Review of Amandari, by Caroline Major

Looking out from spacious villas which won awards and set the standard of 'Balinese' style architecture for the western world when they opened fifteen years ago - this is to taste one side of the lifestyle of the Balinese farmer. Aman, ever diligent in their pursuit of cultural tourism, built this luxury hotel in the midst of a rice field at the bottom of a village between it and the River Agung.

Consequently it's not uncommon to see men with scythes cutting sweet potato leaves or women bending their backs to harvest rice or load bundles onto the neatly coiled scarves piled onto their heads. The soft grating sound of a scythe being sharpened and the happy chatter of the Balinese working together in team spirit, or the shouting of a man as he whips his cow into movement through the fields: all this provides ambiance. At night the fields come alive with the throaty call of frogs, the crickets song and the croak of geckos. Fireflies light the night and there is a constant sound of moving water.

Around the hotel concessions have been made to allow the Balinese right of way to pass over their traditional lands, and in parts roofs are left open to allow them passage without barrier between themselves and the gods on festival days. The common areas have been designed around local customs and are often filled with laughing and chattering children being instructed in dance and music, teachers provided courtesy of Aman to ensure the arts are kept alive. The place bustles even in low season when TI stayed.

In this mountainous region of Bali one is spoilt for choice in ways to fill a day. Stunning scenery is enjoyable on treks, bike rides, rafting or in the car, depending on how up close and personal you want to get with the villagers. The Balinese are incredibly warm and welcoming as well as understanding the value of tourism, and will greet you warmly as you journey through.

The hotel also runs cultural programs offering the opportunity to spend a morning in a Balinese compound preparing a traditional feast with the family after having shopped at the morning market for the ingredients, and before sitting down to lunch on their lavish ceremonial food: roast sucking pig, spiced duck and fiery salads.

Holding Balinese culture together is their unique brand of Hinduism with its plethora of festivals, so the probability is high that on almost any visit to Bali your timing will be spot on for some major temple ceremony - to which you'll certainly be invited as a guest of the Aman village. An active person spending a week here might get through half of the activities on offer if they were to spend busy days, but then you'd miss out on the villa relaxation that is a hallmark of Aman travel. If those options fail to excite, there is always the shopping. Ubud is the centre of arts and crafts in Bali and offers an overwhelming selection of shops, markets, workshops and galleries.

There are two styles of villa at Amandari, arranged to a traditional Balinese village plan. Single story is the standard, while the pool villas are unique with a second story bedroom high above the downstairs indoor outdoor living room and green views through glass windows on three sides. From the bottom of the garden looking beyond the pool and back to the villa the double sliding glass wall has a Japanese aesthetic. Double day beds are flanked with soft and comfortable rattan chairs. Waist high walls drop straight down to the fields where you could reach out and touch the load of a passing villager hauling produce back to the compound.