At Buahan in Bali, Reconnecting With Nature in a Hotel Without Walls

From the foot of my bed, Bali’s Buahan Valley unfurls in layer upon lush layer of bamboo and palms in every conceivable shade of green. Wisps of steam float between the trees, whip-quick sparrows swoop in and out of the foliage below. In the background, Bali’s seven peaks are barely visible through their foggy veil. There’s a non-stop chorus of cicadas, and just within earshot, a rooster makes sure that his village is awake. There are no windows separating me from this valley. In fact, my villa doesn’t even have walls.

I’ve just woken up at Buahan, Bali’s newest nature resort. Named after the northern Ubud enclave it’s located in, Buahan opened on June 14 as the first outpost of the Banyan Tree Group’s new Escape brand—a wilder, more experimental sibling to the group’s other wellness-centric resorts.

Wellbeing is also Buahan’s raison d’être, but it takes a special form. From its restaurant to its spa, the resort draws on the wisdoms and traditions the Balinese have passed down for centuries. It shows everywhere: at the Toja Spa, scattered over a series of riverfront bamboo pavilions at the bottom of the valley, treatments could involve healing rituals derived from local shamans, or detoxifying body wraps from ingredients grown in the area.