Above & Opposite: As part of its mission to revive the fading arts of the Indonesian archipelago, Katamama features pieces handmade by local craftspeople
appreciate the flatscreen, programed to play the hotel’s ‘artisan porn’ short film on arrival. “As part of our mission to revive the fading arts of the Indonesian archipelago, we produced ‘Made by Artisans’ to depict the meticulous handiwork and remarkable dexterity of the thousands of craftspeople who built the hotel piece by piece.” It tells the tale of some of the workmanship than goes into creating their furnishings: now that’s storytelling. Further setting the tone that this is a sociable hotel, there’s no conventional reception; cocktail lounge Akademi is the first space guests encounter on arrival. The venue was created in cahoots with award-winning mixologist Dre Masso and its spirit is alive in every suite via rows of house-made infusions, spiced-up elixirs and exotic bitters. Unwrap the striped cloth pouch to find hand-tooled muddlers, shakers, stirrers, strainers and more. A large box of ice with a scoop and a gallery of hand-blown glasses completes the recipe for good times, with corners aplenty for the conviviality to spill into. Some of the spacious suites even have a roof garden with a hot tub and barbecue for entertaining.
If God is in the detail, Katamama is positively holy. Incidentally, the resort also has its own house priest, known as Pak Mangku, who makes fragrant offerings to place at the three on-site temples. Meanwhile, witty, specially commissioned artworks and images adorn the walls, while the smallest flourishes on the most prosaic of items are touches that surprise and delight. In fact, human and organic touches abound. Ceramic refillable pumps in the bathrooms – which are larger than most hotel bedrooms – dispense sweet-smelling chemical-free local unguents. The lack of frothing denotes no sodium lauryl sulphate nasties. Raw-cotton bags of amenities have hand illustrations indicating the sewing, shaving, tooth-brushing kits and more. Anjat baskets, handwoven from naturally dyed rattan, are fashioned into beach backpacks and caps (also available to buy). This isn’t a clichéd coastal hideaway where you end up gushing about ocean views or plantation chairs on cookiecutter terraces. It’s more intelligent – and more interesting – than that. But there’s a knockout of a swimming pool too for those who insist on a little old-fashioned pool-time appreciation.
EXPRESS CHECKOUT: 58 guestrooms | 1 restaurant | 2 bars | Swimming pool, gym | www.katamama.com Owner / Operator: PTT Family | Developer: PT Isa Development | Architecture: Andra Matin | Interior Design: Takenouchi Webb; PTT Family Lighting Design: Switch | Landscaping: Larch Studio
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