The Facebook-based web page Bali: How Much Is Too Much? passed a major milestone today, by reaching over 100,000 participants. A defiantly non-commercial page, it began at the end of 2013 to expose the sheer scale and quantity of tourism development engulfing the paradise island of Bali. Since then it … Continue reading
The Benoa Bay reclamation debate (“Reklamasi Tanjung Benoa”) You are probably aware of debate and protests about making a megaproject in Benoa Bay here in Bali. Most of the discourse has focused on environmental concerns, which are valid, but not everyone feels motivated or convinced by environmental responsibility. Many are … Continue reading
As a suitable tribute to a marvelous material, here’s a chair by Colombian bamboo builder and designer Marcelo Villegas. While too much of newly-designed bamboo furniture looks like you have to give up something to use it (like comfort, stability and style, for example), Villegas’ works are artistic masterpieces and … Continue reading
In case you were wondering what that big wall of old shutters is doing near the beach in Seminyak, it’s a multi-faceted development called Potato Head Beach Club brought to you by the makers of Potato Head Jakarta (above), a description-defying place that opened back in January 2009. The brainchild … Continue reading
You may remember Emerald Starr and Ken Ballard’s Sacred Mountain Sanctuary in the Sidemen Valley. It was a pioneering eco-resort with an earnest emphasis on eco. Now it is being “reloaded” at last, by the Karma Resorts’ developer, Selected Estates of Asia.
In case you were wondering about the massive construction project in between The Legian and KuDeTa on Seminyak beach, here’s the scoop. It’s called The Seminyak. How imaginative. Especially since it’s right next door to The Legian. How much did they pay their marketing think tank to come up with … Continue reading
Well gosh, with traffic already gridlocked and infrastructure overloaded, it’s hard to feel warm and fuzzy about this new 5.2 hectare mega-development in Kuta spread along 250 meters of beach. That said, the long-disused site where Kuta Beachwalk will be built has been like the missing front tooth of Kuta’s … Continue reading
They call August the silly season in Bali. Well, I’ll drink to that. I did drink to that come to think of it, starting at the end of July. I toasted silliness in general on July 25th at the birthday beach party for Ian Macaulay of Elite Havens and a … Continue reading
Brazilian diva Bebel Gilberto gave a surprise concert last Friday at Hotel Tugu Bali. The lovely Lucienne Anhar, la princesa de Tugu is always full of surprises. She and her mischievous friends Valentina Audrito and Abhishake Kumbhat cooked up the idea of the concert just three days in advance. Bebel … Continue reading
This big apartment block is set to rise down in Kedongan, south of Kuta. It’s called The Donga. What’s a Donga? Normally, Donga is a district in Nigeria. In this case it seems to be a truncation of the name of the town where this semi-blobistic fantasy will soon appear. … Continue reading
Here’s a project on the beach out near Yeh Gangga in Tabanan. Some interesting design development drawings by Yoka Sara, who is one of the most interesting architects working in Bali. And he’s Balinese.
Urban sprawl is eating up Seminyak, Kerobokan and beyond. Years ago, in Legian they said, “We’ll never be like Kuta! So crowded! Such a mess!” Then in Seminyak, they said, “We’ll never be like Legian!” And in Petitenget they said, “We’ll never be like Seminyak!” But the advance of urbanization in … Continue reading
This image comes from the website of the Pecatu Indah development which has engulfed Dreamland beach and everything around it in the Bukit Jimbaran area of south Bali. The endearing little erection here depicted, called modestly “The Terrace,” will reach to ten stories. Count ’em. Plus those “Rapunzel-Does-Denpasar” appendages on … Continue reading
The Alila Soori project near Tanah Lot temple in Bali has had its challenges during development. Issues over land use (an opaque and intentionally obfuscating area of local law), and permitting (more opaque and more obfuscatory), had become a thorn in the side of the Alila development team. Well, breathe … Continue reading
In Bali’s burgeoning elite residential communities from Berawa westwards, options for shopping and dining are very sparse. Villa dwellers out west face a half-hour drive on the highway to hell if they want a decent meal, an evening out, or a spot of shopping. That’s all about to change, with … Continue reading
I was last in Lhasa in November 1987 and haven’t felt a great inclination to go back. Seeing recent photos and hearing the tales of friends who have been there since, I’m not sure I would feel comfortable in Lhasa anymore, so great are the changes that have re-shaped the … Continue reading
One of the blogs I cherish most is Curious Expeditions, an extraordinary emporium of the esoteric and ancient. I adore the esoteric, and the ancient, as a general rule. Today I was hypnotised by their report on the architectural oddities of Cappadocia.
WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG FOR AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE Apologies to readers of my blog for the past two weeks’ outpouring on (over)development in Bali. I started out hoping to get a general overview of the state of real estate development on the island, and one thing led to another and … Continue reading
Dubai hotel group Jumeirah will be creating 188 five-star-diamond hotel rooms in eight four-storey blocks, plus sixteen penhouses and thirty pool villas, on a 12.7 hectare site in the Nusa Dua area, with an estimated investment of $43.5 million. With Jumeirah, at least we know they won’t be cutting any … Continue reading
Visual and intellectual boundary-breaker, Tim Girvin has begun blogging his brilliance in a series of essays which pierce like bright rays from a distant star, shining through the disparate galaxies of fragrance, film, fashion, architecture, TV, branding, identity, and thought as it is thunk. Girvin is more than a designer, … Continue reading
I blogged last week about W Retreat & Spa Bali, which is a major work in progress on the site of the old Intan Hotel in Seminyak, slated to open September 2009. Starwood Group’s W Hotels division has been very tight-lipped about the whole project, as I mentioned previously. W’s … Continue reading
In case you hadn’t noticed, W Hotels is creating a huge luxury resort on the beach in Seminyak. It’s in Petitenget, to be precise, and the site entrance is directly next door to Bali Catering Company (best take-away gourmet shop in Bali). W Hotels is the hip luxury brand of … Continue reading
Breaking news. One of Bali’s most beloved hotels plans to close in October for a few months of rehab. The story behind the upgrade sounds like a chapter from the life of a celebrity hostess. The year before she is to celebrate a landmark birthday, she goes off to the surgeon … Continue reading
It looks like there will be a Ferragamo fashion resort in Sanur soon. Ferragamo’s hotel people are just completing negotiations on a four hectare plot of beachfront land on Mertasari Beach. We’ve got Bulgari in Bali already, Ferragamo soon, so I expect Versace won’t be far behind. Salvatore Ferragamo was a … Continue reading