A New Dawn

Surrounded by Bali's lush landscapes, transformative energy, and spirited people, Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi discovers the profound impact the island paradise can have on one's life.

- Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi

EXFOLIATING THE past can result in warriors, and Bandana Tewari— luminous writer and sustainability advocate—is proof. Eight years ago, after shedding toxic trappings in Mumbai, Tewari moved to Bali, where her daughter Myra, now a talented musician, attended The Green School. Tewari, meanwhile, healed her heart among a new family of friends, some of whom I met at a shindig hosted by Cynthia and John Hardy at their property, Bamboo Indah, an Ubud mainstay overlooking river rapids and spring pools. Writers, designers, and healers comprise Tewari’s coterie here, evidence that we start out in life with a biological family but end up with a logical one—a ragtag team of spiritual allies and heartbreak first responders. “This is my family,” she said proudly. “And Bali is home.”

Tewari had suggested that I stay at The Legain Seminyak, an icon of hospitality, a sort of George Clooney of hotels—timeless, sexy, total Zaddy vibes. The Club by The Legain Seminyak has private villas—by far the best perch in Bali, a butler, private pool, feeding into the sense that you are crashing at an aristocrat’s estate where life’s pleasures are a whisper away. (And if you prefer hot and glamorous, Potato Head is nearby, vibrating with club toons, a campus of bikini-clad party peeps, the beachfront property to rock booty). A lunch with The Legain’s gracious Swiss GM, Hans Meier, and his charming wife Rebecca, only confirms the adage that excellent hotels are made by excellent people. The couples spoke of Bali’s exponential growth, not only as a tourist destination but also as a digital nomad’s first, and often last port of call—folks come to Bali for its nature and culture; those who stay, remain magnetised by the sacred gentleness of the locals.