A historic fascination for Balinese Culture.
Long-term guests: Margaret Mead, Gregory Bateson, Barbara Hutton, Walter Spies and Betty Waterson.
The story of Taman Bebek Hotel dates back to the 1930s, when the American ethno-musicologist, Colin McPhee and his anthropologist wife, Jane Belo built a Balinese house and beautiful garden on the edge of the ridge above the magnificent Ayung River valley, where now is Villa Royal. During the 1930s this was playground and source of inspirations to the adventurous and the intellectuals, home to musicologists, anthropologists and novelists— such as Margaret Mead, Gregory Bateson, Barbara Hutton, Walter Spies and Betty Waterson. From their house in Sayan, the McPhees actively entered local musical life. Collin McPhee was the first Westerner to study Balinese music with native teachers and he played different instruments in Balinese gamelan orchestras. He also helped revive the interest among the Balinese in older forms of the island's rich traditional music.
In 1980, when Bali lover, landscape artist and writer Made Wijaya acquired the land, only the foundations of these houses remained – the view, however, was still magnificent and unspoiled.
David Bowie with Taman Bebek staff.
A number of cottages, approximating the scale and layout of the original pavilions, were slowly built and Taman Bebek was born. During the following decades, Wijaya continued with McPhee's tradition of searching for higher aesthetics while hosting flamboyant guests. Among the geckos and frogs, Yoko Ono, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Francis Ford Coppola, and many other remarkable guests have taken a rest in the bungalows of this unique property.
“A Legacy Property like no other in Bali”
About Made Wijaya
Made Wijaya was born Michael White in Sydney, Australia. He arrived in Bali in 1973, having jumped ship and swum ashore in a rainstorm. A student of architecture, he first of all intended the visit as a short break from his studies, but his fascination with Bali’s rich culture and tradition led him to move in with a Brahman family in South Bali. After various jobs teaching tennis and English, working as a tourist guide and photojournalist, he began contributing to guide books before being asked to design the gardens of the legendary Bali Oberoi.
More than 600 gardens later, Wijaya became a world-renowned tropical garden designer whose company, P.T. Wijaya Tribwana International, reached a 500–strong team of artisans and “garden commandos,” as he called them. He traveled between his Bali base and Singapore, India, Spain, Morocco, Hawaii, Australia and Mexico to weave his magic. He was also famous for landscaping David Bowie’s holiday home in Mustique, an island in the Caribbean, along with Linda Garland.
A recognized authority on tropical gardens and South East Asian architecture, he published five books, The Complete Stranger in Paradise; Balinese Architecture: Towards an Encyclopaedia; Tropical Garden Design (Archipelago Press and Wijaya Words, 1999); At Home in Bali (Abbeville Press, 2000); and Architecture of Bali – A Source Book of Traditional and Modern Forms (Archipelago Press and Wijaya Words, 2002). He also contributed to Tropical Asian Style and was the main author of a pocket guidebook to Bali.
Made Wijaya wrote in every issue of NOW! Bali Magazine since 2009, his column ‘Stranger in Paradise’ provided unique insight and opinion into Balinese culture, Balinese society and can truly never be replaced – he also wrote monthly for NOW! Jakarta Magazine.
Made’s legacy will live on through his many recordings through photos, words and video. You can find his monthly columns over the years in the Now! Bali Culture section dedicated to him: Stranger in Paradise Archive and watch many of his YouTube videos on his channel found here: Made Wijaya Youtube Channel
Names in the Taman Bebek Story
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Best known for being the first Western composer to make a musicological study of Bali, and developing American gamelan along with fellow composer Lou Harrison.
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Australian born world-renowned tropical garden designer, father of Taman Bebek, he was one of the islands most flamboyant, controversial and larger-than-life characters, an artist, designer, photographer, videographer, landscape designer and gardener, historian, journalist, humourist, satirist, diarist, anthropologist and more.
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The anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson visited Bali for two years of research in the 1930s, shooting some 22,000 feet of 16-millimetre film and 25,000 photographs, and completing seven films, of which Trance and Dance in Bali is one. They were married in 1936.
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In short, Spies influenced the direction of Balinese art and drama. Often credited with attracting the attention of Western cultural figures to Balinese culture and art in the 1930s. He design McPhee’s house where they hosted numerous anthropologists, actors, artists, and other cultural figures.
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Jagger is said to have gone unrecognized while at Taman Bebek. At Taman Bebek you can’t always get what you want, but if you try real hard, you get what you need.
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Inspired by Taman Bebek, Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola commissioned Made Wijaya to design and build his Balinese-style resort in Belize.
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Having stayed during his honeymoon at Taman Bebek made Ziggy Stardust a Bali lover for eternity.
not to forget Pak Miyoga, Carole & Peter Muller, Yani, Pak Pandi, Van Wieringen, John Darling, Agnes, Yoko Ono, and many others,
Getting in the mood
Before arrival or during your stay you might want to dive deeper into the Bali experience, here are some recommendations, these are all informative, entertaining, and beautifully written books, written about Bali by foreigners, many of whom are long-term residents on the island. This list was put together by the late Made Wijaya:
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A House In Bali by Collin McPhee
Written during the 1930s from what is now the Royal Villa at Taman Bebek, A House in Bali remains one of the most remarkable books ever written about the fabled island of Bali. This classic book tells the story of Balinese culture through a history of Balinese music.
Island of Bali by Miguel Covarrubias
First published in 1937, "Island of Bali" has come to be regarded as a classic work on the Balinese people and their civilization. Written with remarkable clarity, Covarrubias describes the geography and nature of the island, along with the history of the people, providing a thorough account of the community, family, and individual in all spheres of Balinese life.
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Bali: Sekala & Niskala by Fred B. Eiseman, Jr
Secrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World by Jonathan Copeland & Ni Wayan Murni
Bali: A Paradise Created by Adrian Vickers
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Architecture of Bali by Made Wijaya (for sale at reception)
Bali Style by Barbara Walker & Rio Helmi
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Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud by Ni Wayan Murni (writer) & Jonathan Copeland (photographer)
Indonesia Etc. Exploring the Improbable Nation by Elizabeth Pisani
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Dragons in the Bath, also published under the title Bali Daze by Cat Wheeler
Bali Moon by Odyle Knight
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
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The Painted Alphabet by Diana Darling
Andrew & Joey: A Tale of Bali by Jamie James
Bones of the Dark Moon by Richard E Lewis
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Unsurprisingly, Balinese culture has been the subject of many documentaries and it’s hard to know which ones to go for. Some recent films of interest include:
Bali Is My Life
Bali: Island of the Dogs
The Ring of Fire, by the Blair brothers