Elite Traveler Fall 2024

resides Pura Batu Pageh, a lesser-visited ancient temple where we had our souls blessed. (Note that the blessing includes water being poured on your head, so it’s best to wear something lightweight that you don’t mind getting wet!) The enthusiasm to welcome visitors into the Balinese culture and way of life is constantly felt; we walked from Umana to a nearby marketplace before stopping at a Balinese home for a traditional breakfast. The intricate architecture of the house was astounding, even more so when our guide explained that Balinese measure materials by hand — showing us that some sections were three fi ngers wide. Over a breakfast of klepon , a sweet rice cake ball fi lledwith molten palm sugar and coated in grated coconut, our guide, rooms division manager Agus, casually mentions that he shares his home with his wife, children and 26 dogs. He rescued most of them (some were in need of serious veterinary care after being victims of street fi ghts). We asked if we could

Ravana. It is a riot of color, drama and spectacle — bales of hay are set alight and performers dance right through the fl ames. (The fi rst few rows are in the ‘splash zone!’) These immersive cultural experiences are precisely what makes Umana so magical — during my visit, we created our own canang sari ,meaningo ff ering to the gods. An important part of Balinese daily life, these o ff erings are made to give gratitude and demonstrate devotion to the gods. You’ll see them laid out throughout the island. In a small basket fashioned from pandan leaves, we arranged vibrant fl ower petals in a position relating to a certain god — yellow fl owers to the West, a symbol of Mahadeva who has a third eye on his forehead; blue or green fl owers point to the north for Vishnu, who is described as a blue being. Canang sari in hand, we visited a temple to make our own o ff ering to the gods before making a steep ascent into a cave overlooking the Green Bowl Beach, a small and secluded cove. Within the cave

see them; instead of being horri fi ed at the prospect of a bunch of writers showing up on a Tuesday afternoon, he and his wife warmly welcomed us and introduced us to some of the many dogs. The following day, we chartered a yacht for the day to sail around Nusa Penida and Lembongan, enjoying a lunch of lobster and scallops as we marveled at the scenery. We were lucky enough to see a pod of dolphins, and we practically leapt into the dinghy to get a bit closer — seeing them up close as they frolicked and spun in the water was a profound moment, and we were giddy with joy. Back on the yacht, we made a smooth voyage back to Bali and watched the sun dip beneath the horizon, turning the sky a vivid shade of purple,as we sipped on chilled Bintangs. By Samantha Coles One-Bedroom Tropical Garden Pool Villa from $845 per night in low season. Contact umanabali.reservations@hilton.com, +62 361 300 7000, hilton.com

Photos John Athimaritis farhankudosan/Shutterstock.com, MuhammadChoeroni/Shutterstock.com