On the outskirts of Ubud, perched high on a jungle-clad hillside overlooking a ravine, lies the beautiful Villa Alamanda. This four-bedroom villa epitomises peace and tranquillity and is the perfect retreat for those seeking a quiet and relaxing holiday within easy reach of Bali's exotic cultural centre.

Carefully designed to harmonise with the environment, the villa combines traditional architecture and materials to create an enchanting tropical oasis. Fully staffed, including a fabulous in-house chef, guests need only focus on lazing by the pool, indulging in scrumptious home-cooked meals, being pampered with deluxe spa treatments, or simply admiring the views.

When it comes time to explore, a car and driver are also on standby to escort you to the wonderful sights that lay nearby.

Villa Alamanda is a special place. After four years searching for the perfect location to create their dream holiday home, the owners decided on the lush jungle setting near Ubud, and their affection for this tropical paradise is evident as soon as you open the villa doors.

Set high on a ravine amongst tall trees, lush green foliage and twittering birds this four-bedroom villa takes you back in time. Alamanda is part of a traditional wood-carvers' village that conjures up images of the Bali of yesteryear. Here, guests are privy to the routines of daily Balinese life from elaborate Hindu ceremonies to children playing in the street.

What really makes this villa special is the way its design complements its natural setting with alang-alang thatched roofs, wooden beams and polished floors featuring a large open-sided terrace to enjoy the balmy tropical climate. Air-conditioned king-size bedrooms with marble ensuite bathrooms provide the perfect respite from the heat along with the fully enclosed media room.

The gardens are spectacular, with a 13 x 9 metre infinity pool that hangs over the ravine and a poolside bal���© just made for relaxing. Frangrant frangipanis, red heliconias and the bright-yellow alamanda (after which the villa is named) inject colour against the rich green foliage of the surrounding jungle.

The villa's location is convenient for accessing nearby attractions including Ubud, Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave) and the UNESCO rice terraces of Tegallalang. The villa staff team, including Ibu Made, the villa's experienced in-house chef, will look after you well: daily breakfast is included in the villa rate and other meals can be selected from a suggestion menu on guest account. But if guests do wish to dine out, there are plenty of dining options in Ubud catering for every taste and budget.

Perched on a hillside high above a ravine, Villa Alamanda is built on two levels. Guests enter the main living quarters through imposing antique carved wood doors that open to a foyer and long T-shaped living and dining terrace with wood floors and an alang-alang thatched roof. The master bedroom, red room and cinnamon room all face the ravine and open onto this terrace.

To one side of the main house rests the garden bedroom suite and media room, with the kitchen located at the rear. To the other side, a steep stone staircase leads down to the beautiful gardens and swimming pool area, where sun loungers, an outdoor dining table and the poolside bal���© beckon.

Villa Alamanda is characterised by a delightful T-shaped terrace that stretches the length of the main house. This beautiful open-sided living space features polished wooden floors, high ceilings hung with overhead fans, and wooden balustrading that makes the most of the villa's picturesque natural environment. Two daybeds adorned with silk cushions provide the perfect places to meditate and enjoy soothing sounds on the CD player.

The dining area that juts out over the ravine and is furnished with a wooden table for eight, is the ideal spot for an intimate dinner party. The kitchen, which delivers exquisite meals, is housed in the staff quarters at the rear of the property.

The fully enclosed air-conditioned media room adjacent to the garden suite is equipped with a large flat-screen satellite TV with DVD player, games, toys, movies, bean bags and a comfortable sofa.

Its unique jungle setting is what makes Villa Alamanda special and the owners have designed the gardens to make the most of the tropical surroundings. An arched gateway with Balinese doors marks the entrance to the enchanting garden accessed by a flight of 17 stone stairs.

A curved 13 x 9-metre blue-tiled infinity swimming pool gives the illusion of disappearing into the ravine as water cascades over its edge. Sun loungers and umbrellas rest on the Palimanan stone pool terrace strategically placed to capture the sun. A round outdoor dining table is ideal for casual poolside dining while the thatched bal���©, equipped with bright coloured cushions and a CD player, is perfect for sunset cocktails.

A grassed area with two carved wooden seats and a traditional Hindu shrine makes a lovely setting for an intimate wedding blessing or a private yoga session.

At Villa Alamanda, all four air-conditioned bedrooms feature king-size beds, polished wooden floors, high-vaulted alang-alang ceilings, glass sliding doors with louvre shutters, safety deposit boxes and an ensuite bathroom with shower and bathtub.

Master Bedroom

The spacious master bedroom, or honeymoon suite, is furnished with Indonesian artefacts and artwork by local artists. A large lantern suspended from the ceiling creates a romantic ambiance while glass sliding doors with wooden shutters open onto the outdoor terrace where a daybed is positioned for relaxing and taking in the jungle views.
Louvre doors open to a dressing room which, in turn, leads to the master bathroom with its sunken marble bath and shower. Shuttered windows open out to the garden and pool area below capturing the natural breeze.

Cinnamon and Red Room

Similar in design these two neighbouring bedrooms are differentiated by their furnishings. The Red room is characterised by red lamps and paintings, while the Cinnamon room gets its name from the scented cinnamon-stick vase arrangement above the bed. Both rooms feature a private walled garden bathroom and open onto the large living terrace with a daybed for curling up and enjoying a good book.

Garden Suite

A separate pavilion houses the Garden suite, which is decorated with Indonesian artifacts, paintings and tapestries. This suite has a fully enclosed marble bathroom and its own private deck for soaking up the tropical surrounds. The Garden suite is located next to the media room.