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Bali is justifiably famous for many things – the impossibly idyllic stepped rice paddies, rearing volcanoes, thundering Indian Ocean surf and the Balinese themselves with their artful, celebratory take on Hinduism. But if there’s one thing the island lacks, it is white beaches – those bone white crescents of sugary sand giving onto turquoise waters that are the very stuff of fantasy.
They speak of escape, these places where the perfect quartet of sun, sea and sand abolishes all cares. It’s Al Pacino’s holy grail in Carlito’s Way – the pot of gold that awaits him if he can only break out of the mafia maelstrom. Which of course, he can’t.
Bali may be short on white beaches, but it’s not devoid of them. If only poor old Carlito could have found his way to Nammos Beach Club at Karma Kandara. It’s not just the white sand that makes this arguably the best beach on the island, though. It’s the inaccessibility, lying as it does at the foot of a vertiginous 100-meter tall limestone cliff. You will see the odd fisherman, a fleet footed villager perhaps who has scrambled down to make an offering at the little shrine, set in a silent inlet. And it’s the sea – not just the aquamarine waters of the Indian Ocean, but the limpid unruffled carpet of a tranquil lagoon, in which teems of tropical fish make for a perfect snorkelling experience.
Nammos is the perfect compliment to all of this. Inaccessible? Not for Karma Kandara guests. A private inclinator takes you down from the main resort and within a minute you are in the middle of what looked like a moving postcard from far above. The club itself occupies a split-level curvilinear deck set with plush couches and low tables and shaded by a roof of woven indigenous grass, like a vast parasol. This is high luxury couched in a laid-back beach cabana vernacular. And it actually draws its inspiration not only from the tropics, but the Aegean. Karma’s award wining chef Raymond Saja’s menu milks the Mediterranean for its finest fare – freshly caught fish and seafood can be prepared in an instant, Atlantic oysters chill on ice, ready to be shucked. Or how about a gourmet wood-fired pizza? Forget Apres-ski, this is Apres-Plage…complete with signature cocktails, top shelf liquors or simply an icy cold beer. The beach itself is scattered with sun lounges and exotic, richly upholstered four-poster day beds that seem to have landed here Bed Knobs and Broomsticks style.
You can work up an appetite snorkelling the outlying reef or doing a little ocean kayaking if the mood takes you. Pick the right date and you could be partying into the wee hours under the light of a full moon, while top international acts perform; on Sundays a live DJ plays suitably Balearic flavours into the early evening. Or you could just let the fine white sand trickle through your fingers. Sure beats running guns with Rolando, right Carlito?
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