Latest news with #ricefields
CNA
5 days ago
- CNA
Hidden Bali retreats: 5 quiet resorts away from the chaos
Bali is famous for its bright green rice fields, a lively local culture, and beaches where the sun dips in a fiery blaze. But if the packed cafes of Canggu or the traffic-choked streets of Seminyak leave you second-guessing your island dreams, don't write Bali off just yet. Beyond the busy hubs lie hidden sanctuaries where peace, nature, and authenticity take centre stage. From jungle retreats with no walls to national park villas and mountaintop eco-lodges, here are five stays that offer all the magic of Bali – minus the crowd. BUAHAN, A BANYAN TREE ESCAPE The term 'blending with nature' has a new meaning here. Perched in a lush valley of Payangan, 20km north of Ubud, Buahan carries out a bold design concept of 'no walls, no doors' in all of its 16 villas, thus blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. Staying here, you won't need to get up from your bed to enjoy forest bathing. The resort came at the right moment. Buahan, the world's first Banyan Tree Escape, was officiated in 2022 when the world was in a recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and a holiday meant an opportunity to reconnect with nature, disconnect from urban life, and, well, escape reality. The resort's architect duo, Dharmali Kusumadi and Gede Kresna, took their inspiration from bale, a common traditional hangout hut for villagers. Each structure is made almost entirely of wood, especially ironwood, which is famously known for its sturdiness against wet weather. The roof is supported by thick pillars with nothing in between except for white transparent curtains – a deliberate setting to evoke, as Buahan puts it, a naked experience. Each villa comes with a private pool, a chopper bathtub, and a huge mattress enough to accommodate three people. Outside your adult-only villas, the resort has other great things on offer. Conceptualised in partnership with Locavore, the restaurant highlights elaborated plant-based dishes. (The Jatiluwih rice with moringa butter, chocolate cake with Trijata berries, and 'matcha latte' made of soy and moringa are some of the must-tries), The Botanist Bar has a diverse cocktail selection that maximises local liquors, including Nusa Cana Rum, East Indies Gin, and Kaja Vodka. Meanwhile, the main pool is one of the most photogenic in Bali: floating on top of a jungle, facing seven magical mountains in the distance. Pro tip: Save some soak time to visit the waterfall in the valley below the resort. LOST LINDENBERG If you've never heard of Jembrana, that's because the area is very much outside the tourist radar in Bali. Yet, it is here that the German chain hotel Lindenberg built its first foreign outpost – and the reason has something to do with Balinese classic tourist attraction: Surfing. A few years back, Lindenberg's owner came to scout for a quiet surf spot and discovered the great waves and black handsome beach of Medewi Point in the south of Jembrana. And just like that, he decided to build a property nearby. But this is not your ordinary 'hidden surf lodge.' Created by two hot names in the contemporary tropical architecture scene – Alexis Dornier and Studio Jencquel – Lost Lindenberg's design has sparked some buzz among the design insiders in Bali. This is part of the reasons why the resort also attracts non-surfers. Arriving here, after navigating the winding road full of trucks (Jembrana is the main logistic route between Java and Bali), you will be greeted by a lively wall decorated by neon signs in different shapes and colors, as if they were taken from random night clubs or disco bars. The artist behind this playful artwork, Tobias Rehberger, wanted to create some sort of a 'psychological border.' His pop installation represents the noisy world that guests will leave behind when entering the resort and hoping to get lost in serenity. A member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Lost Lindenberg has only eight rooms. The design offers a fresh take on the usual tropical surf camps. Wishing to evoke a sensation of floating above the jungle and overlooking the sea, the architects put each of the wooden lodges on a staggered tower. While the elevated structure might remind you of an outlook post, it also gives you a high ground advantage. From the lodge's floor to ceiling window, you can absorb the panoramic view of the vast ocean. On a sunny day, you might even catch a glimpse of Alas Purwo National Park in East Java. (For the best aerial vista, pick the Ocean Panorama Suite.) PLATARAN MENJANGAN RESORT & SPA Located well within Bali's only national park, this remote property is dedicated to take you to experience nature, encounter wildlife, and see Bali from a different perspective. Plataran Menjangan, a seafront 17-villa property, is located inside the West Bali National Park in the north coast of the island, five hours drive from the airport. Getting there is an experience of its own. Beyond the bustling south Bali, the winding scenic road will take you past clove plantations, terrace rice fields, and three ancient lakes. Here and there, warung selling Balinese suckling pigs lures you to make a pitstop. But for a scenic pause halfway through the