COMO Shambhala Estate at Begawan Giri

Indonesia
Asia

The Experience

Spread over 20 acres of rain forest outside Ubud, Begawan Giri is more akin to a tropical estate than a hotel. Each of the five residences that comprise the property is based around a single theme: Fire, Water, Wind, Forest and Earth. One of them floats above the jungle like a five-star tree house, while another features a Japanese water garden and private waterfall. And they couldn't fit in better with the surrounding gardens--flowering trees, lush ferns and wild vines cascading down the side of a river gorge--which took the former owner eight years to sculpt.

The Rooms

The rooms themselves are rife with idiosyncratic touches: Victorian toilets, single stone bathtubs and decks fashioned from recycled telegraph poles. Several of them feature glass walls framing the rice paddies below. Guests can splurge on an entire residence (for $2,100 to $3,900 a night), or request an individual suite. While the suites range in price and amenities (the master suites can include private terraces and Jacuzzis), guests share the use of the pool and dining hall.

The Service

Each guest is assigned a butler responsible for fulfilling any request, be it booking a spa treatment, arranging breakfast in one of the jungle bales or organizing an outing to nearby Ubud. Don't miss out on a local kecak dance, a hypnotizing ceremony involving dozens of chanting singers. The resort also periodically hosts some of the world's most renowned spa technicians, healers and scholars. Recent notables include celebrity yoga teacher Rodney Yee and Tibetan Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman.

The Highlights

Begawan Giri is justly famed for its open-air jungle spa, otherwise known as The Source. Originally comprised of a series of wooden platforms and stone pools scattered along the river gorge, the spa drew some complaints for its dozens of stone steps; critics have nothing to grumble about since the hotel added a central spa building to the main level of the resort. Yoga, martial arts and guided meditation are also available.

 

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