Above & Opposite: Tents and public spaces reference Balinese traditions and feature handicrafts and antiques sourced by Bensley and Gunawan
The local architect that had initially been engaged on the project had come up with a plan that would have, as Bensley puts it, obliterated the natural beauty of the site and generated an eyesore for the surrounding neighbourhood. While Bensley was grateful for the project, the brutal architecture was too much for the studio to support. “So we changed it bit by bit until the local architect threw up his hands and walked away, leaving us in charge to pursue something more environmentally suitable.” As a result, they scaled the brief down to 20 tents to keep the forest untouched, and instead built around the trees. “The result is tents appearing almost organically amid the terraced landscape and dense forest.” A dozen or so trees had to be moved – and unfortunately, since some of them were old, those ones didn’t survive, the owner tells me with rare transparency. The owner, Suwito Gunawan, is a steel magnate from Jakarta and this his first foray into hospitality. Speaking to this softly-spoken avid art collector in the camp’s main lounge, the Officer’s Tent, we’re surrounded by an unrivalled collection of curios. He explains that he and Bensley bonded while hunting together. Just as I choke on my Jamu cocktail at the thought of them killing critters for sport, he elaborates that this meant them going to many auctions in Holland and around Indonesia – he was referring to their passionate search for antiques. At this moment, Simone Broekhaar, one of the driving forces behind the launch of this extraordinary escape, takes down one of the
100-year-old books on display, explaining that every day the pages of them must be turned to keep them in decent nick. Little wonder this hotel has already been declared one of the world’s most exciting by Forbes. So why choose Capella Hotel Group to operate this property – which is more akin to a safari lodge in Africa than a south-east Asian hotel – when they have no background in tented camps or sustainability? Gunawan explains modestly that as a newcomer to the industry, his thinking was simple; he believed Capella was the right boutique brand to nurture and manage the camp as they have a good understanding of the high-end niche market to which this property is suited. During the construction, the Singapore-based operators suggested they thought something urban might be a good direction. “But for us, the odder it was, the better – Bill is a mad genius. Just like me, he loves art and antiques – it was a wonderful collaboration,” says Gunawan. It’s usually the owner who has the out-of-control ego – and then if the designer has very different ideas, it’s an impossible union. However, the chemistry was great, and Bensley is a team player, as illustrated in the porch of the camp’s entrance, where tongue-in-cheek ‘hunted’ deer heads are labelled with the names of all those who helped in creating the camp. References are made throughout to Balinese traditions, such as in the black-and-white checked fabric, or saput poleng, which covers the
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