THE PUNCH • IMPACT STORIES
The Art of Staying Well
Exceptional Hotels with Impact
Events & Experiences
Some hotels are remembered for their views.
The ones in this collection are remembered for something more.
The Punch travels across Bali and Southeast Asia to discover and document exceptional hotels, from clifftop resorts and jungle retreats to restored heritage houses and intimate hideaways. Beyond beautiful architecture, thoughtful design and outstanding hospitality, we explore the people, values and practices that make each destination truly remarkable. We meet the visionaries behind these places, uncover their commitments to their surroundings and share the stories that often go untold.
Each hotel is celebrated for two essential qualities: the excellence of the experience and the positive impact it creates. Through authentic storytelling, we aim to inspire more conscious travel choices, celebrate those raising the standards of hospitality and encourage others to follow their example.
Stepping into Desa Potato Head, you don't just visit a place; you are transported to a world where originality oscillates through every corner, where the art of living and dreaming combine effortlessly. This creative village is a sanctuary for mind, body, and soul, offering a unique experience where beach and culture blend.
Titik Dua, Andra Matin's Ubud hotel-turned-creative platform, blending Balinese architecture, art, and an expanding Coca Creative Complex to bridge tradition and Indonesia's contemporary culture.
Bill Bensley's tented camp in Bali's Keliki Valley, built without felling a single tree, EarthCheck Gold–certified, and deeply tied to its neighboring village community.
Cynthia Hardy's boutique retreat in Ubud's Baung village, built from traditional Javanese Gladaks and bamboo, rooted in permaculture, natural filtration, and deep ties to its local community.
Buahan, A Banyan Tree Escape in Payangan, where wall-free pool bales, recycled timber, and regenerative farming turn Tri Hita Karana into Bali's boldest luxury statement.
The Warehouse Hotel, a restored 1895 Singapore River godown, turning spice-trade history, local craft, and quiet conservation into a 37-room monument of understated design.
Alila Villas Uluwatu, WOHA's clifftop resort on the Bukit peninsula, pairing reclaimed materials, EarthCheck Platinum systems, and 40% local staffing to make luxury belong to its landscape.
A thousand metres above sea level, in the cool highlands of Munduk, Sigma Treehouse sits above a valley of waterfalls with a 180-degree view that stretches across the Bali Sea to the volcanoes of Java.
On Sentosa Island, Capella Singapore restores two 1880s colonial bungalows into a Foster + Partners resort earning EarthCheck Gold and a place among the World's 50 Best Hotels.
Founders JC, David, and Toni on Yama Balian, a riverside retreat built around Right Living, where local materials, a slower rhythm, and quiet space guide every ritual.
Robert Gladitz and David Hach's CUSTODIA in Jatiluwih runs on rain-harvesting, bioenzyme filtration, and a Fair Shares Commons structure that makes it unownable and community-bound.
Founder Gordon Oldham's REVĪVŌ in Nusa Dua's hills structures wellness around movement, sleep, diagnostics, and Balinese ritual, earning a MICHELIN Key without a hint of theater.
In Pecatu, The Asa Maia relocates preserved East Java wooden houses, cooks from scratch with local organic ingredients, and plans a Sumba retreat around reclaimed materials and permaculture.
Founder Bernard's Sumberkima Hill in Pemuteran grows from a handful of villas into 80, co-managing reef restoration, an amphitheater, and a glamping site with the surrounding village.
On Lombok's Ekas Bay, INNIT Lombok lets terrain, native trees, and local materials shape a village-style resort built around communal dining and closed-loop, community-first sustainability.
Founders Aishah Fauzi and Punit Gajwani's Nadi Resort in Tabanan runs on closed-loop composting, spring-water filtration, and a Balinese team, turning waste and rest into regeneration.
Founder Koman Wahyu Suteja grows Komaneka from an Ubud art gallery into five intimate Bali resorts, rooted in Tri Hita Karana, strict environmental rules, and deep family and artistic heritage.
On Lombok's Selong Belanak bay, Sempiak Seaside Resort's 18 hillside and beachfront villas run on local staffing, weekly beach cleanups, and a gallery, spa, and shops rooted in island craft.
Hendra Hadiprana's Tanah Gajah, a 24-villa family estate beside Ubud's rice fields, ties elephant-carved architecture, a closed-loop straw cycle, and twice-weekly Kecak performances into generational Balinese heritage.
In Payangan's ravine country, Putu Suryawan's The Kayon Jungle Resort runs on a closed-loop system of maggot-fed farming, plastic-to-fuel power, and a foundation funding local children's education.
Founder Alexander Stanley's Sebatu Sanctuary in Tegalalang runs on solar power, rain-harvesting, and bioceramic filtration, blending bamboo pods and colonial lodges into a forester's low-impact vision.
On the Ayung River in Mambal, Fivelements Retreat blends Balinese healers, plant-based cuisine, and a Garden of Peace, funding orphanages and village conservation across Bali since 2007.
Founders Alena, Jarmil, and Brandon's Hideout Bali in Karangasem builds bamboo Airbnb houses under Gunung Agung, planting ten trees per one cut and rooting every design in Tri Hita Karana.
The Sinclair family's Batu Karang on Nusa Lembongan runs a hydroponic garden, water treatment plant, and glass-bottling system, turning a coral-slope resort into an island sustainability benchmark.
Founder Thomas Talucci's Desa Seni relocates antique teak homes across Bali's highlands, building on less than 10% of the land while teaching composting, jamu-making, and local craft to guests and staff.
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