THE PUNCH • IMPACT STORIES
An Insider Look at Bali's
Most Inspiring Businesses
Events & Experiences
Behind every remarkable business is a story worth understanding, the people behind it, the values it stands for and the choices that create meaningful impact.
Some places stay with you long after you leave. A villa where the walls breathe with the sea. A kitchen where the menu begins in the garden. A brand whose every piece carries the hand of the person who made it.
This is our collection of the hotels, restaurants, wellness retreats and brands that leave that kind of mark, from Bali and beyond. Each was chosen not only for what it offers, but for the people, ideas and quiet decisions behind it.
We look past the view, the plate and the product, to the founders, the philosophy, the craftsmanship and the everyday choices that make each place what it is. Know the story, and you will never experience it the same way again.
Together, these stories map a new kind of excellence: one measured not only by beauty and quality, but by the good it leaves behind. By celebrating those who lead with integrity and imagination, we hope to inspire better choices, and a future where doing better is the expectation, not the exception.
Impact Stories • Events & Experiences
Co-founder Budiman Ong on Jia CURATED 2026's move to Pengembak Beach, its "Nature Weave" theme, and building Bali's festival into a gotong royong ecosystem.
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.
John Hardy's Bali jewelry workshop, where 100% reclaimed silver and gold, hand-woven Balinese craft, and a 650-person community turn ornament into a living, sustainable culture.
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.
Tobi Klanner's Altarize, replacing toxic construction materials with recycled glass, sugarcane waste, and lime-clay finishes, building non-toxic homes and fairer livelihoods across Bali.
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.
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.
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.
Wendy Thomas's Kevala Ceramics, a 150-person Bali studio turning recycled clay, glass, and factory waste into handcrafted tableware and coral-reef restoration structures.
Chefs Ray Adriansyah and Eelke Plasmeijer's Locavore NXT in Lodtunduh, an open-kitchen dining lab with a mushroom chamber, rooftop food forest, and overnight stays rooted in Balinese ingredients.
Chef Will Goldfarb's Room4Dessert on Ubud's edge grows into a Miyawaki forest village, blending botanical modernism, zero-waste cooking, and a homegrown academy into one living philosophy.
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.
Behind Analog are Izzy and Stew, a Norwegian-Kiwi duo whose combined decades across Indonesia and Japan have given them a sharp read on what this island needs and, more importantly, what it has too much of.
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.
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Businesses with Impact