The living pavilion also boasts beautifully aged timbers – especially teak – and a high serap roof; its traditional touches complemented with antique ornaments and furniture and intricately carved ceilings. Housing the villa’s living / dining area, kitchen and TV lounge, this expansive open-sided, open-plan building is, however, stylishly contemporary, presenting a contrasting modern-Indonesian look. Although a marvelous example of architectural heritage, Villa Salimett doesn’t forgo present-day comforts, which include a 20m infinity-edge pool, iPod docks and plasma satellite TVs.

Berawa Beach is just a five-minute stroll from this peaceful sanctuary of exceptional taste, and several world-class surfing beaches along this lovely south-west coastline – including surfers haunt, Echo Beach – are easily accessible by car. Bali’s premier sports and leisure venue, Canggu Club, is two kilometers away, and fashionable Seminyak is approximately twenty minutes’ drive south.

Accommodation
With its grand black wooden doors adorned with intricate carvings and capped with traditional serap roof, the entrance to Villa Salimett sets the scene for what awaits beyond. Just inside, the Zen-infused water feature leads through to a superb single-storey pavilion. This open-sided expansive building forms the heart of the four-bedroom property; although built in traditional Indonesian style, it presents a predominately contemporary look. The villa’s living / dining area, kitchen and small TV lounge are contained within, as well as an adjoining storage area, laundry / utility room and guest washroom.

From here, gardens and simple paving stones lead down to a center-stage infinity-edge pool with an adjoining and highly unusual pool bar constructed from antique woods. The pool area is edged by expansive and simple stone paving. Tucked away at the far end of the gardens, rests a solitary bale (traditional Balinese gazebo). The gardens also reveal the property’s piece de resistance: four antique-wood bedrooms, originally traditional Javanese Joglo houses, beautifully placed in a rough square formation.

Bedrooms
Villa Salimett sleeps eight guests in four detached bedrooms accessed by paving stones dissecting the gardens and spaced far enough apart for ample privacy. Created from authentic antique Joglos, it’s not surprising that each of the four unique rooms evokes the lived-in feel of an age-old Indonesian dwelling. The bedrooms are individual in character, size and layout, although all feature the same traditional cone-shape serap roofs and walls of aged teak wood, and are furnished with king-size beds. Although emphasis is on the traditional, modern-day luxe concessions include air conditioning (tastefully camouflaged by wood grills), ceiling fan, 29-inch plasma-screen satellite TV, safety deposit box, iPod dock and mini refrigerator. Striking contemporary lighting features throughout, while sensitive modifications to the construction include glass wall panels to add daylight, private terraces of either stone or reclaimed timber and luxury en-suite bathrooms. The latter all feature antique wood interiors and furnishings, stand-alone bathtubs, slinky Grohe fixtures, his n’ hers sinks in marble or stone and refreshing tropical rain showers.

Master Bedroom
Located on the garden’s right side beside the main pavilion, the largest of the four Joglo bedrooms is also Villa Salimett’s finest example of this distinctive Javanese architectural style. Spacious and with a high vaulted ceiling, right above the bed is a striking centre-piece of intricately carved wood. Throughout this sumptuous master bedroom an underlying vampish theme features black wood furniture pieces buffed to perfection and a fuchsia silk couch scattered with orange silk cushions, while organza silk curtains are draped around the bed. A buffalo skull placed atop a table makes an unusual decorative piece! Large photographs of bygone Indonesia grace the teak walls and, in keeping with the overall rustic ambience, the plasma TV comes hidden away in an antique chest placed at the bed’s base. In the lovely semi-open bathroom the focal point is the generous-sized stone bathtub set out in the open on pebbles and attractively framed by tropical foliage.

Wooden doors lead out from the bedroom to a large stone-floored porch with low wooden roof where an ultra-contemporary hanging pod chair and somewhat contrasting antique wood chairs and table are provided, ideal for looking out over the shimmering pool.

Bedrooms Two, Three and Four
Roughly similar to each other in size, the remaining three bedrooms offer a more compact, intimate feel than the master and feature low wooden ceilings and (with the exception of bedroom four) timbered floors.

Opposite the master bedroom, bedroom two is the smallest of the four. It features a separate wardrobe / dressing area and, similar to the master bedroom, the plasma TV comes disguised in an antique bed chest. The expansive, semi-open bathroom here features a striking terrazzo stone bathtub surrounded by leafy foliage, plus lovely decorative touches of sea shell ornaments and traditional woven baskets.

