Five-bedroom Villa Sapi Lombok is a masterpiece of design on the peaceful island of Lombok. Bordered by the almost deserted Sira Beach against a backdrop of soothing seas, soaring peaks and sensational sunsets, it presents funky architecture, three swimming pools plus a children’s pool, a stand-alone two-bedroom guesthouse, a tennis court, exemplary service and gourmet cuisine.
This is tropical living and barefoot luxury at its very best; a place where guests can truly escape. Villa Sapi is secluded and lusciously private but by no means isolated; prestigious neighbours include the Lombok Golf Kosaido Country Club, Hotel Tugu and The Oberoi, and the coral-fringed Gilli Islands, with their superb dive sites, are just a short boat ride away.
About Villa Sapi
Canadian architect David Lombardi’s concept of ‘Function over Form’ leaves Villa Sapi’s guests with a sense of discovery and surprise at every turn, from the traditionally styled, grass-roofed building that houses the main kitchen to a futuristic home theatre. Furnishings carry a signature colour theme of black, red and lime green, while the walls are adorned with flair – bamboo, water cascades and conceptual artwork. The first clue to the quirky nature of the artwork is a white sculpture in the coconut grove garden which, in huge black letters, suggests that we should ‘Stop Making Sense’.
The view from the villa’s open-sided living and dining room, bedrooms and bathrooms is unrivalled; here guests can look forward to a vista that is ever-changing with the moods of the sea, sky, neighbouring islands, distant mountains, forests and colourful fishing boats. At night, after a magnificent sunset, the scene becomes even more magical as the moon’s reflection twinkles on the water, presenting a picture of tranquillity and unforgettable beauty.
A full team of staff is on hand at Villa Sapi Lombok to look after every guest’s need with superb cuisine and service. The villa’s manager, chef and head butler were all previously employed by The Oberoi Hotel Group and have been trained to the highest level. A wide range of activities is available to villa guests, including golf, snorkelling, diving, waterfall hikes and mountain trekking, cycling, day trips to the nearby Gili Islands, cooking classes and more.
There is a sweet story behind the villa’s name. The huge coconut grove on which the property stands used to be grazing land for cows, the most treasured possessions of Lombok farmers, symbolising status, wealth and happiness. The owners decided that these graceful beasts should be rightfully honoured: Sapi means cow in the Indonesian language.
Rooms at Villa Sapi
Villa Sapi Lombok rests within an expansive coconut-grove garden and comprises a main single-storey residence with a 25m swimming pool and a children’s pool, plus a stand-alone guest pavilion with two more swimming pools, set well away from the main house. Also within the villa’s grounds are a floodlit tennis court and a lumbung (traditional rice barn) massage pavilion.
The main building is entered via a timber pathway, lined with fire torches. This leads past a feature wall of bamboo and a cascading wall of water. Running parallel to the beachfront, the main building incorporates the living and dining areas, kitchens, three of the five bedrooms, the study and the home theatre.
The guest pavilion is built into a manmade hill capped with grass, and presents an open-sided sitting area and two bedrooms, one of which is semi-subterranean. Both bedrooms are complemented by a deck and a private swimming pool.
Facilities
Indoor living
Living and dining
Villa Sapi’s living and dining areas are situated in the main open-fronted pavilion with its warmly-hued wooden floor and soaring timber-framed roof hung with pendulous rectangular lanterns. The sitting area is furnished with modular sofas and ottomans (big enough to seat 22 guests) crafted in coconut shell veneer. The picture is completed with a huge piece of artwork and two arched stainless steel reading lamps. The dining area is positioned adjacent to the kitchen at the opposite end of the main building. Here, an impressive wooden dining table is complemented by 14 cushioned chairs with covers revealing a flash of scarlet. The guesthouse features an open-sided flat-roofed sitting area with a concrete floor, six comfy chairs and a solid wood coffee table.
Kitchens
The villa presents two kitchens connected via a bridge over an ornamental pond. At the front, adjacent to the dining area, is a cutting-edge feature kitchen fashioned in white lacquer with a service bar crafted in resin and lit by three original ‘Campari Light’ suspension lamps. Designed by Raffaele Celentano, each lamp has been created using ten genuine Italian Campari Soda bottles in original condition complete with the Campari inside. This kitchen is equipped with a Nespresso coffee maker and a five-burner gas hob and oven. Behind the feature kitchen, a bridge over a pond connects a stand-alone building reminiscent of a Lombok cottage – rustic and charming on the outside, with a thatched roof, a traditional Lombok double door, and random rock Lombok stone walls, yet a state-of-the-art working kitchen on the inside, fully equipped with professional appliances.
