 Warung Biah Biah, Ubud |
Where else to Eat, Pray, (and) Love? Elizabeth Gilbert’s personal journey in search of self-fulfilment reached its conclusion (I hesitate to say climax) in Ubud, the spiritual heart of Bali. Narcissistic, navel-gazing? No, I didn’t hear that, nor did the thousands who snapped up this bestseller.
Don’t wait for the movie to reach a cinema near you… experience the reality now, with a spell of self-indulgence in a villa set amongst the emerald-green rice paddies around Ubud. In the village of Bentuyung one Australian couple owns Castello Jasper, a coolly-elegant four-bedroom villa boasting a 16-metre pool.
At Bentuyung, where the movie’s Balinese scenes were recently filmed, have pocketed the location fees and gone back to what they do best: rice farming and ritual. Your progress up the main street might be blocked by white-turbaned men and kebaya-clad women escorting the fearsome Barong into the temple.
Self-contained villa accommodation is leading Bali’s renaissance as a top-end destination. Spa treatments, shopping and fine dining all tempt visitors at a fraction of the costs back home, whilst villas provide privacy, exclusivity and independence. And those who would like to share a little love around, could consider supporting the stray dog refuge which has adopted the slogan Feed, Spay, Love. More images
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