A Magical door to Bali
The Tandjung Sari
Tandjung Sari is an ageless beauty. More than fifty years after its founding, this charming little hotel on Sanur Beach, shaded by towering trees and quietly revealing treasures at every turn, remains serene, discreet and effortlessly elegant. Many regard it as Asia’s original boutique hotel.
The enchanting reception at Tandjung Sari, Bali.
In the early 1970s, there was neither electricity nor telephone service in Sanur. The roads were unpaved, and most people made their living from farming and fishing. I first arrived in Bali in the mid-1980s, tired and drowsy after a long journey. A driver was waiting at the airport to take us to Tandjung Sari. When we stepped out of his old-fashioned car — something of a rarity on the island at the time — I looked around in search of the reception.
A Tandjung Sari bungalow adorned with traditional Balinese décor.
Instead, I found three steps leading up to a long, narrow table, behind which stood three Balinese attendants dressed in orange sarongs and yellow turbans, smiling warmly in welcome. Framed by lush tropical vegetation, it was precisely the exotic simplicity I had hoped to find. Once I had become accustomed to the distinctive character of the hotel — which bore little resemblance to any conventional hotel I had known — I began to appreciate how naturally everything seemed to belong. It was as though the entire place had gently emerged from the surrounding luxuriant landscape.
The following morning, I walked along the beach and watched fishermen drawing in their nets. It was a scene of such timeless simplicity that I could not help wondering whether it might still be taking place there today.
A bungalow pool, nestled amid lush vegetation at Tandjung Sari.
In truth, Tandjung Sari never set out to become the seminal boutique hotel of tropical Asia. Its story began in 1962, when its owner, Wija Wawo-Runtu, and his English wife, Judith, created it as a private retreat. They travelled from Jakarta to Bali on buying trips for their antiques business and soon began building a few additional bungalows to accommodate friends, followed, inevitably, by friends of friends.
Almost imperceptibly, the private retreat evolved into a hotel. Yet within only a few years, Tandjung Sari had acquired an international reputation among discerning travellers as one of the most special places to stay in Bali.
Graceful repose at Tandjung Sari.
For anyone with a love of Bali, I warmly recommend Diane Darling’s book, Tandjung Sari – A Magical Door to Bali. Written to commemorate the hotel’s fiftieth anniversary, it tells the story of its evolution, its challenges and triumphs, and the many guests who were captivated by its rare combination of simplicity, intimacy and refinement.
Tandjung Sari is more than a hotel. It is a window onto another Bali — one of unhurried mornings, tropical gardens, traditional craftsmanship and quiet graciousness. Perhaps that is the secret of its enduring charm: while the world around it has changed beyond recognition, Tandjung Sari has remained true to the spirit with which it began.
I have never seen travel as an escape, but as a form of storytelling unfolding through landscapes, storied hotels, gardens and fleeting moments.
A world of travel, culture and stories awaits. My Books in English Books in Italian Books in Greek
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