Villa Amaru

Villa Amaru is an arguably one of the most beautiful, fully-appointed five bedroom private rental villas in Bali. It overlooks the Ayung river gorge with breathtaking views of Bali`s major volcano range and distant rice field terraces.

As quoted by the architect Made Wijaya, ``The design was inspired by Arne Hasselquist`s ``David Bowie House`` in Mustique, on which I had worked with Linda Garland. It is a water garden with pavilions on a view. I added elements of the Malay house, the Balinese Bale and the Baronial guesthouses of the hill stations in Dutch colonial times. ``The house is very open, very transparent - the garden and scenic views are a treat as one moves around the detached palace.

The villa owners were very supportive of the idea of different atmospheres in each of the bedrooms, interspersed with tranquil and airy public areas. Morocco Berber rugs and lamps were imported to add color, and soften the predominantly stone and timber architecture.

Local sculptor Pintor Sirait worked on the suspended staircase and porte-cochere and Ubud-born artist Wayan Cemul carved all the bases of the stilt houses near the swimming pool. The compound houses an interesting collection of Indonesian ethnic art - both built in, as doors and windows, or as artwork accents from Sumba, Nias, Kalimantan and North Sumatra, and a wide range of quality ikat textiles used in the soft furnishings.