Keeping it Local

More than 10 years after her first visit, EL'S PATRICEA CHOW returns to this Indonesian-owned resort in Ubud, this time together with her teenage children.

During my time as an expat in Bali from 2006 to 2016, I went to review The Tempayan, the restaurant of The Chedi Club Tanah Gajah Ubud, for a Bali-based publication. Their menu had just been revamped by Executive Chef Dean Nor, a Singaporean.

I struck up a friendship with the resort's General Manager and his wife, which resulted in many Sundays at their villa on the resort, catching up over brunch or afternoon tea.

Returning now, I felt a mixture of déjà vu and new experiences.

The details

The property was built in the 1980’s by the late Hendra Hadiprana, a renowned Indonesian architect and collector of Indonesian art. Named after the nearby cave temple called Goa Gajah or Elephant Cave, this was initially envisioned as a family holiday home, filled with his art collection.

It was subsequently opened to the public and managed from 2004 to 2019 by GHM, a Singapore-based hospitality company, as The Chedi Club Tanah Gajah Ubud. After he passed away in 2018, Hadiprana’s heirs resumed management of the resort and renamed it Tanah Gajah, a Resort by Hadiprana.

Supporting Indonesia

There were three lingering memories I had of the place, which have remained unchanged.

Firstly, it’s massive, even incorporating a rice field, an organic vegetable garden and a lake. The rice fields are tended by farmers from the neighbouring village, who share in the harvest.

Secondly, it’s a showcase of Indonesian art, design and architecture. From the villas and public spaces decorated with paintings and ornaments to the intricate carvings on the furnishing, and the bale used for morning hatha yoga, every piece adds to the rich texture of the architecture and interior design.