Indonesia and Thailand's most comprehensive resort property magazine showcasing the largest range of luxury homes land for sale along with features on all things lifestyle and property related in the unsurpassed tropical climes of Southeast Asia.
Edition : April - June 2012
A small development of quality apartments in the south of Phuket island at an affordable price.
In ancient times, it was a dangerous place where great herds of wild banteng cattle and water buffalo roamed free, driven south by population pressure. It served as a hunting ground for pheasant, wild boar and deer, favoured by the rajas of Denpasar and Mengwi. In fact, Bali’s Bukit Peninsula was considered to be so mysterious, foreboding and inhospitable that it became a place of banishment for criminals, undesirables, debtors and political agitators.
The Balinese had little interest in this 140 square-kilometre, lemonshaped, limestone tableland that dangles like a pendant upon a chain at the southernmost extremity of the island. A curious, windswept geographical feature, presenting dizzying cliffs, caves and timeworn sea temples, it stands out in sharp contrast to the lush, alluvial plains of southern Bali. Bukit is the Indonesian word for hill and, until recently, this dry-land outcrop was home solely to seaweed farmers, fisherman and cassava groweres. The only other industry being the mining of blocks of building stone, from inland karst quarries.
The dramatic coastline of the Bukit is pounded by Bali’s most challenging surf and, in the early ‘70s, those in search of the perfect wave discovered some thrilling breaks. Bali has subsequently become one of the great surfing Meccas of the world. Diehard surfers made their homes on the peninsula, while homestays and thatched beach warungs were built to accommodate and nourish transient surfers. Yet there was little infrastructure, no telephone lines, no electricity, almost no surface water and no streams. Roads were limited, many of the gorgeous beaches were inaccessible, and the only tourist attraction was Pura Luhur, the 11th century temple at Uluwatu.
These days the Bukit presents a very different image. It is now the most upmarket destination on the island, boasting some of Bali’s most opulent villas, glamorous private estates and boutique hotels. The pioneering luxury resort was Four Seasons at Jimbaran Bay, which opened in 1993, but it was well over a decade before the
infrastructure improved sufficiently to support the development of remote cliff edge sites. Today, we find internationally-branded resorts such as Karma Kandara, Bvlgari, and Alila Villas Uluwatu, while prestigious properties include The Istana, Khayangan Estate, Bayu Sabbha, The Longhouse and Indah Manis.
Real estate opportunities are wide open on the Bukit and although much of the clifftop land on the south coast and around the northeast have gone there are still many glorious private villas on the market as well as managed estates which offer good rental returns with secure management team in place
to protect your investment.
The Gapura Vista is a stunning, sprawling and estate on the south coast offering stunning cliff front panoramic ocean views. An exclusive ten-villa community designed by Habitat 5, Exotiq Real Estate has three four-bedroom villa units with 800m2 to 832m2 of living space on 1,717m2 to 1,915m2 of land, freehold from US$ 2.3 to US$ 2.6 million. Each villa features a large pool, outdoor Jacuzzi, landscaped gardens, indoor and outdoor living.
The largest plot, the Water Palace, has a cliff front bbq area with a path to the beach below. While at Karang Saujana, five customisable four- and five-bedroom villas are on offer within a newly released six villa cliff front estate with communal inclinator to the long, stunningly beautiful, white sand beach at the foot of the cliff for between US$ 1.8 and US$2.5 million. Designed by Popo Danes these approximately large and luxurious villas offer exceptional living with wide, sweeping sea views.
Karma Kandara on the south coast is another popular high-end development offering a wide array of villas and apartments of the one-, two-, and three-bedroom variety. With stunning cliff top views and access to all the resort’s facilities, including pools, restaurants, spa and beach club, these are a great investment with prices starting from US$810,000.
A very popular trend that is emerging is for people to buy empty land plots and build their own home, giving them the chance to design exactly what they want plus the rewards that come with owning a brand new residence. Essentially it represents an opportunity to get exactly what you want or make some money on the build and the increase in land value over the build period. There are a number of western standard contractors who can be entrusted with the job and even package builds available where you can choose from preset designs. Exotiq has recently released prime building plots ranging from 500m2 to 2,500m2 with ocean views. Working closely with established developers, custom designed villas from as little as US$250,000 onwards can be achieved with completion dates within nine months of signing.
The area formerly known as ‘Dreamland’ on the northeast coast and now renamed ‘New Kuta Beach’ by someone lacking a soul, is also being heavily developed and offers a multitude of real estate opportunities. There is already a golf course and an entertainment complex, and there are plans to construct at least five luxury hotels and around 2,000 houses comprising townhouses, condominiums and a retirement centre.
What makes the Bukit so desirable, has to be its beaches. Balangan with its white sands fringed by cliffs and clear water is relatively quiet and is still spared from the annoyance of hawkers. There are a few cafes near the tree line, and the water here is superb for surfing and safe for swimming, as the waves break over the reef 200 metres from the shore. The beach at Bingin is pockmarked with rock and reef, forming intriguing tide pools at low tide. Impossibles Beach is another great setting for a seaside walk at low tide, while Padang-Padang is an archetypically enchanting beach nestled into a pocket of lava-rocks, with an entrance to the beach though a cave crevice.
While the Bukit does not yet offer a whole lot of activities apart from beach exploration, surfing, golfing, paragliding off the cliffs and dining at some of the five-star hotel restaurants, its concept as a holiday destination with residential pockets is still very much evolving. In fact, it’s quite phenomenal that the Bukit has reinvented itself from having once been an inhospitable place of banishment to become Bali’s peninsula of choice.
