Yoga mats are lined up on the pristine lawn for a dawn session of meditation and chakra yoga. The sun creeps above a line of young palm trees that stretch up from the beach drying the dewy grass and warming relaxed limbs. It’s the start of another blissful day at one of Bali’s newest luxury hotels.
The Apurva Kempinski Bali, positioned on cliffs overlooking an arc of golden sand on the Indonesian island’s southern tip, has developed an array of wellness experiences designed to vanquish the tense shoulders and turbulent minds hewn by the stresses of 21st century life back home.
After rewarding elongated muscles with water from a plump, ice-cold coconut, it’s time to head for a local temple, where the “purification” continues. The local place of worship turns out not to be a building at all; rather it’s a natural cove where the sand on a tiny beach is caressed by waves rolling in through an arch beneath the cliffs. Shafts of light from the rising sun illuminate a cloud of jasmine incense.
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Priests clamber along a stony bridge above the inlet to the holy site, a row of brightly colored umbrellas and fabrics fanned out across the rocks, along with offerings for the gods laid out in baskets woven from leaves and piled high with fresh flowers, pandan leaves, fruit and mini chocolate bars.
All of the offerings are greedily accepted by a clutch of long-tailed macaque monkeys seizing the opportunity presented by a busy full-moon day at the temple, where worshippers are lining up to be purified with young coconut water.
The priests welcome foreigners taking their place in line to undergo the ritual, said to reset the mind and body. Local Hindus believe that if just one of the seven chakras - the body’s centres of spiritual power - is blocked, you will not be able to find happiness.
Whether our chakras have been successfully realigned or not, serenity has descended as we make the short journey back to the Apurva Kempinski Bali.
Inside the resort, which took eight years to construct, everything has been designed with peace and tranquility in mind.
The clifftop entrance to the hotel is breathtaking. Built in the style of a temple, a wave of copper forms the ceiling of a giant pagoda that opens onto a wide deck surveying the grounds of the resort and looking out over the Indian ocean.
Between shimmering infinity pools - a theme throughout the spacious grounds - the lobby is divided by enormous ornate carved wooden panels decorated with traditional Javanese and Balinese designs, which are also used in the island’s famous batik fabrics. The screens were hand-carved in the celebrated Javanese city of Jepara, and installed above an iridescent marble floor.
Terracotta replicas of temples from the Majapahit empire that united much of Indonesia in the 13th century are the most obvious nods to the kingdom which has also inspired the rest of the magnificent hotel.
A vast stone staircase inspired by the Bali’s sacred Pura Besakih water temple runs from the clifftop lobby all the way down to the pools at beach level, passing many of the 475 rooms along the way. The cascade effect, with verandas, pools and balconies, down the face of the cliff is a nod to Bali’s famous rice paddy terraces, which can easily be visited in a day-trip from the Nusa Dua coast, which is home to the Apurva Kempinski as well as many of the island’s other top-end hotels.
Bali’s modest size means the best of the island is within easy striking distance of the hotel, from the nightlife of Seminyak to the surfing beaches on the west coast, or the majesty of Ubud, the island’s cultural and spiritual centre.
On check-in at the Apurva you are served an ice cold jamu - a restorative drink that also dates back to the Majapahit empire. You can sign up for an entertaining lesson in mixing your own version of the drink on the front-lawn of the hotel, deciding whether to keep it tart and fresh (as though ready for a dash of vodka in a hip cocktail bar) or thickened with more and more palm sugar - apparently the local preference.
The recipes have been “handed down from grandma to grandma to grandma”, but they feel very much on trend for modern health and wellness regimes with varying blends of ginger, turmeric, tamarind and lime juice. As well as different flavor combinations, Indonesians believe different concoctions, which contain antioxidants, immunity boosters and indigestion relief, are suited to easing particular ailments. With so many Eastern wellness regimes gaining in popularity, jamu is surely destined for a breakthrough moment in Europe and North America.
The blend of modernity and ancient Balinese customs continues in the hotel’s restaurants, where re-imagined versions of classic local recipes are among the stand-out dishes.
At the main Pala restaurant, French executive chef, Eric Cocollos, has used his experience working in high-end restaurants in Paris, Marrakesh and the Middle East to devise menus that will be familiar to luxury hotel guests whilst still focusing on local flavours. “For some dishes I have added crispiness or changed a little, but some things have to stay the same,” he said, pointing at the traditional, brightly-coloured Indonesian desserts.
For the dadar gulung, a rolled coconut pancake made with green pandan leaf rice flour, Cocollos added complexity by serving them with maple syrup instead of the traditional palm sugar dip.
Other traditional dishes have been elevated simply by the quality of the ingredients, so we have the addition of wagyu beef here or an unexpected shaving of truffle there. Some of the Balinese dishes are simply refined versions of the traditional recipes such as a divine squid dish featuring crispy shallots, cucumber, chili and coconut or a Balinese fruit salad that included pineapple, chili, avocado, tamarind, peanut and papaya.
Many of these dishes, including an exemplary version of the Indonesian stir-fry nasi goreng, are served with prawn or peanut crackers and one of the ubiquitous sambal chili pastes, which are made to thousands of individual recipes in homes and restaurants across the islands.
The resort also has a Japanese restaurant, Izakaya by OKU, a spin-off of the celebrated OKU in Jakarta, which is found inside another of the Kempinski properties. The modern Japanese restaurant opens later this year, but a pop-up incarnation has already started to turn out luxurious dishes like smoked egg with caviar and wagyu sashimi.
Bali’s first aquarium restaurant opens later in the year, serving local seafood surrounded by huge tanks of marine life.
A lavish spa is also yet to open, but a temporary home is already up and running, where thoughtful treatments inspired by ancient Javanese healing tradition are available. There are packages designed to aid recovery from hectic everyday life; to prepare couples for marriage; soothe the mind and rejuvenate the body.
Some of the treatments are spread over two or three days, ensuring total relaxation when interspersed with a few hours spent lounging by one of the picture-perfect swimming pools.
The largest of them is a 60-metre infinity pool that overlooks the beach, but there are dozens throughout the hotel, including private plunge pools for the villas and suites, and secluded lagoons, which run in front of the grand deluxe rooms. The beautiful wedding chapel on the crest of the beach is set in its own infinity moat, and ceremonial pools surround the restaurants, the lobby and even run along the corridors.
In short, water is everywhere - covering approximately half of the resort - added to the perfectly curated wellness programme, the result is an unrivalled feeling of tranquility.
Rooms at The Apurva Kempinski Bali start from USD $225 (£180) per night for a Grand Deluxe room on a B&B basis. Suites start from USD $350 (£278) per night for a Cliff Private Pool Junior Suite on a B&B basis. Rates are subject to 21% service and tax.
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