We found Villa Asada to be a very pleasant and practical family holiday home finished to a good standard with some stunning views over the Kalyana Bay. The villa is one of 2 completed on 7 plots available for sale. None of the remaining plots look to be starting anytime soon

Citakara Sari is a destination property with plenty of things to do and see without ever having to leave; the sports oriented amenities are plentiful, including what could easily be the best private tennis court on this side of the island. Open space is the luxury here, both

One of the first things we wanted to check off our agenda was snorkelling so, using the villa’s masks and snorkels, we walked down the boat ramp and waded easily into the ocean. We were a little disappointed at first as the area right in front of the villa is pretty lifeless, but around the 50m mark we hit a reef covered in coral fingers that extended as far as we could go along the coast. Not the super-colourful stuff that can be found in Amed, but lots of aquarium-worthy fish nonetheless. Afterwards, we lounged on the villa’s rare patch of black and white sandy beach that’s revealed at low tide.

The sun was almost down and having rinsed off at the outside pool shower and grabbed a cold Bintang beer from the fridge, we decided to have dinner in the poolside pavilion instead of the main dining area. The lightly fried salt and pepper chicken was a favourite with the kids, and the plump chicken sate (a staple dish in Bali) accompanied by mild tomato sambal and a peanut sauce with a kick, worked to give us a flavour of the region's cuisine.

The mesmerising views and tranquil setting of Villa Bakung left us in a state of tropical languor. Dreamy days gently slipped into balmy nights, with little to think about except whether to have pancakes or eggs for breakfast; swim in the ocean or the pool; take a trip to the

Villa Bakung isn’t huge, but with the ocean stretching to the horizon there was a genuine sense of spaciousness and flow. We enjoyed glimpses into local life as fishermen headed off in their colourful jukung (fishing boats) or net fished in the shallows, while easy strolls down the shady lane revealed cows meandering through the coconut groves and kids playing soccer. There are no direct views of the sunset, but dusk is still a beautiful time, bathing the villa and the ocean in a soft glow.

We first visited Villa Jukung as a family group: two couples, two kids under eight and a pair of grandparents. The kids loved the pool – we couldn’t keep them out of it – while the sun loungers along the sea wall got so much use they almost fused to our backs. We