Study
A ‘secret’ door from the living space opens into the study. This air-conditioned oval room has a wooden floor that slopes upwards into the room. Characterised by curved walls of white stone and glass, and with views of the garden, the study is furnished with a centrally positioned large desk and chair and accessorised with funky lights and black & white framed photographs. Within the study is a concrete ‘funnel’ housing a circular shower room with a skylight at the top. Around its outside wall, the shower room supports a wooden spiral staircase which leads up to the rooftop where a metal ladder drops back down to the living area. A king-size bed can be installed in the study to convert it into an additional bedroom if required.
Home theatre
The extraordinary ‘space-age’ home theatre room is wrapped in bamboo and appears to hover above the ground. With its sides of glass and heavy sliding door accessed via a solid stone step, this unique building features funky ceiling lamps and a polished concrete floor upon which ten beanbags – one lime green and nine red – are arranged for comfortable viewing. A large flat-screen satellite-channel TV and DVD player is positioned at the far end of the room, with surround-sound channelled through speakers in each corner.
Spa/ massage room
A thatched lumbung (traditional rice barn) featuring ornate carvings and wooden shutters and furnished with two massage beds serves as a fan-cooled spa room in the garden. A washroom is positioned next to the lumbung, its curved roof planted with grass and its rustic shower, crafted from bamboo, open to the sky.
Outdoor living
Swimming pools and pool decks The main swimming pool extends for 25 metres between the beach and the main house. It is deep enough to dive into and has a springboard for that purpose. Sunloungers rest upon the grassy deck and a modern flat-roofed balé (relaxation pavilion) sits at one end. Running alongside the main pool is a shallow (80cm-deep) children’s pool. Two more swimming pools serve the guesthouse on two different levels, both of them are bordered by small timber decks.
Garden
Dotted with dozens of towering coconut palms, the garden fronts onto the beach and is so huge that guests will have no problem escaping to private areas. A wooden structure in one corner of the grounds serves as an elevated, sheltered platform for watching tennis on the adjacent, floodlit court.
Location
Villa Sapi Lombok is located at Sira (also spelt Sire), a spur of land bordered by a white ribbon of beach with magnificent coastline views. Just one kilometre from the villa is the Lombok Golf Kosaido Country Club, an 18-hole championship course, which is open to the public. 300m in the opposite direction is Hotel Tugu Lombok, a funky-fantastic, atmospheric living museum of extraordinary Indonesian antiques, with a restaurant and bar. Tanjung (4km) is an attractive Sasak market village with stalls overflowing with local produce; this is also home to The Oberoi Lombok Hotel, complete with a jetty – should you arrive by boat – and a gourmet restaurant.
Quick facts
Location:
Sira Beach, north-west Lombok, Indonesia.
Neighbourhood:
Golf course 1km; Hotel Tugu 300m; The Oberoi Lombok Hotel 4km; Gili Islands 15 minutes by fast boat and 30 minutes by local boat; Senggigi 23km; Banyumulek 40km; Senaru (Waterfalls & Gateway to Rinjani National Park) 59km.
Capacity:
Standard capacity is 12 adults (5 king-bedded rooms plus study convertible to extra king bedded room). 3 additional single beds and 2 baby cots are available on request. NB an additional US$100 per day is charged for occupancy over 12.
Living areas:
Open-sided living and dining room with dining for 14; home theatre; study; open-air sitting room in guesthouse.
Pool:
22 x 4m main pool (with diving board); 20 x 3m kids’ pool (depth 80cm); two pools at guest house (12 x 4m and 10.5 x 4m).
Staff :
Villa manager; 2 butlers; chef; assistant chef; 2 room boys; 7 gardeners; 6 security; maintenance.
Dining :
Wide variety of gourmet Western and Asian dishes. Requests accommodated including special diets.
Communication:
Local/IDD telephone in main villa. WiFi broadband internet access.
Entertainment:
Satellite-channel TV, DVD player and movies in home theatre; iPod docking stations in all bedrooms; books; games; floodlit tennis court; mountain bikes (4); kayaks (2); table tennis.
For children:
Swimming pool; board games; toys.
Additional facilities:
Dedicated massage pavilion; full back-up electric generator. Events: Suitable for weddings and events up to a maximum of 80 people.
Property area: 2,500sqm.
