Kharista Villas & Retreat

Kharista Villas & Retreat stands on Jl. Pantai Batu Mejan in Canggu, in Badung regency, a short walk from the beach, the surf breaks and the cafes of a village the property describes as Bali's bohemian island life. It was conceived as an eco-retreat in the spirit of a traditional Balinese village, and it is part of Ekosistem Hotels and Villas, a Bali collection of boutique hotels, villas, eco-retreats, day spa and dining.

The architecture does much of the talking. The pool villas, one and two bedrooms at 300 and 450 square metres, are entered through a Balinese angkul-angkul gate and roofed in alang-alang thatch. Each has a walled courtyard, a private tropical garden, a private pool and a poolside gazebo. The One Bedroom Retreat is a quieter format: 60 square metres of pared-back living space set around a blue-tiled communal pool with a wooden deck, open only to guests of the compound. The site frames it as an exercise in slow living.

The guiding idea is Tri Hita Karana, the traditional Balinese philosophy of harmony among people, with nature and with God, expressed in the island's daily rituals and offerings. Kharista says it has become the shared set of values of the place. In practice that includes #OneBookingOneTree, under which a tree is planted with every booking, in collaboration with traditional fishing communities working to preserve Bali's mangrove forest.

On site, Kharista Spa & Wellness offers Balinese massage, reflexology and spa rituals drawing on traditional Balinese and wider Asian techniques. SOKA, the all-day restaurant at the end of a private lane, serves comfort classics with an Asian twist.