Introduction Unfolding gently across 18 hectares of lush tropical landscape that borders the Petanu River, barely visible through the morning mist, we find ourselves at Maya Ubud Resort & Spa. As we float closer, we determine a unique marriage of ancient, modern architectural principles and upcycled natural materials. With every brick, the cultural landscape whispers forgotten histories, and minimalist spaces beckon with a tranquil allure. Repurposed and reborn, they don new roles and aesthetics, crafting a novel legacy that seamlessly blends past and present. Immerse yourself in a symphony of forms; here, cultural relics metamorphose into architectural companions. As you set foot within Maya Ubud Resort & Spa’s enchanting domain, you embark on a journey of cultural revelation. A sojourn that invites you to unearth concealed treasures – artefacts that hold the essence of myths, fragments of history, all concealed in plain sight. Each discovery fuels your inquisitiveness, painting a vivid tapestry of the past. Welcome to Maya Ubud Resort & Spa, where the path ahead winds through the enigma of heritage artistry. Unveil disguises, unravel the intricacies, and traverse the realms of history in a pursuit that’s nothing short of magical – a revelation of the concealed, the disguised, the artfully interwoven.
Buddha’s countenance graces the globe a ubiquitous symbol of serenity, molded from various materials. Gardens and chambers echo with these embodiments of tranquillity, each posture relaying a message meditation, slumber, laughter. In the embrace of Maya Resort’s Forest Suite, a wooden Buddha emerges, an artisan’s tribute from Tegalalang’s heart. Its pose-dreaming-whispers of peaceful reverie, inviting guests to embark on an inward journey of tranquillity and reflection.
A symphony of history and craftsmanship resonates through every meticulously carved groove and lovingly preserved imperfection within the villa’s intimate chambers. These upscaled tables, forged from the heart of reclaimed Javanese railway track wood, stand as the silent storytellers of bygone eras. As your fingers trace the grain, you’re reminded that creativity finds its muse in the embrace of timeless timber. The surfaces, finely sanded yet adorned with the memory of knots and whorls, echo the beauty of a life well-lived. These tactile tables is an ode to the harmony of craftsmanship, sustainability, and the timeless allure of nature’s embrace.
Wooden cigarette rolling devices, as depicted in the hit Netflix show, ‘Cigarette Girl’, breathe life into mini-chairs that grace in-room desks. Indonesia’s history of cigarettes; back to the 17th century, where a name lingers– Rara Mendut. A tale of ingenuity and rebellion, she crafted cigarettes using her own saliva to seal the tobacco paper. Following her refusal of a marriage proposal from a Mataram Kingdom warrior, the proceeds of her cigarette rolling became a declaration of independence. Today, these echoes of history dance as mini chairs on room tables.These chairs don’t beckon you to sit, but to marvel.
Within each villa’s sanctuary, the walls whisper tales of labour, woven into the very fibres of uga wood. This wood, once a steadfast harness for water buffaloes in rice fields and on racing tracks, now graces the interiors with a hushed legacy of toil and tradition. As you step into this haven, the air carries the scent of history, mingling with the subtle elegance of Batik Piring Selampad and Shibori fabric. The intricate dance of Batik Piring Selampad’s motifs and Shibori’s flowing patterns speaks of artisans’ dreams and cultural journeys.
Time unfurls its sepia memories within the villa rooms, where study chairs evoke an era of Indonesian movie magic. Inspired by the classic seats of yesteryears’ movie theatres, from the vibrant 1970s and beyond, these chairs become vessels of nostalgia, carrying whispers of cinematic tales. Crafted from wood, adorned with a sturdy embrace of woven rattan seats, these chairs materialise in two renditions, short-legged and tall-legged. As you settle into the embrace of these chairs, an invitation is extended—a journey through time, where the classics of cinema come to life, entwining with the present.
Slumber becomes a regal affair as teak wood beds unfold tales of Javanese palaces. These beds, a testament to artistic ingenuity, weave a narrative that marries history with modern indulgence. Each bed stands as a throne of repose, draped in the embrace of mosquito netting that evokes an era where dreams were woven into silk. Four steadfast teak wood tetan beams, once the plough handles of fertile fields, now ascend as bedposts. Behind the design symphony stands architect Budiman Purnomo, a maestro orchestrating continuity. These beds are the notes that harmonise the resort’s architectural, stretching across buildings, spaces, and furniture.
In the enchanting gardens and open spaces of Maya Ubud Resort & Spa, a dance of light and shadows unfolds through softly glowing lamp shades. Crafted from bubu, traditional bamboo fish traps, these lamp shades breathe life into the night, casting a spell of natural and romantic radiance. Bubu, once an essential tool in the rural tapestry of Southeast Asian existence. While its practical role in fishing has dwindled in modern times, its legacy remains steadfast. Now, in a stroke of imaginative ingenuity, Maya Ubud Resort & Spa revives this legacy to reclaim its place as a beacon of illumination.
A delicate symphony of heritage and innovation unfurls – a tale spun from the threads of time and culture. Here, tea picker baskets, once silent witness to the rhythm of West Java’s tea plantations, ascend from their humble origins to become enchanting emissaries of inverted illumination. Each tea picker basket, with its rich history, finds new life inverted as a lamp shade. The marriage of tea picker baskets with light is a celebration of resilience, a statement that objects, like stories, can be repurposed and reinvented without losing their essence.
