4

I

n 1971 the classic Australian

surf filmMorning of the Earth

unleashed the siren song

of Uluwatu, a rocky

promontory on the south-west tip

of Bali whose metronomic swells

and epic barrels drew a generation

of adventure-seekers. Four decades

later the area’s towering sea cliffs

draw more attention than the

increasingly crowded line-up,

and Uluwatu’s latest landmark

speaks to a generation of travellers

attracted by style, not surf.

The new clifftop complex has

three attractions: a day club, Omnia,

an offshoot of the Las Vegas

nightclub of the same name; a

Japanese fine-diner, Sake no Hana,

an outpost of the well-regarded

restaurant based in Mayfair in

London; and a 56-suite hotel,

set to open later this year.

Entering the property

feels more like walking onto

Above: Omnia’s

The Cube bar.

Right: Sake no

Hana restaurant,

above an

open-air lounge.

a Cinecittà film set than the

standard club sashay. A covered

teak bridge, arrival courtyard

and reception area flow towards

a grand staircase, which in turn

reveals six cabanas, two bungalows

and a collection of day beds

fringed by infinity-edge pools

that hug the cliff. Beyond lies a

cantilevered catwalk to The Cube,

a showpiece bar that seems to

levitate above the Indian Ocean.

The project’s partners are

high-end nightlife entrepreneurs

Hakkasan Group, developer

Kaja Group, and Alila Hotels

and Resorts, which operates the

nearby Alila Villas Uluwatu. Two

design houses – Singapore-based

Woha, which has done projects

for Kaja and Alila, and New

York’s Rockwell Group (Hakkasan

Group’s go-to nightlife designers)

• worked side by side on the
  brief. “We felt that combining

168 GOURMET TRAVELLER

The latest Bali clianger combines look-at-me architecture, ine

dining and poolside lounging, writesTHEODORA SUTCLIFFE.

The high life