Exquisite Alila Villas Uluwatu is the Ultimate Eco-Resort in Bali

Looking for ideas for a relaxing eco vacation this year? This stunning Balinese <a href="http://www.alilahotels.com/uluwatu">Alila Villas Uluwatu</a> eco resort is located on a sloping hill in Bali’s Uluwatu region on the Southern Bukit Peninsula of the charming Indonesian island. This beautifully designed complex straddles a striking white limestone cliff and an arid savanna on the tropical island's arid Bukit Pennisula. The Alilas Villas resort is the first of its kind to achieve the highest level of certification for <a href="http://www.ec3global.com/">Environmentally Sustainable Development</a> (ESD) and is designed for the <a href="http://www.greenglobe.org/">Green Globes</a> GG21 standard. The take-your-breath-away beauty of the resort and its sensitive placement on the delicate landscape is enough to set one’s mind at ease. Warning, if you read on you will need to take a vacation….

Ok, just remember we warned you...... the design by <a href="http://www.wohadesigns.com/">WOHA</a> is a vision of ecologically sound placement, form and materials which speak to a greater harmony. Indoor and outdoor spaces blend together as verandas, canopies, bridges and passages weave through the resort.

<a href="http://www.alilahotels.com/uluwatu">Alila Villas Uluwatu</a> eco resort is located on a sloping hill in Bali’s Uluwatu region. This beautifully designed complex straddles a striking white limestone cliff and an arid savanna. The low slung buildings and scale mimic a small village.

Situated on the tropical island's arid Bukit Peninsula the resort has a commanding view of the warm Indian Ocean.

The resort is witness to dazzling sunrises and sunsets. The villas are placed to follow the natural contour of the gently sloping land, leaving much of the local vegetation and natural formations intact and providing each with a view of the Indian Ocean.

Each Villa collects its own rain water. The roofs also slow storm water surge and help cool the buildings.

The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/gardening/">landscaping</a> consists of only local fauna -- determined by an extensive study of the grounds. There is an extensive <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/03/31/the-sloan-aqus-greywater-recycling-system/">grey water system</a> combined with a rain water cistern under each villa that provides water for the toilets and gardens. A series of bio-swales and rain gardens throughout the development manage storm water, and even the sewage water is reclaimed on-site.

Each villa has its own pool. The pools use salt water to save on the immense energy and resources it takes to maintain fresh water.

Private retreat cabanas grace the cliff.

The retreat creates an intimate space with a vast ocean vista.

The “Cliff-edge Sunset Cabana” is used for weddings and other public functions. With its cantilevered deck projecting over the ocean it is a signature piece of architecture for the resort.

Locally-sourced and reclaimed ironwood graces the doors, cabinets, and the exterior cabana's trellises and paneling.

The <a href="http://www.alilahotels.com/uluwatu/culinary"> three restaurants</a> offer formal and informal dining. The Warung at Alila Villas Uluwatu presents authentic Indonesian and Balinese cuisine.

The stark modern restaurant is decorated with 2500 batik stamps. Its name is CIRE (pronounced “Seer”), which refers to a process of waxing and polishing, paying tribute to the stamps which decorate the walls.

Boundaries between the indoors and outdoors appear to dissolve.

The graceful low-profile buildings fuse materials and modern style with the island's tradition architectural vernacular.

The architecture also offers an open, light-filled design.

Indoor and outdoor spaces blend together as verandas, canopies, bridges and passages weave through the resort. The architects drew inspiration for the stone-walled courtyards from the local farmer’s buildings, and the overall design is a fusion of low-slung vernacular Indonesian architecture and modernism.

The villas need no air conditioning -- they open toward the ocean to scoop up the prevailing breezes, which are cooled as they sweep over the salt water pools. The unique furniture was actually inspired by Balinese utensils and, along with the doors and cabinetry, is made from local ironwood. Most of the locally-inspired furniture is built on the neighboring island of Java, as are the artisan cement tiles.

The extensive limestone for the walls is reclaimed from excavations on-site. The architects drew inspiration for the stone walled court yards from the local farmer’s buildings.

A resort like this is only as successful as the health of the greater surrounding environment. The <a href="http://www.alilahotels.com/our_environment/uluwatu">developers</a> intend to set an example for Indonesian tourist development that respects and intimately relates to its environs though an ongoing program to reduce its overall environmental impact.