Arriving at the expansive five-hectare estate that is Tanah Gajah, a Resort by Hadiprana, one steps past the stone elephants at its sculptural entrance and onto the meticulously manicured front lawn as a resident, rather than a guest. After all, Tanah Gajah was always meant to be lived in: it was designed and built in the 1980s as a holiday home in Ubud by the celebrated Indonesian architect, Hendra Hadiprana, before being converted into a resort in 2004.
Even after opening up to visitors, the legacy of the Hadiprana family is very much still present at Tanah Gajah, imparting an almost temple-like atmosphere of serenity, sanctuary, and a deeply felt appreciation of Balinese art and culture. The many elephant-themed decorations selected by the esteemed architect still soar across the ceiling of the lobby and dance in corners of the garden, honouring the nearby Goa Gajah temple and the meaning of Tanah Gajah’s name—‘elephant realm’.
On the underside of the Panen Padi Lounge’s roof, where complimentary tea sets are served every afternoon, a delightful mural traces Hadiprana’s student days at Academy Minerva Afdeling Architectuur in the Netherlands through to his senior years, depicted with his wife and daughters. Within The Hadiprana Estate (which starts from US$1,815 per night)—the largest of Tanah Gajah’s 20 villas and suites—every painting, antique, and objet d’art in the 570-square metre two-bedroom villa hails from Hadiprana’s enormous private collection.
A stay at Tanah Gajah is to be made welcome as a family acquaintance might, starting with being greeted upon arrival with a basket of piping hot, freshly fried pisang goreng—a classic touchpoint of Balinese hospitality. The resort also takes a generous approach to its suite and villa benefits, which stretch to yoga classes, daily laundry service, sunset cocktails, private car services between Ubud’s centre, and regularly replenished decanters of spirits in the not-so-mini bar.
A guided walk through the surrounding paddy fields (miraculously devoid of Instagramming tourists) and the nearby village, led by one of the resort’s butlers, is just one of the unmissable Balinese cultural experiences available at Tanah Gajah. Although ‘The Art of Flying’—a ride in Bali’s first and only hot air balloon—is the resort’s most famous signature activity, watching the Kecak Dance in the comfort and privacy of the resort’s outdoor candlelit amphitheatre feels like an enormous privilege. Against the dramatic backdrop of an elephant-tiered Balinese gate, up to 70 men and boys chant as traditional dancers depict a portion of the Hindu epic Ramayana, concluding with fireballs being tossed into the air.
A Royal Balinese dinner at The Tempayan—which is covered with a thatched wantilan roof pavilion—follows the performance, with dishes such as sate lilit, green bean urap sayur salad, and bakwan jagung corn fritters carried in on the heads of kebaya-clad waitresses. The open-air restaurant is also where Singaporean Executive Chef Dean Nor can be found entertaining up to 10 diners with his five-course ‘Omakase at the Tempayan’ menu, during which he demonstrates his skills as both a raconteur and cook. Many of the ingredients that make an appearance are sourced from Indonesia, such as Surabayan edamame and wakame from Nusa Penida, or even closer from his on-site garden at the resort, which produces pomelos, cucumbers and roselle flowers.
For those who still haven’t had their fill of Tanah Gajah’s vibrant green rice fields, a treatment in one of The Spa’s two paddy-facing spa suites will bring them even closer to an undisturbed view of an iconic Ubud vista. A couple’s spa journey begins under two Balinese therapists’ well-practised hands, who wring out any remaining tension over an hour-long Ayurvedic Abhayanga massage before settling the couple into a petal-filled bath right beside the first row of rice plants. Although the bathtub is out in the open, there isn’t another soul in sight out in the fields and beyond—a rarity in Ubud, and perhaps the ultimate luxury of staying at Tanah Gajah, a Resort by Hadiprana.
