Villa Atacaya

One of the two Nyani Riverside Villas sitting alongside a jungle-fringed river near the spectacular sea temple of Tanah Lot, the five-bedroom, five-star Villa Atacaya offers a peaceful, back-to-nature retreat to holidaymakers looking for an escape from life’s day-to-day madness. Spread over three levels, with a pretty garden courtyard and 15-metre riverside swimming pool, the villa is fully staffed and includes the services of a car and driver. Each of the five ensuite bedrooms presents differing views of nature at its best, while the communal spaces provide a superb choice of indoor and outdoor, formal and relaxed, dining and living options. Great for families or groups of friends.

The three-tiered Villa Atacaya is entered on its top level via an open-sided living and dining room that lies adjacent to a self-contained kitchen. On the middle tier is a pretty garden courtyard with an outdoor dining area and covered lounge flanked by a bar and a small, air-conditioned TV room. The courtyard is bordered by a 15-metre pool overlooking the river, and four of the five bedrooms are also housed on this level. From here, a spiral staircase winds down to a riverside yoga deck, a bale, and the studio bedroom.

The personal chef at Villa Atacaya is at your service to prepare daily breakfast, lunch and dinner. The villa offers an extensive suggestion menu of delicious home-style meals featuring Asian and international dishes to cater to all tastes, with an excellent selection of vegetarian and children’s options. The chef is also more than happy to tailor meals to accommodate any special dietary requirements. A stay is not complete without sampling some local dishes such as pepes ikan (fish steamed in banana leaf), satay ayam (chicken satay on bamboo skewers) or pisang goreng (fried banana) served with ice cream. For all meals groceries and beverages are charged at cost price plus 20%. Guests will be requested to provide grocery money in advance, and the staff will do the shopping and keep the receipts for reference. To make the most of the kitchen and give staff time to shop, it is a good idea to plan meals the evening before or with a minimum of five hours in advance.

Villa Atacaya is close to the famous temple at Tanah Lot (4km), although in peak season a few too many tourists may transform a sunset visit into more of a heaving photo opportunity than a moving experience. A nice sunset alternative is to head down to Echo Beach (8km) where a number of cafés offer good sunset views and cold beer. Fashionistas, trendies and shop-a-holics should hot-foot it down to Seminyak, Bali’s most cosmopolitan enclave (13km).