The island’s resorts, beaches, and clubs have only gotten better.
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I had never seen the water inBaliso clear or the sand so pristine.
One of the 16 open-air villas at Buahan.Credit:Armelle Habib
The island felt different, in more ways than one.
A new generation had blossomed, creating a revived, island-grown energy.
And everyone spoke about the geographic shifts that had taken place over the past few years.
From left: The dinner crowd at Buahanâs Open Kitchen; pesto, pickled corn, egg confit, and wild herbs at the Open Kitchen.Armelle Habib
I was heartened to find its famous cultural community thriving.
I had never seen the water in Bali so clear or the sand so pristine.
Itll be one of the most relaxing parts of your trip.
Canopy Suites at Nirjhara have jungle views.Armelle Habib
Vegan and paleo menus vied with signs hawking temple tours and river-rafting adventures.
Tourism, it seemed, was back.
These people are not just from abroad, but from Jakarta and other islands in Indonesia.
The pool at Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, near Ubud.Armelle Habib
(She was recently honored with T+Ls Global Vision Award for her firms environmental efforts.)
The villas are tents in the style of a traditional Indonesianbale.
Herbs and vegetables come mostly from Buahans own gardens.
From left: Pointman - River Warrior, a sculpture by the artist Futura at Desa Potato Head; salvaged teak shutters line the ceiling at Potato Head Beach Club.Armelle Habib
A family resort this is not: the age requirement is 18.
Snarly, chaotic, and more dire in this part of the island than anywhere else.
(Ubud, long the worst-gridlock-on-Bali incumbent, this time felt manageable by comparison.)
The infinity pool at Baliâs Nirjhara resort overlooks a natural waterfall.Armelle Habib
But however long it takes to get there, Desa is worth experiencing.
Its part of Potato Head, the extraordinary hospitality project that is the brainchild of Jakarta-born entrepreneur Ronald Akili.
Hes gone on to build Potato Head restaurants in Jakarta and in Singapore.
From left: The evening scene at Desa Potato Head; Desa Potato Headâs studio space and record store, Headstream.Armelle Habib
Most recently he ran the kitchen atKu De Ta,Seminyaks legendary restaurant and beach club.
Open fires and grills are the focal point of Moores huge sand-floored kitchen.
It felt like an encapsulation of the place, and the moment.
From left: Breakfast hour at Taman Wantilan, which is in the style of a traditional straw-roofed Indonesian bale; Sundara at the Four Seasons, with its cabanas lining Jimbaran Beach.Armelle Habib
I spent my last two nights atNirjhara,where Pererenan turns into the more rural town of Tabanan.
The name, Sanskrit for waterfall, references the tumbling rapids below the hotels restaurant and infinity pool.
The restaurant, Ambu, serves both Indonesian and Pan-Asian cuisine.
From left: Fresh juices at Taman Wantilan, a new restaurant at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay; looking in on the Four Seasonsâ Healing Village Spa.Armelle Habib
Something about the place just felt authentic in a not-trying-too-hard way.