drive, you can stop at The View, a modest but charming restaurant by Plataran. Entering the national park on the way to the resort hidden deep in the jungle, you'll soon sense that you'll be spending your entire holiday time here. Villas (some of which have two bedrooms) either stand in the forest or look across the sea from the rocky mangrove coast. The spa, one of the best on the island in terms of view, is built on stilts on a shallow sea, while the main restaurant is placed inside an octagonal structure which also houses the main pool and observation deck. Compared to the main tourist spots like Canggu or Kuta, the park feels like a world apart. Here, every day is a safari. Walking around the resort, you will see groups of deer grazing, monkeys hanging from branches, monitor lizards sunbathing, or junglefowls peeking out from behind leaves. If you are lucky, you might hear the sharp chirping of Bali starling, the island's fauna icon. The sea too promises a memorable exploration. Menjangan, an island offshore, and a short boat ride from the resort, is popular among beachgoers because of its pristine beaches, while the surrounding water hides some of the most protected dive sites in Bali. In the afternoon, opt for the Plataran Menjangan sunset cruise that will take you on a 15m wooden Phinisi, the double masts schooner from South Sulawesi, to explore the northern sea and admire the towering volcanoes in East Java, while enjoying canapes and fresh coconut water. KABA KABA ESTATE Tabanan, a fast-growing region in the southwest of Bali, has been witnessing an influx of major developments, most notably the megacomplex Ciputra Beach Resort and Nuanu Creative City. Nevertheless, the area still keeps a few quiet corners to escape the crowd and enjoy a contemplative holiday. Tucked in a small village of Banjar Beringkit, Kaba Kaba Estate offers a perfect combination of romantic rural ambience and modern comfort. The landscape is amiable: A 1.2-hectare private villa enclosed by a spacious lawn and garden. At night, prayer chants from the neighbouring temples flow with the cool breeze, sweeping the surrounding green paddy field. That alluring setting is matched with extensive facilities for an independent villa. It has a 25m infinity pool, a grass tennis court, a mountain-facing bar, and a Moroccan-style indoor cinema. Catering to big groups and families, the eight-bedroom compound is served by a good ratio of crew members: 24 people, including four butlers and an in-house chef specialising in Indonesian dishes. It might be safe to say that Kaba Kaba Estate has secured a spot in the top league of luxury private villas in Bali. However, its best offering might come down to the well-curated art and antique collections. Arriving at its main gate, guests will be greeted by a couple of ancient elephant statues from Rajasthan. Decorating the bar is a 19-century Burmese throne, while next to the pool stands an evocative sculpture by the Indonesian celebrated artist Entang Wiharso. Depending on which room you pick, you might stumble upon great pieces by Agapetus Kristiandana or Cai Zhisong. SARINBUANA ECO LODGE In the race for the title of the most eco-friendly hotel in Bali, Sarinbuana stands out among the pack. Built by a couple who work as environmental management consultants, this rustic property has set a good example in showing people how a responsible accommodation can be enjoyable without sacrificing too much comfort. Nestled at the lush foot of Batukaru, the second tallest mountain in Bali, around a three-hour drive from the airport, Sarinbuana Eco Lodge offers an aerial view of the illuminated southern area of Bali – the busy part of the island which its guests are trying to escape from. In the hilly villages around the resort, there are more trees than people and daily, only a handful of cars pass the bumpy narrow roads. There's no nightclubs or parties to be found here, obviously, and almost no mobile phone signals. But the night is filled with the constant calling of crickets and katydids. And if some of the local inhabitants find their way into your room, no need to worry. As stated in the resort's official notice board, the presence of insects is not a reflection of a low sanitation standard. Instead, it's a sign of a healthy ecosystem. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sarinbuana Eco Lodge - Bali (@baliecolodge) Staying here promises a reflective moment on how we experience travel consciously. At the restaurant, plastic straw is forbidden and all dishes contain only ingredients harvested from the resort's garden of nearby villages, thus cutting the emission from the distribution process. In all the seven bungalows and cabins, there are no AC nor TV to be found, and the bathroom toiletries include soaps made of soy and coconut oils. Hot water showers are available, but with soft spray power. Not so long ago, the owner added a non-chemical pool on their property. Before that, the closest thing to a swimming pool here was a nature-formed lagoon at the bottom of a valley. The water is so fresh that the locals are accustomed to drinking it directly. Since its opening 20 years ago, Sarinbuana has received numerous green accolades, including two awards from the Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Feisty flamingos threaten production of risotto in Italy