Within the sanctuary of Maya Ubud Resort & Spa’s villa bathrooms, a metamorphosis of nature unfolds—a transformation that breathes life into discarded teakwood roots, shaping them into captivating stools that stand as testaments to sustainable ingenuity. These teakwood root stools exemplify Maya Ubud Resort & Spa’s dedication to transforming materials that might otherwise be overlooked into objects of beauty and utility. The upper cross-section and leg portion of the teakwood root are meticulously refined, revealing a form that’s at once organic and sculptural.
The gazebo, or “Bale Bengong” in Balinese, emerges as an oasis of repose-an open-air haven, a relic from the epochs of Javanese and Balinese sovereignty. These arbours, bedecked in intricate woodwork, once adorned palace grounds, their majestic aura enduring. Now, nestled in gardens or by pools, gazebos proffer respite. In Maya Resort’s Heavenly Two Bedroom Pool Villa, an Indonesian Java Wedding Bed, reincarnated, assumes the guise of a graceful gazebo. A treasure reborn, a testament to transformation.
Across cultures and epochs, the art of conscientious saving resonates-a timeless practice that transcends eras. In modernity, banks house our savings, yet yesteryears saw treasures secured within home confines, nestled within boxes or distinct vessels like the “celengan” (piggy bank in Indonesian). Creative societies witnessed celengans morphing into fowl forms-chickens, ducks welcoming coins through slender slots. At Maya Ubud Resort & Spa, pig, chicken, duck, and goat celengans grace villa rooms-a gallery showcasing diverse forms and materials. These antique gems, sourced from Bali and Java’s antiquaries, bridge heritage to the present, narrating Indonesian culture to guests.
The dulang, a tray standing on rounded legs, adorns ceremonies, bearing offerings or sustenance. Vital to Bali’s religious rituals, dulangs burgeon as venerated relics, poised at the crossroads of tradition and innovation. These vessels transition to writing desks or repositories of sanctity. In hospitality too, dulangs play a role, delivering nourishment with artistic flourish. Maya Resort weaves them into the gazebo, versatile platforms for reverie - a harmonious blend of form and function, carrying the essence of Balinese culture into each day’s dreamscape.
Amid the Forest Suite’s sanctuary, a different language of art unfurls abstract, bold, unorthodox. Distinct from Ubud’s traditional tapestry, these canvas narratives, curated by Nyoman Aryawan, entwine abstraction and form. Human figures reach skyward, woven across canvases, conjuring a verdant forest—a metaphor for the Petanu River valley’s lush expanse. Maya Resort conjures a haven where the abstract tales of human aspiration and the forest’s symphony harmonize, embracing guests in their enigmatic embrace.
Amidst this oasis, the elephant takes form, a symbol of sacred strength. Myth and reality meld, as Hindu beliefs breathe life into these guardians. In the annals of mythology, elephants stride alongside gods, embodying their might. These revered creatures find expression at Maya Ubud Resort & Spa through the hands of local sculptor Mr. Wayan Winten. Five metres in length, two elephant statues stand guard, their eyes turned towards the South. Carved in two parts, head and tail, separated by space but united in purpose, these elephants embody aesthetics fused with intention, turning the courtyard into a sanctuary.
The lobby breathes with the grandeur of history, the focal point being a replica of the ancient nekara, a holy oracle from a bygone era that originated in Pejeng. Known as Nekara Pejeng, this relic of the Bronze Age once graced the state temple of the Pejeng Kingdom, Pura Penataran Sasih. With a diameter of 160cm and a height of 186.5cm, this artefact mirrors the moon’s luminous curve, hence its moniker “Pejeng Moon.” Transformed into a colossal incarnation, the lobby’s architecture becomes a living symphony to the significance of the nekara, a testament to its resonance in local wisdom.
In the heart of the lobby, a mesmerising sight awaits - a grand, transparent basin, encased in glass with a diameter of 1.5 metres. This sacred vessel cradles treasures, salvaged from the shipwrecks. Orchestrated by an architect, Budiman Hendropurnomo, these relics invite an imagination amid the ancient voyages. Historically, the waters of Nusantara region served as important oceanic trade routes connecting India, Asia, and China. Sunken ships with cargo such as Chinese ceramics have been discovered in the Malacca Strait, Sumatra, and Java. Displaying these ancient artefacts is an effort to introduce the history of human civilization and Nusantara heritage.
Resurrected from reclaimed railway track wood, cloth spinner chairs find a new life giving new comfort. Integral to the artful Indonesian technique of Tenun, in which a fabric is weaved from different colours of threads using traditional looms, their rustic charm paints an ode to yesteryears, adding a touch of nostalgia to the lobby’s ambiance. Inspired by traditional cloth spinning seats, these chairs were used to hold weaving tools on relatively long and wide wooden surfaces, allowing the spinner to sit comfortably while working.
Amidst the throng of stories, one small statue emerges from behind the reception counter. Standing merely 70 cm tall, “A Pair of Ordinary Lovers” defies divine grandeur, opting for a simple portrayal of life’s bliss. A counterpoint to the grand deities, this statue celebrates the mundane. Just as life flows from a mother’s embrace, so is it bestowed upon Maya Ubud.
A wagon-like pedati was once used to transport freshly harvested produce. Two mirrors, fashioned like pedati wheels, recall the rhythm of life’s ups and downs. This profound metaphor reflects not only faces but the reflection of existence itself. One can be found in the restroom of Mayasari restaurant and another in the Maya Ubud Resort & Spa’s lobby restroom.
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