Bambu Indah

Extraordinary eco-chic retreat: a cluster of antique Javanese houses set in a rice field garden with magnificent views across the Sayan Valley

Thread your way from the "cocoon" style bamboo reception, past vegetable gardens to11 wooden houses made from hand carved teak. Once belonging to Javanese noblemen, Canadian jewellery designer John Hardy and his wife Cynthia have rebuilt them to create a small magical hamlet, just outside the village of Ubud.

Enchanting pathways cut through small rice paddies to bridge over a natural pool-river where you'll share the freshest of swims with tiny fish. Views across the Ayung river gorge are lush lime green, and the horizon rises up to picture perfect volcanoes.

You will feel these antique houses creak underfoot, but things are far from basic. We smiled at some of the high-tech comforts (for best loo-with-a-view stay in "Afrika"), and many guests prolong their stay for weeks on end. Sit out on your deck and feast on their garden produce. Shoot the breeze then wait for the sound of frogs to fill the air as you drift off to sleep. Bambu Indah means beautiful bamboo in Indonesian. Unforgettable.

Highs

• Beautifully restored wooden houses with muslin-draped four-posters and unique touches - a glass floor suspended over a fish-filled pond in Undang, a handmade copper bathtub in Afrika
• Natural setting amidst organic gardens and rice paddies
• Some of the most stunning views in Bali
• Strong eco credentials (the owners founded the world-acclaimed Green School)
• Authentic and atmospheric, with lovely welcoming staff

Lows

• Construction work will be carried out in March - May to expand the Restaurant kitchen. Some noise and disruption may be encountered (but we have been assured it will be kept to a minimum).
• Main deck overhangs a ravine, so more adventurous youngsters should be kept on a lead
• Narrow paths leading to the rooms can get slippery in the rain bring sensible footwear
• The food is fairly simple, though the quality of the produce is excellent. For more adventurous eats head into Ubud