We have come to associate Bali with the very best in luxury resort hotels, spas and tropical holiday locations so it is something of a feat to have created Begawan Giri which outstrips her cousins on so many levels. The nub of her exclusivity - there are only five private residences, each designed to defy description - really lies with her owner. Bradley Gardner has been locked in a passionate clinch with this piece of land ever since he first set foot on its sacred ground over ten years ago. Since then he has fashioned the private estate of his dreams on this extraordinary peninsula.

The spa experience here is an innovative one; it focuses less on passive indulgence and more on guests' ability to tap into their own Inner source by embracing the vitality of the landscape. This is not as bullish' as it sounds.There is a palpable energy at Begawan Giri that flows from a natural spring, revered for miles around for its rejuvenating and healing powers.You don't have to chant mantras to appreciate some meditative moments by one of its natural pools half way down the mountainside above the confluence of two rivers.

(Clockwise from top left) A hair perfuming treatment offered only at Begawan Giiri literally smokes the hair with perfumed incense as it dries.A jacuzzi at one of the villas.The philosophy of The Source says that the more people are returned to nature for reflection, exercise and therapy, the easier it is for them to begin to experience their true inner healing and balancing energies.Each of the five residences is drop- dead dramatic. They are testament to architectural achieve- ment whereby built form and jungle fuse in super-statement. There is nowhere more stunning to stay - or recline for a massage - in Bali.

The 'swimming pool' redefined. Begawan Giri boasts a number of rock- lined pools fed by water from a holy spring (see above). It is said to have inborn healing properties. The pools are always cold, but also chlorine-free.

The 'natural' spa experience at Begawan Giri (Wise Man's Mountain) takes visitors on a journey through terrain like this found at one of the villas open-air bathrooms.The 25- acre estate is planted with 2.000 indigenous hardwoods and is filled with such flowering plants as heliconia, ginger and orchids.

The Source, the Estate's 'natural' spa (no spa buildings, receptions or treatment rooms here) is spread all over the estate's eight hectares with walking trails, a Jungle gym', spring-fed rock pools and outdoor massage pavilions perched among the trees. Restorative programmes - up to three hours long - are conducted in the belief that the body can restore itself with the right kind of guidance: Reiki, meditation, yoga, walking and inner focusing finished off with pampering, all made that much more effective by a setting that is beautifully bewitching. For the more sedate spa-goer, a full complement of traditional treatments is offered on the decks or in the rooms or poolside of the residences.