Bvlgari Resort Bali
"After the successo pazzo of their first hotel, a hip, urban hang-out in Milan, prestige jeweler Bvlgari surprised everyone by choosing a decidedly different setting for their follow-up: the isolated, wildly rugged south coast of Bali. The marriage of cool contemporary European design and tropical heat is a triumphant summit meeting of East and West. The setting literally takes the breath away: the resort’s 59 villas occupy a regal position atop a 160-meter-high cliff near Uluwatu, one of Bali’s most sacred temples (and one of the most famous surf breaks in Asia). A tram floats down the cliff to a coral-strewn, talc-white beach deserted enough for a modern Robinson Crusoe. The rooms are gorgeous, constructed of local hand-cut volcanic stone and bangkiray wood, with traditional bamboo roofs. Interiors are seductively sombre-hued, accented with high-quality antiques from all over Indonesia in dramatic pools of spotlight. The bathrooms are magnificent temples, floored in flawless black basalt, with a tub rising in the center like a monumental altar. All rooms have a breezy pavilion for dining and a plunge pool. The villas sit a trifle close to each other, making privacy an issue (though gorgeous plantings will ameliorate the problem). The resort’s signature restaurant, Il Ristorante, serves creative Italian cuisine, perfectly cooked, in an operatic setting. When to go: North American summer, for cool temps and blazing blue skies. Which room to book: Villas numbered in the 40’s have unobstructed vistas of the sea; the view from 43 is about perfect."
