KUBU SANTI

As if our 4-bedroom Villa Kubu Merta was not enough, last month we moved into a newly-finished one-bedroom cottage next door, named Kubu Santi (House of Peace, also the names of the owner’s wife and youngest daughter).

So what are we doing with two houses in Bali, two gardens, a swimming pool, art gallery, restaurant, gazebo, meditation tower, and a staff of six? You thought we left Hawaii to live the simple life in Bali, right? Yeah, notwithstanding our cable TV, internet, and wifi (we finally did get all the western amenities – read about our internet saga above), we are living the simple life. But let me tell you, letting go of the addiction to do everything myself is not easy. I still catch myself thinking, Oh, I should tell Dayu to use the small bowls. Or, I should at least rinse the dishes in the sink instead of leaving them for Peter to wash after he’s done with watering the plants. Or, I need to go to Telkom to pay the bill, instead of simply sending Charlie on his motorbike. Hah! You think it’s easy to do nothing?

But back to the question of what we are doing with 2 houses. Kubu Merta is a grand villa, built to accommodate guests, but not very conducive for family living. The dining room is in a different building from the bedroom. The lobby/art gallery is open and public, not a comfortable livingroom to hang out in in your grungies, and having staff around 24/7 does not give us much privacy.

Sharing the same (very long) driveway as Kubu Merta, Kubu Santi was in the last stages of being finished. One day, out of curiosity I looked inside and was instantly taken with its open design and delightful simplicity. When I had the chance to talk with Komang, the owner, I asked how much he was planning to rent it for. The price was so low I flipped out. Even so, I’ve been here long enough not to pass up a chance to bargain and managed to get the price down even lower. I’m heartless, you say? No worry, Komang is happy. The cost of building a house here is so ridiculously low that our 2-year lease already covers half of his construction. To give you an idea: you can build 2 houses for the price of a car. So even though we had not planned to lease another house, this opened up other and better possibilities. All four bedroom suites in Villa Kubu Merta are now available for guests, we have the privacy we need, and we're close enough to keep an eye on everything. Already we've benefited from the August peak tourist season. And we LOVE living in our private nest. Come visit us.