Banyan Tree Opens its First Banyan Tree Escape in Bali, Indonesia

Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, the Group’s new brand extension, elevates purpose-led experiential travel connecting guests to nature and their surrounds

Banyan Tree Group announces the official opening of Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, set in an off-the-beaten-track, untouched part of northern Ubud. This brand extension symbolises the Banyan Tree brand's vision and commitment to creating immersive experiences combining deep nature and sustainable design. Pioneering a "no walls, no doors" concept throughout the property and in each of its 16 balés (villas), the adults-only Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape experience, is an invitation into a different way of being.

At the resort's heart are the Open Kitchen and Living Room, both open dining and lounge spaces created to evoke a sense of community. Here, guests are invited to learn how the resort reinvents the basics of food and drink through its zero-waste farm-to-table concept, local sourcing philosophy and heritage techniques. The menu concept, 70% of which is plant-based, is sourced locally within a one-hour drive from the property. This concept was developed through a collaboration with Agency X, a local consultant group that houses the acclaimed restaurant Locavore, Nusantara Restaurant, and The Night Rooster Cocktail Bar, creatively enhancing a sense of place.

The Botanist Bar is centred around the use of local-grown natural ingredients and botanicals infused into its beverages, while Toja Spa – certified by the award-winning Banyan Tree Spa Academy – celebrates the wellbeing traditions from Buahan village and its surrounding areas, with a unique open garden experience.

The brand also celebrates unconventional craft forms, from its sonic branding approach with Singapore-based creative studio Parable to using re-purposed ulin, or iron wood from boat jetties, hand-carved wooden headboards, hand-smithed copper bathtubs and natural dye soft furnishings.

Situated in a quiet enclave surrounded by rice paddies and jungle, the site's unique topography is next to the Ayung River and waterfall, including a sweeping view of the seven majestic peaks.  The resort’s bales are designed to blend spacious indoor-outdoor living areas with 180-degree panoramic views and sounds of nature through a bold taste of 'The Naked Experience' where only a thin veil separates guests from nature.

Scattered on and off the property, secret Hideaway Spots draw on the element of being at one with nature, providing guests with a garden sanctuary for meditation, reading, or simply taking a moment to pause and unwind.

A calendar of daily, weekly, and monthly events guides travellers towards a range of curated and self-led experiences around the three pillars connecting to nature, a discovery experience, and community integration. From the on- and off-site daily happenings, to collaborative events with visiting practitioners or local cultural festivities, the ethos of unique, rejuvenating and spontaneous opportunities for discovery hold firm and are a core of the brand experience.

To ensure the surrounding environment and nature are preserved, the resort management tapped Gede Kresna, a recognised local architect who focuses on sustainanble Balinese design and environmentally friendly architecture, together with his team, to conduct a four-month research on the sociological, architectural and cultural aspects of the property within an hour radius. This research helped guide the resort team to create unique local experiences that allow guests to understand the resort's relationship to the surrounding community. Gede worked closely with Banyan Tree Group's Head of Architecture, Dharmali Kusumadi, who designed the balés and other resort facilities, to bring life to the inspired vernacular architectural approach through local natural design and construction methods.

Visit Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape at www.escape.banyantree.com for more information and reservations, and follow its Instagram @banyantree.escape for more stories.