Inside the epic super villas where celebrities stay in Bali
In 2017, Barack Obama and his family stayed at the Royal Villa, a three-storey, three-bedroom residence at the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan on the outskirts of Bali's spiritual capital Ubud — the same residence where Julia Roberts lived with her two children while shooting Eat, Pray, Love alongside Spanish actor Javier Bardem in 2009.
To avoid pandemonium, the Obamas did not check in at the hotel's reception. They were driven to the edge of the 72ha resort where a concealed clocktower staircase descends into the Royal Villa. The Royal Villa at Four Seasons. Credit: Supplied
The ground floor has a sunken living room, an even larger master bedroom and a formal dining room crowned by a nautically themed chandelier. Every room has floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that open onto a private garden where guests can spend their days lounging on canopied daybeds and swimming in a heated infinity-edged pool. The Royal Villa at Four Seasons. Credit: Supplied Soori, Bali. Credit: Supplied
An hour's drive but a million metaphorical miles away from the popular beaches of southern Bali on the lower west coast, Soori Bali in Tabanan Regency is one of the most sophisticated and secretive luxury resorts in Bali. Fronted by an empty volcanic black sand beach with a backdrop of emerald-green rice fields and the soft blue mountains of western Bali, you can walk for an hour from the front gate and see only locals, fishers and farmers, kids flying kites, or perhaps a lone surfer searching for uncrowded waves.
Originally the holiday home of Soo K. Chan, one of Singapore's most renowned architects, today the property operates as a five-star only-villa resort with an Olympic-sized infinity-edge pool, 10 Hindu temples and shrines and 48 slick residences. They are mostly one-bedroom units though generously sized with private pools, inner courtyards and outdoor decks with barbecue and bar facilities. Soori Estate. Credit: Supplied
But when the Kardashians came here in 2018 to celebrate Kim Kardashian's 38th birthday, they stayed at Soori Estate, a double-storey mega-villa set on 5250m of beachfront. One of the largest and most expensive houses in Bali, it has 10 bedrooms with uninterrupted coastal views and rock-star bathrooms: marble-clad chambers with oversized bathtubs and grand shower rooms. Soori Estate. Credit: Supplied Bulgari Hotel Bali. Credit: Murray Fredericks
In 2011, a few months after they made their red-carpet debut as a couple at the Vanity Fair Oscars party, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez were spotted at the Bulgari Resort Bali, a super-luxury resort set on the sea cliffs of Uluwatu, the southernmost point on the island. Justin Bieber covers his tattooed torso in the clip for Anyone. Credit: YouTube
But the former couple who shared a tumultuous relationship and split up for the last time in 2018 did not stay at one of the resort's 59 villas. Instead, they stayed in one of Bulgari's five mansions, each with a front gate hewed from volcanic stone housing a security pavilion. Two luxury vans with drivers are included in the daily rate, along with housekeepers, groundskeepers, pool cleaners and a butler. Bulgari Bali residence. Credit: Richard Bryant / arcaidimages.com
The foyer leads into an open-plan living and dining room with a 10-person couch, Bang and Olufsen high-fidelity sound systems, a bar and a gourmet kitchen crammed with Miele appliances.
A grand staircase crowned by a 5m crystal chandelier (or you can take the elevator) descends to the bedrooms on the ground floor. Each features a salon, walk-in dressing rooms, oversized bathrooms with onyx marble bathtubs plus outdoor showers enclosed by terrace doors that open onto sprawling decks. Beyond them lie 4000sqm of manicured tropical gardens with open-air lounge and dining pavilions plus a two-tier 25m infinity-edge pool. bulgarihotels.com Bulgari Bali residence. Credit: Richard Bryant / arcaidimages.com Bulgari Bali residence. Credit: Richard Bryant
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