Two words – Raffles Hotel – conjure the romance of luxury travel in the ‘fabled east’ of the 1930s. Eighty years on, two new words –Villa Batavia (Villa MV015) – enter the lexicon of luxury travel. This stunning twenty-first century Seminyak villa– named after the pre-independence title for Jakarta – pays homage to Asia’s legendary heritage hotels such as Raffles in Singapore, Majupahat in Java, E&O in Penang and the Hotel le Royal in Cambodia.

Designed by acclaimed Balinese architect Putu Edi Semara to the exacting standards of its Swiss owners, Villa Batavia's (Villa MV015) colonial architecture is evident in the whitewashed exteriors, chequerboard marble vestibules, colonnades, shaded verandas, high ceilings and tall shuttered windows. Throughout the villa, art deco furniture and prized antique pieces stand on polished teakwood floors burnished with oriental carpets. Copper bathtubs, brass fans, Tiffany lamps, rattan pieces and bevelled or stained glass panels deepen the heritage feel. And every surface is a canvas for the owner’s eclectic collection of objets trouvés– framed postcards, maps, letters, engravings and ceramics – that celebrate Indonesia’s rich heritage.

There’s an abundance of more contemporary luxuries too: Sonos music system with a comprehensive music library, Bose speakers, home theatre system, iPod docks and HD TVs in every room, WiFi in every corner – even an iMac computer.

Smartly uniformed staff – unobtrusive yet at-the-ready provide the most refined, round-the-clock butler service: no need to lift a finger (other than perhaps to ring the brass bell provided). An espresso with your morning paper in the bale? Afternoon tea on the veranda served in an heirloom tea service? Sundown cocktails stretched out on an old plantation chair? A gourmet dinner with silver-plated cutlery and the finest white bone china? A post-dinner cognac and cigar at the sea- breeze-cooled bar before retiring to four-poster comfort in your air-conditioned suite?

Villa Batavia's (Villa MV015) generous expanse of living space and elegant bedroom suites are spread over three interconnected pavilions oriented round the pool and garden. Huge teakwood entrance doors open onto the villa’s heart – a large reception room and, above, an open-sided pavilion bar and lounge. A two-level colonnade leads to a guest wing with large living and dining room on the second level and a kitchen and staff service area behind. Downstairs, two guest bedrooms open onto the pool terrace. Across the pool and linked to the reception pavilion by a covered teakwood walkway is the master pavilion with large master bedroom suite on the top level and a second master bedroom and twin guestroom opening onto the garden below.

Day-long, Villa Batavia (Villa MV015) delivers all the privileges of five-star living yet with the level of attention and privacy you simply can’t experience in a hotel. But while there may be little call to leave, it’s reassuring to know that just beyond the villa walls are Seminyak’s famed surfers beaches and a sublime choice of world-renowned bars, restaurants, boutiques and spas.

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