Villa Marie is the most Balinese of the three Pandawa Cliff Estate villas in terms of her style and layout, echoing the traditional compound design of many Bali homes. Although the villa is set just back from the cliff top, nearly all of its rooms, as well as its garden and pool, offer tantalising ocean views.

Gurgling ponds bordered by wooden decking are key features of the villa's garden landscape and the feel is relaxed and comfortable. Two master bedroom pavilions lie opposite each other across the T-shaped 17-metre swimming pool (with shallow area for kids), while a glass-wrapped living pavilion sits at the heart of the villa. Villa Marie also has the advantage of a spacious outdoor dining area, with built-in barbecue and kitchenette for extra convenience.

Behind the living pavilion is the two-storey guest bedroom building with its four bright and spacious rooms. Bedrooms at Villa Marie are thoughtfully configured to offer ideal accommodation to families, with a king and a twin-bedded room on each floor. As well as having exclusive use of the leisure facilities at Villa Marie, guests have full access to the sports centre (with squash and tennis courts), spa and gym, shared with Villa Rose and The Pala.

A friendly yet discreet team of butlers, housekeepers, gardeners, security and kitchen staff all work diligently under the experienced villa manager to take care of every guest requirement and two cars with drivers are on hand for those who wish to explore beyond the villa.

The crystal clear, reef-protected waters and white sands of Pandawa Beach lie immediately below the estate and can be reached via a new road that cuts down through the cliff, while many of Bali's best surf beaches are also close by. Only slightly further afield is the sacred sea temple of Uluwatu, the New Kuta Golf Club, some cool beach bars and the many fine-dining and seafood restaurants of Jimbaran and Nusa Dua.

LAYOUT:
Water features and wooden decks meander between the four individual buildings that make up six-bedroomed Villa Marie. Two master bedroom pavilions, each with covered terraces, face the ocean at the front of the villa's tropical landscaped gardens; between them lies a 17-metre T-shaped swimming pool (with shallow kids pool) and a large, covered barbecue bale.

The centrally positioned living pavilion is enclosed in glass to maximise views on all sides, but can be fully opened to the pool and gardens. This big square room is divided into lounge, TV, dining and kitchen areas and makes a wonderfully convivial space all overlooking the pool.

A deck crosses burbling pebble-lined ponds to the only two-storey building at Villa Marie, which houses the four remaining bedrooms, all ensuite and two on each floor.

LIVING AREAS:
Villa Marie's central living pavilion houses all her indoor living space in one big, convivial area. This is a lovely room for socialising, gazing out over the pool and gardens, chilling in front of the television, enjoying a meal at the 10-seater dining table or even cooking one in the well-equipped open-plan kitchen. This is undoubtedly the hub and the heart of the villa.

Next to the living pavilion and right beside the 17-metre T-shaped pool (with the top of the T forming a shallow swimming area especially for kids) is a spacious outdoor dining bale fitted with a built-in barbecue, wet kitchen area and a circular, all-weather-rattan table for eight.

BEDROOMS:

Master suites
Villa Marie's master suites occupy two luxurious pavilions towards the front of the property. Each has wide sliding glass doors on two sides facing the ocean in one direction and the pool in the other.

The suite to the far side of the pool is accessorized with cheerful turquoise fabric and furnished with a king bed above which is an attractive carved wood panel and equipped with a large flat-screen TV with satellite channels and Blu-ray/DVD player. The spacious ensuite bathroom incorporates a dressing area and boasts an oval terrazzo bathtub in a sunny alcove and an outdoor rain shower. In the second master suite, a super-king bed lies below a high wood-and-rattan ceiling, and a covered ocean-view terrace to the front is furnished with a large daybed. Beyond the dressing room is a bathroom fitted with a centrally placed oval terrazzo tub and an enclosed rain shower.

Guest suites
A timber boardwalk over pebble-lined ponds leads from Villa Marie's living pavilion to her four guest bedrooms. Both floors of this contemporary two-storey building contain a king bedroom and a twin bedroom, and all rooms are virtually identical, with only minor differences in their bathrooms and outside areas (balconies for the upstairs rooms; decadent outdoor river-rock tubs for the ground floor ensuites). Floors are of warm teak framed by cool marble and bathrooms are bright and spacious all incorporating well-designed dressing and vanity areas.