Village People

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With over 17,000 islands, the Indonesian archipelago has enough travel possibilities to exhaust a lifetime. But if all you can spare is a few days, consider the microcosm that is Desa Seni, desaseni.com. At this Balinese resort, the accommodation consists of 10 traditional wooden homes, offering one, two or three bedrooms each. Houses are in various ethnic styles and have been imported from different regions of Indonesia before being rebuilt and refurbished. Some are over a century old. They are laid out in the manner of a typical village, and decorated with handicrafts, antiques and paintings from all over the country—all of which are for sale.

Themed holiday villages don't always work, but Desa Seni—located amid rice farms in Canggu, a corner of Bali known for its bucolic tranquility—isn't as contrived as you would expect. Founders Howard Klein and Tom Talucci have lived in Indonesia for over 10 years, and have traveled its islands extensively. The insights they have garnered, as well as their evident good taste, lend the resort an unaffected charm. "We always wondered why no one replicated what it's like to live a village lifestyle," says Klein, before laughingly admitting that having 80 satellite-TV channels in every house (as well as Internet access and air-conditioning) is hardly typical of rural Indonesia.

Desa Seni also functions as a wellness retreat. Massages and body wraps are available at the spa, and yoga classes are offered in a beautiful pavilion overlooking paddy fields and a temple. The resort has its own organic gardens, and the restaurant—housed in a building with a traditional Sumatran peaked roof—is the setting for light, healthy cuisine, with many vegan and vegetarian choices. "We grow most of the food we serve," explains Talucci, who worked in Chicago's restaurant industry for 15 years. "For us, organic is being in touch with nature and yourself."

Swimming laps in the resort's saltwater pool is another way of keeping healthy, as are riding and golf, which can be arranged on request. There's also a beach just a short walk away. But if you feel you've earned a treat, the restaurants, cafés and bars of Bali's lively nightlife area, Seminyak, are only a 10-minute drive from Desa Seni. Rates start from $120 a night for a one-bedroom house, including airport transfers and breakfast.