Nusa Dua: From forgotten backwater to exclusive resort

Nusa Dua: From forgotten backwater to exclusive resort

Rita A.Widiadana, Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua

Some 30 years ago, there were no luxury hotels, spas or
expensive restaurants in the present location of the exclusive
resort area of Nusa Dua, or literarily means the two islets
referring to the projections of big rocks in the middle of the
white stretch of beaches.

If you look up the map of Bali Island, you will find the Nusa
Dua area, 30 kilometers south of Bali's provincial capital of
Denpasar, in the bottom part of the map overlooking the
Indonesian Ocean.

The only thing that the Balinese people could remember so far
about this spot was a carpet of coconut groves on the rocky
hills. The people were poor and desperate because of their rocky
land. Many of them moved to the more fertile areas in the north
part of the island to make a living abandoning their property in
Bukit Nusa Dua.

Nyoman Sumara, 70, a former resident of Nusa Dua, recalled his
memory. "I left my coconut plants to work as a labor in the city
(Denpasar) years ago. I had never imagined Nusa Dua was developed
as it is now," he said.

There were hundreds or maybe thousands of Nusa Dua residents
who gave up their lands because of poverty. "Now, I would not
dare to enter those glittering hotels which were built on the
lands once belonging to us," Ni Wayan Suratmi, Sumara's wife
added.

The Balinese people found Nusa Dua, a holy place with several
major temples were built by their ancestor DangHyang Nirartha, a
High Priest from Java Island, who was believed to firstly spread
Hinduism in Bali.

A number of the Hindu temples are now located within five-star
hotels.

"It was quite difficult for us to pray at the temples
especially when odalan, temple anniversary," explained Sukalami
from the neighbor village of Bualu.

Each Hindu temple in Bali has its own disciples who regularly
pray and perform various rituals such as piodalan, temple
anniversary, or Galungan and Kuningan holidays. The development
of various tourist facilities in Nusa Dua has more or less
affected religious activities of the neighboring villagers
although the hotels' management usually welcomes and allows them
to do so.

Forget Sumara and other poor farmers, the real inhabitants of
Nusa Dua. Since the early l980s, the Indonesian government and
private investors supported by several world's financial bodies
including the World Bank launched a big and ambitious project to
transformed the barren area into the most well-managed and well-
equipped tourist resort in Bali.

Located in a quite secluded area, Nusa Dua was experimented as
a pilot project for an integrated modern resort with a touch of
Balinese traditional architecture and landscape.

The area was carefully designed as a self-contained resort
complex filled with five-star international-chain hotels, a golf
course, a convention hall and other facilities.

The master plan of the Nusa Dua complex revealed that the
development projects were conducted under a very strict
monitoring to prevent or at least to minimize the negative impact
on the social and the environment.

The project was intended also to benefit the local people at
the maximum.

Since this idyllic project started in l980s, Nusa Dua has an
abundant choice of hotels including the Sheratons, Bali Hilton,
the Grand Hyatt, Club Med, Nikko Bali, Grand Melia.

The resort, which is currently hosting the Preparatory
Committee (Prep-Com )IV for the World Summit on Sustainable
Development, is catering to the up market visitors aiming to
spend hundreds of US dollars per night in return to exclusive and
exotic holidays.

As soon as you enter the gate to the complex, the view of the
landscape is amazingly beautiful with a line of pink frangipani
flowers and colorful bougainvillea buds, palm trees, foliages
along the way to the hotel complexes.

Ngurah Karyadi, an environmentalist, commented entering Nusa
Dua is like a sterilized heaven.

"It is so well-ordered. It is like visiting other places
outside Bali. Because Bali island always looks friendly and
welcoming. Nusa Dua is similar to a fragile crystal doll.
Everybody is afraid to touch it without breaking it," said
Ngurah, who is also the coordinator of the People's Forum.

For those who like staying in affluent hotels and resort
complex, Nusa Dua is the right and perfect places. But if you
want to taste the real Bali, try to explore other exciting and
natural sites.