Potato Head Studio in Seminyak, Bali review: Not simply a party property
Expecting a bender at Desa Potato Head Bali, I was instead inspired by a sustainability programme far ahead of players in the same industry.
"You're going to be partying for three nights?" My friends asked when I told them I was reviewing Desa Potato Head, an accommodation in Seminyak, Bali.
I brought them up to speed. Potato Head Bali might be known for being one of the party-scene-defining beach clubs in Seminyak, but what is lesser known is that they provide accommodations too. In fact, the 226 rooms across the studio and suite categories are surprisingly far more focused on wellness and sustainability than one would expect. Bonus: It's mere steps away from the ocean.
Even bigger bonus: Desa Potato Head has just been just awarded number 40 in the list of the World's 50 Best Hotels on 20 Sep 2023. Prices may increase very soon, so it'll be wise to hurry up and get it on your travel list asap.
Find more deals for Desa Potato Head Bali on your favourite booking platform: Agoda | Booking.co | Expedia | Trip.com | Mr & Mrs Smith
In the next three days spent in Desa Potato Head Bali, I luxuriated in sustainable luxury; woke up at five am for a spot of morning meditation; indulged in both tipples and healthy concoctions that were available in the room and the multiple bars around; walked through trash; kayaked through mangroves to pick up trash; observed artwork and hotel amenities upcycled from trash; and even sort through my own trashy thoughts during a transcendent sound therapy session.
Was it the excellent experience in Potato Head, the magic in Bali's air or a combination of both that exceeded my expectations of a seemingly regular media junket? We'll find out.
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The room
I called the Oceanfront Studio home for three days; a spacious studio with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the swimming pool and, further off, the glittering Indian Ocean, the waves of which will lull you to sleep at night. It's a calming juxtaposition as we leave the brutalist architecture and design of the hotel's exterior to enter a warm, welcoming enclave that immediately feels like home.
As you sweep your eyes around the room, they'll inevitably land on the bathtub, a large wooden one made of wood that retains heat very well (a 2-hour soak confirmed that). Wooden panels stretch along the walls and extend into the adjoining shower, walk-in closet and water closet, a design feature that ties the room together.
A seemingly innocuous coffee table pulls apart to reveal a generous selection of alcohol, mixers, ice and even garnishes to create easy cocktails. Instructions can also be found in a nifty little booklet by the table for those who want to venture into fancier cocktails.
Breakfast comes with a view, either at the cabana by the beach or indoors at the plant-based restaurant Tanaman if it's raining. And no, breakfast isn't plant-based, though you can have a choice of that!
It's undoubtedly a luxurious room to spend time in, but you'd be even more inclined to lean back knowing that this luxury came at a much lower cost to the environment than usual.
Sustainability is not simply a buzzword in Potato Head Bali
According to this report, 1.6 kg of waste is produced per tourist daily. If that doesn't sound much to you, consider this: as of March 2023, 1.03 million international tourists have visited Bali.
We often hear hoteliers talk about sustainability, but Potato Head is one of the few to walk the talk with an in-house trash sorting facility. It all sounds fluffy, until you find out that independent findings have put Potato Head's trash output (which eventually makes it to landfills) at 3 per cent. That's 97 per cent of their trash that they've managed to recycle or upcycle.
You'll find signs of sustainability and the hotel's commitment to the local economy all over the hotel, from design and functional details and art pieces all around the property to things you can find in the room: such as beach sets woven by indigenous Dayak people, botanically tinted, hand-woven rugs, linens and tapestries from a natural-dye house Tarum, and Jengki furniture which is custom-made from handpicked teak.
Visitors can spend a fruitful time at Waste Lab, where anyone who passes through is welcome to learn about waste management within the facility. Walk through the trash facility to find out how they sort and reuse every element, how they give clothing a second life, turn plastic and Styrofoam waste into furniture or objects of art to be admired once again, convert used oil to petrol, teach the next generation about mangroves replanting, create art from trash in the open-air workshops and more.
Find more deals for Desa Potato Head Bali on your favourite booking platform: Agoda | Booking.co | Expedia | Trip.com | Mr & Mrs Smith
Wellness is at the core of every experience
On the first day, I woke up at 5 am for an early meditation to start the day gently. If you're inclined, there's also a 7 am run club. Most of these activities are complimentary, though there are paid sessions for more specialised wellness programmes. You can check out the activities available for the month and the cost in a newsletter provided in every room.
On the third day, we had a choice between cocktail-making and a Sound Healing session (IDR350,000, approximately S$32). I opted for the latter, expecting a timely nap right after a morning of picking up trash in the mangroves of Bali. Instead, I felt physically submerged in water during the session amidst other emotions.
Wellness extends into the food options in any of the six properties' six restaurants, including the Indonesian archipelago’s first restaurant Ijen which leaves no ingredient unused. Definitely don't miss Kaum, which has some of the best Indonesian food around, using recipes passed on for generations that are rarely shared outside tribal communities.
For vegetarians and vegans, Tanaman is the place to be, where each ingredient, from root to fruit, is honoured, transforming Indonesian botanical into full meals and cocktails without a single wasted cell. And the best thing? The food tastes just as good, if not better!
Lie back at Sunset Park, an idyllic rooftop location where guests can immerse themselves in spectacular sunsets and local cuisine to a tranquil soundtrack and atmosphere, or head to Akademi, the open-aired cocktail bar, lab and training centre, to try locally distilled spirits, native ingredients such as arak and jamu, and juices – all concocted in-house.
Go to Potato Head to party, sure, but you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not staying at least a night in Desa Potato Head Bali.
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