If you like your villas sleek and polished then you are going to love the gleaming surfaces and modern fixtures of Villa Adenium. I found myself constantly sliding my hands over the glossy furnishings and marvelling at the smooth surfaces under foot. Constructed in 2006, the villa

Anandita is exactly what a ‘destination villa’ should be. It was lovely to be surrounded by calm seas, very comfortable lodgings and a team of staff who really know what they are doing. Everything is laid on and we really had no desire go out, feeling so relaxed and

Nothing changes very much in Lombok, so when we returned to Villa Anandita for our three-year-update we were delighted to find that everything was very much as it had been, including most of the staff who remembered us from our first visit. The only slight disappointment was that the five-star chef is no longer there, but the cook does a pretty good job. Gusti the manager/activities manager delighted us with his energy and enthusiasm, taking us out for a long bicycle ride across the golf course and along rough tracks through the fields to the traditional market at Tanjung. Since our last visit, the complement of bicycles has gone up to 13. Later, Gusti organised a game of volley ball and all the staff joined in, and we realised that this is very much what Villa Anandita is all about. We were also pleased to find that the villa now has a WiFi internet connection, so it doesn’t feel quite so detached from the world. The property has been well maintained but the beach bordering the garden has suffered from a bit of erosion so it has got narrower, but it is still beautiful to look at and you only have to walk a short distance to reach a wider section of sand. Oh yes, there’s a new international airport in Lombok now, which is further away from the villa, so the journey is longer but you’ll see some gorgeous rural countryside en route.

It is difficult to pinpoint what’s best about The Arsana Estate. During our stay the chef cooked an exquisite dinner which was served fabulously by the staff. With the windows open, the sound of the waterfall and distant wildlife and a gentle breeze drifting in it was a

This is such a stunning villa! We’re suckers for character, so we really did love everything about Villa Asli. Not only do the gorgeous timber joglos exude such delicious charm in all their aging, creaking, antique-filled glory (and provide a rare [for Bali] sense

Villa Asmara is clearly a well-loved home with a lot of heart. We loved its warm energy and felt very comfortable there. We were impressed with the villa manager, Pak Nyoman, who leads the staff of five; his many years’ experience on Caribbean cruise ships is evident in his

One would be hard-pressed to come up with a better all-around villa than Chan Grajang, which is generous on a multitude of fronts – size, staffing, views, privacy, entertainment pleasures, charm. Its hilltop position is truly

The unique interior décor of Villa Azzalea definitely gives it lots of character: we felt as if we’d been transported onto the set of a sultry Moorish movie, or perhaps a Bollywood blockbuster. Despite this exoticism however, the villa still felt very homely and was

A small staff team looked after the house, and friendly Made made us a lovely tropical breakfast each morning. He struggled a little with his English but since we only made simple requests this wasn’t a problem. Sister-property Villa Balquisse is up the road and this ten-bedroom hotel is the headquarters of all villa management operations so staff will come down to meet you and can easily be called upon if you have any specific requests – they are very helpful. There’s also the Mediterranean Asam Garam restaurant here (a driver can come and pick you up from the villa or deliver dishes to you) and, for a full pampering, the Henna Spa. Both are decorated in Zohra Boukhari’s iconic Moorish–Oriental style. If you’d like your taste buds pampering too, you can arrange for a private chef for just US$20 a day.

Our stay at Baan Cheep Chang was the perfect antidote to the normal daily stresses of city life. After a warm greeting from the amenable staff, the pace quickly shifted down a gear as we relaxed into the peaceful, green surroundings and slipped into the soothing waters of the