The delightful Villa Karishma is a classically-styled six-bedroom sanctuary, embracing the concept of tropical living on 2000 square metres of riverside land in the Balinese village of Umalas. The approach to the Villa Karishma offers no clue to the peaceful haven that rests behind the high garden walls – a different world that blends history, culture and nature with lashings of comfort, tranquility and privacy. At this charming hideaway, a treasured collection of handpicked furniture and artwork invites you to relax, put up your feet and recharge your batteries. Yet this out-of-town location is only 2-3 kilometres from the restaurants and chic boutiques of the fashionable Petitenget and Seminyak area – Bali’s hip ‘n happening capital of cool.

The main two-storey house is built around two sides of a courtyard, planted with a frangipani tree and a row of royal palms, and embellished with two water fountains and a hand-carved bas-relief wall mural. On the third side of the courtyard is a high-roofed, glass-sided living and dining room, which stretches the entire width of the property, and on the far side of this is the rear garden with its enticing 20-metre swimming pool and terrace, dotted with shaded loungers, against the natural wooded backdrop of the river embankment. In one corner of the garden is an elevated gazebo that overlooks the river. Two of the six air-conditioned bedrooms, including the master suite, and the children’s playroom / TV room – which converts to a twin-bedded room at night, are positioned upstairs in the main building. The remaining four bedrooms are on the ground floor: two open onto the pool terrace and two are situated towards the rear of the house. Each bedroom is adjoined by an indulgent ensuite bathroom.