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Even Garbo come to Bali before she died. Legendary society beauty Lady Diana Cooper praised Bali in her memories,as did friend Noel Coward in a most astute and anthropological ditty: |
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Even Garbo come to Bali before she died. Legendary society beauty Lady Diana Cooper praised Bali in her memories,as did friend Noel Coward in a most astute and anthropological ditty: |
Anthropologist Margaret Mead and pen heiress "Tante Betty"Waterman, were head of the SAYAN SWINGERS in the heady hey-days of post-warparadise (their club house was the leafy retreat of Colin "Music inBali" McPhee - the present day Taman Bebek hotel).
The arrival of the PANAM clippers in the 60s bought a new generationof world travellers, (as well as the first trickle of back-packers) keento sample the scenic and cultural delights of the fabled isle. Wija andJudith Waworuntu's charming cottage hotel in Sanur, the Tanjung Sari, wasthe beautiful people's base, along with the beachside museum of Jimmy Pandyand, later on, Warwick and Lisa Purser's fabulous mini-pallazo in Ubud.Le Tout Melbourne, Montreux and Mustique started the "August in Bali"tradition during this era of peach blush livery and gamelan-on-tap.
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The completion in 1973, Asia's first boutique hotel, the Kayu Aya (nowthe Bali Oberoi), by New York based jet-setters Charles Osborne and JulianMoulton, was the start of Bali's era of seriously rich and the seriouslyselfish. The architecture was "spacious and stylish", (a phraseto become Amanwanabe catchery) and suddenly Jackie 'O', Salvador Dali andMick Jagger were about to call Bali their second home. The 80s were good years for the expatriate building boom and August visitorslike David Bowie, the Duke of Bedford and Elizabeth Taylor had dream homesin which to rest their world-weary limbs. It was at Batu Jimbar in Sanur,however that an August scene really got rumbling. The success of these palatialbeach-side villas, the brain child of Wija Waworuntu, Donald Friend, ChrisCarlisle and Ceylonese architect Geoffrey Bawa, was in providing a glamorousbase for the R.I.W.T.s (the so-called Rich International White Trash, whoChristmas in Gstaad and secrete enzymes at the mention of the AMANKILA).For developer du jour Adrian Zecha, designer du jour EdTuttle gutted Donald Friend's incredibly beautiful garden in favour of thelean and mean lines "that better match one's armanis", settinga precedent for ruthlessly chic pleasure palaces (Fergie stayed there). The rest is history. This August saw a battalion of the bronzed and the beautiful like nonebefore: Hugo Jereissati, point man for the R.I.W.T.s and the seriously grand(the Agnellis, Niarchos', Yoko Ono, Ambassadeur du Jour Thierryde Beaucé, the Guinesses, Santo Domingoes and even Elle Mac Phearson'sex), moved his entertaining into hyperspace!!. Jereissati, former roving ambassador for the Amanresorts, preferred hotelchain of the R.I.W.T.s with a rowing blue from Le Rosey, and polite wealth,is multi-lingual, cultured, well-connected, artistic and discreet. Arrivingin Bali in the mid-seventies he quickly learnt the road rules from Ibu TatiWaworuntu and Linda Garland (former 'It' girl for Ubud soirees de gala,now diefied, like Bardot, on the honor list of bimbos turned Baden-Powell). For Bowie and Imam's honeymoon, in 1993, Jereissati arranged a privateconcert, held at House 'A' (now tycoon du jour, Ong Beng Seng'sAugust Villa) featuring two giant bamboo orchestras from Negara, a legongfrom Peliatan, a 100 man ketjak dance, a set of 12 steak knives and a cin-cinfrom Ella Helmi. For Sean Lennon, Jereissati arranged a children's party and frog dance,himself arriving, like Baron Alexis de Rede in his ice chariot at the famousRussian ball, on an ice pallenquin born by 72 Sanur Kite-salesmen! This year Jereissati arranged parties for John Galliano, Kenzo and statelyHomo du jour Homero Machry, King of the night in Paris, Legianand Sao Paolo, while entertaining in his Iseh villa (formerly Theo Mayerand Walter Spies' painting studio) stars like Isabel Goldsmith, painterFrancesco Clemente and writer Gita Mehta. The season was the best in twenty years having observed first as gardener,then as fashion photographer, now as fashion victim. The international setwere represented by Agnellis, Niarchos, Santo Domingoes, John Galliano,Kenzo, Tim Jeffries, Mark Shand and Julia Robert (here to help save orangutans, Mark to hold the banana); the regional set were represented by TinaTan-leo (Singapore's answer to Ines de la Fressange), Hong Kong's MichelleHan and Jakarta's Soetikno and Diane Soedarjo (in Bali with Helen GurleyBrown to launch the Indonesian "Kosmopolitan"). The party faithfulconvened at a series of seamless soirees which combined great food withBalinese fiesta atmosphere. 8th August 1997: Farewell dinner for popular FrenchAmbassador to Indonesia, Thierry de Beaucé at the Villa Bebek, Sanur.