Bedroom three, on the garden’s left side, features a rustic-style, wood frame four-poster bed. Unlike the other bedrooms, the bathroom here is indoors: contrasting with the traditional theme, an indulgent ’boudoir’ look is fuelled by a centre-stage galvanized aluminum bathtub and crystal glass chandeliers.

Tucked away at the gardens’ end, beyond the master bedroom, bedroom four also features a simple wood frame four-poster bed and a separate dressing / wardrobe section. Intricate carvings decorate a section of the teak walls, but here the floor is made of stone. Bedroom four perhaps offers the most impressive bathroom: in tropical open-air style, it houses an eye-catching stone bathtub capped with circular stone decoration, accessed by stepping stones across a small ornamental pool. Modesty prevails with a curtain of leafy foliage and gardens.

These three bedrooms provide charming, low-roofed wooden porches revealing views across the gardens or, in bedroom four’s case, over the bale and outlying rice fields. Outdoor furniture ranging from elegantly carved antique tables and chairs to family-size day beds littered with plump cushions contribute to these wonderfully peaceful spots for reading and relaxing.

Living, Dining, Kitchen and TV area
The stunning main pavilion is mainly open-plan, built in traditional design but with a contemporary Indonesian style. Light and airy, the pavilion is open-sided, cooled by breezes and ceiling fan, and protected from the elements by simple coconut blinds. The building has been constructed using quality natural materials from across Indonesia including terrazzo and andesit stone and antique and reclaimed woods.

The centrally positioned living room has a seating area framed by four wooden pillars softened with white cotton drapes and comprising a massive, teak-based sofa furnished with comfy white cushions, two armchairs in similar style, plus low teak table. Hanging below the high and intricately carved ceiling a mass of bamboo spherical ceiling lights glow like full moons. Numerous antique ornaments are tastefully displayed on old wooden tables and chests; with the exception of an iPod dock, there is scant evidence here of modern-day paraphernalia.

Left of the living room, the dining area is dominated by a massive dining table crafted from a single block of teak. Flanked by traditional low wood seating and benches, this long table can generously accommodate around twelve diners for some truly memorable meals; the antique gong placed behind provides the perfect means to announce dinner. Amongst the surrounding banana plants, a Buddhist statue keeps an eye on proceedings.

To the extreme right of the pavilion is a subtly disguised TV lounge, comprising a low-ceilinged, raised wooden platform area. Snug yet stylish, a large squashy couch drowning in a mass of cushions directly faces the 29-inch plasma-screen satellite TV, displayed on a wooden chest. Also provided are a DVD / CD player, sound system and DVDs.

To the left of the pavilion, antique wood doors flanked by a primitive wood statue of Borneo origin lead through to a contemporary kitchen. Contrasting somewhat with the rest of the property, this utterly stylish and compact kitchen features black terrazzo stone counters, dark stone floors and walls and central teak workstation. Modern utensils include Grohe fixtures and cooker with five gas rings and electric oven. Adjoining here is a small storage zone with separate fridge and freezer and utility / laundry room; beyond, a small guest wash room and leafy patio join up with the dining area.

Edging the pavilion, a Zen-style water feature with two square pools is dissected by a stone path and edged with tropical plants. The constantly gurgling fountains here contribute to an overall calming ambiance in the pavilion.

Pool, Pool bar, Garden and Bale
Sprawling out from the pavilion, the gardens comprise lawns edged by typically tropical foliage, such as birds of paradise blooms and banana plants. Access to the bedrooms, pool area and bale is by way of simple paving stones. The centre-stage infinity-edge pool (20 x 6.5m) is one of the villa’s few overall visible concessions to modern-day living; crafted from natural stone it is attentively guarded by four Buddhist statuettes dotted along the water’s edge. The stone-paved pool terrace provides three double-sized poly rattan sun loungers and thick cotton sunshades – perfect for long lazy days. A surprise addition is a simple, antique ulen wood shower, hidden amongst the tropical foliage between bedrooms two and three.

To the right of the pool is a bar with a difference. Upholding the traditional architectural theme, even Villa Salimett’s pool bar comes with a serap roof, antique woods and ulen wood floor. A comfortable L-shaped sofa and four bar stools furnish the area and the bar is prettily illuminated at night by a mass of large lanterns.

At the bottom of the garden is a serap-roofed bale with. This gazebo-style structure is ideal for quiet contemplation, yoga or massage treatments which the villa staff can organize on request. Beyond the gardens are rice fields and other luxury villas, while towering Mount Batu Karu (2,276m) Bali’s second tallest volcano, is visible on clear days.
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