At its heart lies Ubud, an inland town revered as the island's cultural hub that derived its name from Ubad, meaning medicine in Balinese, because of the profusion of unique medicinal herbs that grow wild in the emerald-green forests. Here, the landscape comes alive with rural ceremonies – cremations, weddings, births – celebrated by this unique and kindly people within the traditional context set by their Hindu religion and different gods. Temples literally pulse with colour; the faint sound of music emanates from distant villages; on the diminishing horizon rise towering volcanoes, sacred in their awesome magnitude.
Uma is hidden on the fringe of Ubud, overlooking the Tjampuhan Valley amid fenceless fields carved out of hillsides backed by the curve of coconut palms and banyan trees wrapped in vines. The river Oos runs below; to one side looms a volcano. This topography concentrates both magic and energy in the whispering grass concealing Uma Ubud. Expect not to be disturbed by the sound of traffic, but the laughter of villagers in pinks, blues and oranges, picking through the Edenic countryside. Birds cluster in the highest branches. Light floods the open ground, picking out an orchid among the velvet grasses. At night, dew begins to settle, lifting softly with the wisps of morning cloud.
Japanese interior designer Koichiro Ikebuchi has conceived the aesthetic, deferring to the light of Uma Ubud's unusual location. Carved panels open up the rooms to incorporate views, while the simplicity of pared-down spaces keeps light flowing through the interiors, from the bedroom through to garden terraces, private courtyards and pretty plunge pools with infinity edges. This respect for Uma Ubud's natural surroundings is repeated in the choice of materials, including local woods and alang-alang thatched roofs. It is a sensitive design that maximises the sensuality of untouched vistas and the gentle movements of a tropical sky.
