the stunning cliff-top site of the Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple.

Roughly translated, the name Pura Luhur Uluwatu means “the temple above the rock” and legend would have it that the temple itself is a ship that was once turned to stone. Consequently the temple is especially revered by the fishing communities in the surrounding area where they pray to the sea goddess Dewi Laut. The temple and its three courtyards are protected by walls of white coral stone and parts are astonishingly well preserved considering the temple is reputed in some circles to be more than 1,000 years old. The tiered shrines contained within the temple, known as meru, are believed to have been established by the holy man Empu Kuturan, who came to Bali from Java in the 10th century.

In the 16th century, a second holy man, the Danghyang Nirartha, traveled to Uluwatu bringing with him elements of the Buddhist religion which were absorbed into the practice of Balinese Hinduism. At Uluwatu, he decreed that the site was the ideal place from which to worship the gods and attain the state of moksa, or spiritual enlightenment, and the release from the physical universe required to enter heaven.

This state of reverence and attainment is preserved to this day in every Balinese family temple where a single shrine covered with a black roof made from palm fibres, or pelinggih Uluwatu, is used to make offerings and worship to the soul of this great teacher of the Balinese Hindu religion. At more than 90 metres above the sea, the point at Uluwatu offers unrivalled views across the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean, uninterrupted by land from the Southern coast of Bali until the icy vastness of Antarctica. On a clear day, from the outermost courtyard, the tip of the island of Java is visible at a distance of more than 60 kilometres and as the sun sets, the temple is infused with a rich golden light and is one of the most magical experiences the island can offer.

The stunning ocean panorama that encircles the Bukit peninsula is one of the reasons for the area’s enduring popularity with visitors. Since the 1930s, when surfers first discovered the glassy tubes of Bali’s Western coast, the island has established itself as the home of some of the world’s finest waves, the majority of which are to be found on the coastline of the Bukit peninsula.

At Uluwatu, depending on the size and state of the tide, the perfect walls of Outside Corner and long barrels at Racetrack attract the best surfers in the world, often in training for professional contests. And while the limited access and facilities of the area preclude the holding of major surfing events, there is no doubt that the quality of the waves makes Uluwatu one of the world’s premier surfing destinations.

Further along the coast, the narrow rocky path that leads through a cave to the quiet cove at Padang Padang masks one of Bali’s best kept secrets: a tiny picturesque beach that not only boasts more of those world-class waves, but also adds a clean and safe lagoon for the sun seeker.

The early inaccessibility of the Bukit peninsula has parallels with the discovery of its island home. Until the 1500s, Bali remained virtually closed to the outside world. Although the island was in the midst of the most significant shaping of its modern persona in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, with the migration of the Majapahit Hindu Empire from Java to Bali, it remained untouched by Western influences.

Shortly after, in 1938, the airport was moved to its present site in Jimbaran Bay and Bukit was to remain largely ignored until the 1970s with the development of the Nusa Dua enclave of resort properties. Luxury resort development continued in the 1990s and the Southern coastline is now dotted with million-dollar private properties

The DESIGN &  ARCHITECTURE

The challenge for the Italian architectural firm Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel was to create a unique experience by forging a location which had to be true to the place and not a picturesque representation of it.

At eye level, the resort landscape is featured by walls in bukit stone obtained from the promontory. The bukit stone is a white coral stone, quickly turning black when wet, thus complementing the surrounding environment dominated by dark grey boulders towards the sea and volcanic tuff downstream.

Around every guestroom, there is a private garden, a pool, an open-air living room, and an approximately 300-sq.metre area overlooking the thatched roofs and the Indian Ocean.

The resort has a twofold “spirit”. On the one hand, the quiet, private, and secret atmosphere of the villas ensuring maximum privacy to guests thanks to their walled separations. On the other hand, a glamourous, energetic and cheerful area welcomes the guests in the easternmost side of the resort arranged around a pool with a bar, sofas along the cliff, and a restaurant perched on the plateau overlooking the most enchanting shore on the island.

The resort is located in Pecatu, a wind-swept promontory 160 metres above the sea endowed with a drier climate with respect to the peninsula. The vegetation is scattered, which makes the rocky and coral stone visible to the eye. The beach is located under the cliff, inaccessible both from the earth and the sea protected by the reef.

Bulgari Bali, Resort.

An inclined elevator takes guests to the beach where the Beach Club welcomes them with its scattered deckchairs and a drink in the shadow. The hotel has been built to fully respect the environment. All materials utilized such as wood come from certified suppliers, respecting strict local and international laws.

A contemporary design and international style is revealed by the fittings of the villa rooms and public spaces. The bedrooms and bathrooms in each villa, the restaurant and some pavilions have doors and windows made of mahogany and glass featuring sheer Western design, though the materials are indigenous and locally hand-crafted.

Just one material and a single colour shade have generally been used for the structures, fittings, floors, and details which are made of bangkiray, a tawny type of mahogany wood from Java – the domineering colour note in the resort. Solid mahogany wood has also been employed in its darkest hue – almost black – for the artifacts which have expressly been made for the place.

All the villas include two equally large spaces, one for the bedroom, the other for the bathroom with black Terrazzo flooring, a bathtub and two showers, one located inside, the other one in the garden. The open-air living room, between the private garden and the small swimming pool, is located southwards opening to the cliff and the sea. The larger 3 two-bedroom villas feature a large pool in the garden as well as a separate kitchen and a studio

In the westernmost part of the resort, on a slightly higher position, stands the 1,300-sq.metre Bvlgari Villa featuring three bedrooms, two living rooms, and a kitchen. Its garden hosts a 17- metre-long swimming pool surrounded by an extensive terrace. On top of the Sangkar restaurant on the cliff, the resort includes Il Ristorante serving a contemporary interpretation of Italian cuisine. The restaurant is located behind two roofs flanking the artificial pond. The Spa, at the heart of the resort, is built at the brim of the cliff and offers a yoga pavilion, small pavilions open to the sea, and a floating wooden bridge stretching over a pond with ocean view for relaxation.

LANDSCAPE AND GARDENS

The landscape has been designed with an eye to the traditional Balinese yards and gardens. The terraces have been created following the ground’s natural inclination. Typical plants have been selected and the original woods have been kept and relocated in the new landscape. Frangipane trees, a ubiquitous presence in the Balinese culture, are scattered everywhere in the Bvlgari Resort with their white blossoms spreading their fragrance around.