There's a sticky situation simmering in Italy — where the solution might need plenty of legwork. Flamingos have been making themselves comfy in the rice fields of Ferrara, a charming city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for production of the key ingredient in the nation's signature dish, risotto. To grow the short-grain rice used for the classic creamy fare, farmers flood their fields in late spring and early summer to germinate their seeds — and they're not tickled pink by the leggy animals. The brazen birds have been using their webbed feet to stir up the soil and capture molluscs, algae and insects from the water. Although the animals aren't touching the rice seedlings, they're disturbing the critical production process of the plants. 'These are new things that have never happened before. You invest so much time and care into preparing everything. Then, just as the crop begins to grow, it's like having a newborn child taken away. That's what it feels like,' farmer Enrico Fabbri, who has faced production losses of as much as 90%, complained to The Guardian. Desperate to protect their crops, the distraught farmers are taking on the birds by scaring them away with blaring truck horns, banging barrels and even firing cannons — but to no avail. The feisty flamingos most likely came from the nearby Comacchio valleys, wetlands along the Adriatic coast between Ferrara and the province of Ravenna, but migrated further east due to drought. The flamingos may flee if the fields were surrounded by trees or hedges and the water levels were decreased, Roberto Tinarelli, the president of AsOER, the Emilia-Romagna ornithologists' association, told the outlet. 'Obviously, we are looking for answers from those who have to deal with the problem. From an environmental point of view, all this is beautiful, but we must keep in mind that rice cultivation is among the most expensive, extensive crops,' said Massimo Piva, a rice grower and vice-president of the local farmers' confederation. 'They are beautiful animals, it's their way of moving and behaving, but the problem is trying to limit their presence as much as possible.'
The Independent
10-07-2025
- General
- The Independent
A new pest threatens Italy's risotto dish: the flamingo
Farmers in northeastern Italy are grappling with an unexpected and colourful adversary: flamingos. The recent arrivals are wreaking havoc on rice fields in Ferrara province, a key area for risotto rice production. They do not consume the seedlings, but use their webbed feet to churn up the soil, dislodging mollusks, algae, and insects from the shallow waters. The rice crop is collateral damage. Local growers patrol the fields day and night, blaring truck horns, banging barrels, and deploying small gas cannons that emit thunderous booms. But these desperate efforts largely prove futile, merely sending the flocks to another nearby paddy to continue their destructive foraging. Enrico Fabbri, a local grower, has reported production losses of as much as 90 per cent in some of his planted areas. 'These are new things that have never happened before. You invest so much time and care into preparing everything," Mr Fabbri, 63, said beside one of his paddies on the outskirts of Jolanda di Savoia. "Then, just as the crop begins to grow, it's like having a newborn child taken away. That's what it feels like." The flamingos appear to have come from their prior nesting grounds in the nearby Comacchio Valleys within a reserve on the coast, just south of where the Po River – Italy's longest – flows into the Adriatic Sea. The birds have been there since 2000, after drought in southern Spain sent them searching for nesting grounds further east, said Roberto Tinarelli, an ornithologist and president of the Emilia-Romagna Ornithologists Association. Previously, they had been confined to lakes in North Africa, parts of Spain and a bit of France's Camargue region, Mr Tinarelli said. There have not yet been any studies to determine why these flamingos started seeking food further inland, where farmers flood their fields from late spring to early summer as a means of germinating newly planted rice seeds. Until the paddies are drained after a few weeks, the flamingos are a threat. 'Obviously, we are looking for answers from those who have to deal with the problem. From an environmental point of view, all this is beautiful, but we must keep in mind that rice cultivation is among the most expensive, extensive crops," said Massimo Piva, a 57-year-old rice grower and vice-president of the local farmers' confederation. 'They are beautiful animals, it's their way of moving and behaving, but the problem is trying to limit their presence as much as possible." Mr Tinarelli suggested several solutions to fend off flamingos that are more humane and effective than the horns and gas cannons. He said paddies could be surrounded with tall trees or hedges, and water levels of freshly planted paddies could be reduced to between 2 and 4 inches (5 and 10 centimetres), instead of 12 inches (30 centimetres). 'This is sufficient for the rice to grow, but decidedly less attractive to flamingos, which must splash around in the water,' he said.
