In the three years since it opened, Buahan, the hotelier’s first property billed as a Banyan Tree Escape, opened, it has proved itself a true original: cicada alarm calls, baths illuminated by fireflies, volcanic views from bed. The location in Taro village, an area where 30-metre-tall coconut palms, mango, tamarind and papaya trees, oversized cashew and cacao nuts, streaming vanilla vines and honey-dripping beehives intermingle, is thought by locals to be the literal centre of the universe. Stone stairs lead to a four-room spa for Balinese massages, a sacred waterfall for energy-cleansing blessings, and 16 open-air pool villas (bales) built without walls or doors. From $728 –Lee Cobaj
