The Luxury Travel Magazine
The Luxury Travel Magazine
The Ungasan is an ivory tower in the art of lofty living. Cut out of the southern Balinese jungle, pointed bamboo-coconut thatched roofs and crisp infinity pools linger on the outermost contours of Uluwatu’s limestone cliffs. They bid a final goodbye kiss before the deep plunge down to the speckled Indian Ocean, which grazes the southernmost shore of Bali’s bushy-green Bukit Peninsula. None of the five senses are forsaken at The Ungasan, one of the Uluwatu’s most exclusive turfs, where the villas are governed by private butlers and burgeon with design concepts harvested from Bali, the Mediterranean, Britain, and The Hamptons.
Tongues are lathered with flavours like burnt honey and caramelised figs on ricotta cheesecake or beef braised in red wine, tomato, and pappardelle, and topped with parmesan. The eyes are inundated with shades of green, blue, golden brown, and white. Powdered roots of Balinese canang sari and oil from the spa enter the nostrils, while the ears are tended to by a nightly cricket chorus and the soft growl of the ocean rhythmically clearing its throat. Touch guides it all, whether that involves running your hands through milky sand, piercing tough mangosteen shells, or sinking into the gentle embrace of a four-poster bed.
The Ungasan Bali straddles the southernmost point on Bali’s Bukit Peninsula, an oval-shaped cut of land which harbours everything from formidable surf breaks and shipwrecks to star-crusted beach clubs and luxury resorts. Below the haute hamlet of The Ungasan Bali resides Sundays Beach Club and the exclusive Melasti Beach, an all-day recreation destination with beachfront bamboo cabanas and a dimpled coral lagoon at low tide. It’s hard to imagine that the four five-bedroom villas and 10 residence suites were once another dense swathe of jungle on Uluwatu’s clifftops.
Naturally, The Ungasan’s central 28-metre infinity pool and the flavour medleys invented by Executive Chef Shaun Thomson put guests at risk of immediate diversion. However, the property would be nothing without its family of four five-bedroom villas and 10 one-bedroom suites. The only family resemblance between each clifftop stay is that they each have a pool of either the infinity or plunge variety and views of the Indian Ocean as its white foam sweeps over a film of blue and green.
An archetype of open-plan Balinese luxury, Villa Ambar caresses 30 metres of cliffront. The master bedroom is the villa’s superintendent, sliced out the side of the limestone cliff like a modern-day Merlin’s cave and cast with a colonial four-poster bed, a French daybed, and an outdoor shower. Villa Pawana is Ambar’s playful younger sister. Flushed bougainvilleas add a splash of Peru or Argentina, and the 20-metre infinity pool is the only interruption to a manicured lawn, planted with spindly palm trees and sunloungers.
Villa Tamarama, named after the surf-mad Sydney suburb, has a hint of the Hamptons; the two swimming pools, pavilion, and poolside entertainment make lavish living look like craft. Villa Santai Sorga brings things back to earth, but only slightly. In what could be an upscale incarnation of a Hacienda or a Roman latifundia, its central courtyard opens up to a distinctly-Spanish veranda with two swimming pools, 2,500 square metres of gardens, and a 30-metre cliff front.
A 24-hour private butler is as integral to each of the villa’s structures as their columns and canopies. A quick dial and the ever-present agent may deliver your daily breakfast tray, arranged with dense sourdough, honeycomb, fresh watermelon and pineapple, smoked salmon, rice, or other pre-ordered, freshly-made fare. Upon your request, they may send a trained masseuse, professional yogi, or a tennis coach in their place. The butler is the facilitator for private helicopter rides over the peninsula, an ATV spin on Bali’s slopes, or a night bearing witness to the fiery traditional kecak dance that takes place on Uluwatu’s clifftop pagoda.
Tucked into The Ungasan’s underside, the cliffside funicular to Sundays Beach Club feels like a portal into a sunny Balinese Narnia. Instead, Turkish Delight temptations come in the form of sushi, skewers, and signature cocktails served by a private server or paddleboarding and snorkeling over rosy corals.
The Ungasan’s guests receive special treatment. Escorted to a VIP sunbed section, a renewed private butler service feeds full-board guests with a stream of craft beers, cocktails, curated international wines, and cuisine such as red snapper freshly sourced by local fishermen. Commune for the nightly sunset bonfire, a romantic preface to a night’s slumber above the Indian Ocean.
Whether it’s butterfly prawn with crustacean oil, yellowfin tuna with Moroccan eggplant and cumin emulsion, or red snapper smeared with fennel, marigold, and salmon pearls, Executive Chef Shaun Thomson redefines fine-dining in Uluwatu. His delicate creations, which include coconut textures inspired by the fecund beaches of distant Fiji, have seen the inside of fine-dining restaurants in Australia, including the three-hatted Rockpool Bar & Grill and Lola Restaurant, both in Melbourne, Flying Fish Sydney, and most recently, Kokomo Private Island in Fiji.
Fresh, locally-harvested flavours permeate the The Pool Lounge’s menu: taste blue swimmer crab and linguine; red-wine braised beef with tomato, pappardelle, and parmesan; warung-inspired staples like sop buntut; an oxtail soup with rice, potato, leek, celery, and fried garlic; and snapper prepared Jimbaran-style, to be barbecued and eaten whole with sambal merah. A chef’s dinner, fully customisable and hand-served by chef Thomson accompanied by personal anecdotes of his time in Australia and Fiji, adds extra character to what is already a fine selection of spirited comestibles.
At The Ungasan Bali, relaxation comes in more than one silhouette. Hanging over the infinity pool and the Indian Ocean, The Vela Spa harnesses the healing powers of Balinese ancient healing arts. Slicked with sandalwood and lemongrass, a masseuse performing a Balinese massage may knead your back with the same vigour used for bubur injin, Balinese rice flour dumplings. Stones scooped out of Uluwatu’s rivers expel tension during the hot river stone massage, while the ancient Balinese massage’s gentle attack pairs long strokes and palm and thumb kneading with a firm rolling of the skin, nudging skin forward as though moving it into a gentle downward dog.
The Ungasan Bali has created a rare sensation. Its elegance is unquestionable, but it isn’t the stiff type that accompanies a characterless mass-market hotel room. Just as the private butlers recognise their guests’ unique needs, each villa has a very specific psyche. Regardless, there are many constants: heartfelt service, endless class and gentility, and uninterrupted solitude.