Tonight forty Bali friends gathered in the garden to bid the artistsgrandee a fond adieu. Paris was admirably represented by Homero "King of the Night"Machry, Princess Ira Von Furstenberg, "1953 Deb of the year" LadyAmabel Lindsay (fresh from the Fraser wedding of the year arranged by Homeroin the Champs Elysees gardens) and musical impresario Sandro Sursok of theLebanese Royal family, who fell in love with the lead singer from the localkeroncong string quartet. Thierry's next novel, set in Indonesia in the19th century, is much awaited. "Sarinah" Batu Jimbar 10 August '97,Ed Tuttle's 50th birthday party Last night was Melissa Ong's bash for John Galliano at House 'A', BatuJimbar ("more beautiful people than Linda Garland cushions" onewag commented), and now it's Ed Tuttle's 50th at Kenzo's August retreat.Ed was part of the original Bali Hyatt design team and has since 1980, hadhis own office in Paris, catering to the refined design tastes of megastylishclients like Adrian Zecha & Joyce Marr. His new hotel, the AMANJIWA,near the Borobudur, is a masterpiece (give or take a few faux candi stupas).I talked with Bruce Palling, travel agent (to the stars), of the uniquecharm of renting a villa in Bali with gardens, delightful staff and partypotential. Under the August moon, the gamelan tinkled and the stars shined.For the glitterati paradise was never so lovely. Lunch, Iseh, 20th August 1997: the mountain retreatof host with the most, Hugo Jereissati, setting for Vicky ("Grand Hotel")Baum's novel "Night of the Purnama" (1965) and former paintingstudio of Walter Spies and Theo Mayer The view from this house is one of the marvels of Bali: a wide terraceopens onto the entire south face of Gunung Agung (Bali's Mt. Meru) and themost picturesque rice fields on the island. At lunch were old Bali hands, the hon. Harry Fane and Tessa (of GarudaPark "if you're a friend of a friend go away" fame) and theirdelightful children, Sophie and Sam. Iseh is famous for its silk ikat andthe cuisine of local prince, Cokorde Sidemen, Hugo's liege land lord. Harryis on the third leg of his August treks across the hinter land of the island. We dined on the local fare and talked of the wonders of east Bali andCarole Muller's stunning new house on a terrace overlooking the King ofEast Bali's water palace, Tirta Gangga, superbly decorated by Carole withhelp from Symon of Sili-Sablon in Ubud. 
24th August 1997: Indonesian "Kosmopolitan"Dinner for Helen Gurley Brown, Four Seasons Bali With my house guests the fabulous Yorke Sisters (Lady Amabel, Deb ofthe Year 1953, and Lady Victoria, Catch of the Day, 1997) and artist chumNigel Waymouth, founder of "GRANNY TAKES A TRIP" in the heydaysof 60s London, I attend a dinner honouring New York wonderwoman Helen GurleyBrown. Our hosts are Soetikno and Diane Soedarjo, Jakarta's answer to Johnand Jackie Kennedy. A fabulous balinese banquet has been arranged by ChrisNorton, boyish new G.M. of the tropical world's most seductive hotel. Poolsideunder a clear night sky twenty-five local beauties in bright balinese dressserve wave after wave of local delicacies : Helen Gurley Brown and her dreamteam of supergirls are definitely seduced. Poured into a Pucci one pieceand pawing like a sirene Mz. Gurley Brown is excited about her latest venture,the magazine's 35th international edition. The stranger, long a fan of GurleyBrown's sperm-counts and centre spreads, joins the rest of the Bali Kiniin welcoming a rival glossy!! Good luck and have a good hair day. |
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the 1970s, the Batu Jimbar studio-home of Australian painter, writerand
wit Donald Friend was court to a host of international luvvies withVuitton
accessories and Pucci patio cullottes. The Balinese, particularlythe Sanur
Balinese, became consummate party-planners and learnt, with savvy,how
to head off the advances of the hedonistic and the hirsuit. The Balineseexpression
"Wrap around her neck and take the shoes" was mostprobably coined
during this period.
The
old adage "to be a good diplomat it isn't enough to come froma good
family..... You also have to be dim!" is certainly not trueof writer
Thierry de Beaucé whose observations on Indonesian lifeand art over his
three year term have earned him a reputation for "diplomacythrough
culture".