Tanah Gajah, a Resort by Hadiprana

Happy hour at the bar? Nice, but at Tanah Gajah, the Blue Hour is celebrated in a much more aloof way. To be more precise, it is celebrated in a hot air balloon that rises into the tropical sky every evening. A rope-secured flight takes 15 minutes - just right for a glass of champagne and a breathtaking view over the rice fields as far as Ubud. Those who would rather experience heaven on earth can stroll through the 6-hectare hotel park with white and black swans, manicured greenery, rampant colorful plants and numerous pagodas and pools. A mandatory stop is the Elephant Gate, two pillars consisting of 17 artistically crafted stone elephants. The elegant Panen Padi tea pavilion is also worth a detour. Just opposite is the spa, where a bath in frangipani flowers, coconut milk and citrus fruits awaits me at the start of a two-hour detox ritual. Unfortunately, the open-air restaurant The Tempayan doesn't offer quite as much indulgence. Although the selection, quality and service are good here, it falls well short of the absolutely exceptional level offered in all other areas. But perhaps I should simply stop commenting on culinary issues. After all, the hotel's own palm reader strongly recommended that I try a flower store or painting, but definitely not opening a restaurant! In that case, I'd rather rave about my 250 m2 Premier One Bedroom Club Pool Villa with its airy, lofty charm, absolute privacy, a pool where you actually need a few strokes to get from one end to the other and a well-stocked outdoor bar where it's always happy hour. To ask for more would be quite outlandish ...

Test highlights
A jump in a hot air balloon, palm reading in the spa and sunrise in the rice paddies