While developers have long built luxury resorts with little concern for the environment they’re meant to showcase, the creators of Ubud Hanging Gardens in Indonesia found a way to spotlight the lush, intensely beautiful Balinese jungle – without paving over paradise. As the name implies, this thirty-eight-villa property sits perched high above the forest floor, built in a series of graduated terraces down the sloping sides of the Ayung Gorge. Not only does this configuration claim very little land, but it also affords each suite an unimpeded view of nature’s spectacle. This intensely beautiful outdoor scene can be enjoyed from nearly every vantage point in the room, but is perhaps best absorbed while soaking with a mate in a private, heated infinite pool – there’s one on every balcony.
After rinsing off under the secluded outdoor rainshower, don a robe and take the resort’s custom-designed trolley car to the Ayung spa. The walls of each of the three treatment pavilions have been left open to help guests deepen their connection with the wild outdoors. Couples can opt for a traditional Balinese Massage to encourage total relaxation or restore their flow of energy with an Ayung Massage. In this signature treatment, therapists use long strong strokes that follow prana, or energy channels running through the body to open up any blockages. For more information visit www.ubudhanginggardens.com
