Until a few short months ago, the name Jimbaran was unfamiliar to most of the world, save for those local people, Baliphiles and tourists lucky enough to have witnessed its majestic sunsets and walked its white sand beaches.
Its current notoriety has been acquired under the most tragic and violent of circumstances and yet as anyone resident here in Bali can confirm, it remains in fact one of the most tranquil and beautiful areas of the island. No act of brutality can change that, though its consequences still linger.
Travel agents and tour operators tend to focus on the low lying area of Jimbaran, the westward facing crescent of beach cluttered with seafood restaurants just above the narrow isthmus connecting the main body of the island with the southern plateau known locally as the Bukit (hill). In reality, however, Jimbaran occupies a significant proportion of this upland, nearly 1/3 of its total land area and it is here that the property market has found what many are describing as the next real estate frontier.
Historically, the low-lying Jimbaran bay was the home of a relatively busy fishing village, Kedonganan which still exists today – indeed many of Bali’s high end restaurants buy their fresh fish from the Kedonganan market which is already bustling by 5 am.
The neighbouring highland has always been sparsely populated lacking as it does that fundamental element necessary for human habitation: water. What few residents there were would trade wood and stone for salt and fish from their neighbors, and were forced to carry water by hand up the steep hill each day.
The presence of an important Hindu temple, Pura Ulun Siwi dating from the 11th Century maintained a connection with the kingdom of Pemecutan (covering the southern reaches of Bali with Denpasar marking its northern border), since regular pilgrimages were made to the site for important ceremonies.
Whilst the development of the Nusa Dua resort enclave and the Udayana university campus were instrumental in drawing investment towards the far south, it wasn’t until two of the world’s most illustrious hotel groups decided to build resorts in the area that Jimbaran’s real estate potential began to be realised.
The Four Seasons came first in 1992, followed in 1996 by the Ritz Carlton, more or less guaranteeing the future exclusivity of the area by their mere presence. A bevy of villa developments has sprung up in the stretch of land running from the Four Seasons up to the Ritz Carlton, including The Halcyon, Gending Kedis, Karma Jimbaran Resort and Villas at Jimbaran.
“This part of Jimbaran definitely has a Riviera feel,” says Andy Barski of Paradise Property, “the views are a definite draw – you can look out across Jimbaran bay on clear mornings and see a whole spread of volcanoes and mountains.” Nils Weterlind of Tropical Homes concurs – “developments in Jimbaran are doing as well as those in Seminyak as long as they have views, developments without views are failing,” he claims.
“...there is still movement – people thinking of investing in property here have a long term outlook unlike many tourists.”
As with the rest of the Bukit, Jimbaran is fast establishing itself at the middle to upper echelon of Bali’s property market, although cost structures are still amorphous because the market is still relatively nascent. Prices range from just under $200,000 right up to $2 million and more. Vik Faulkner of Royal Developments, the agents for Karma Jimbaran, reckons the most buoyant price bracket now is between $400,000 – $600,000.
“All 38 units at Karma have been sold and I’d estimate that they’ve doubled in value from the 2003 price of $250,000.” Following on from that success Karma Kandara has just been released .While agents are reporting a predictable slow down in sales since the October bombings, prices have remained stable and there continues to be interest. As Douglas Wallace of Gending Kedis, a development of 1,2,3 and 4 bedroom villas comments, “things have slowed down somewhat but there is still movement – people thinking of investing in property here have a long term outlook unlike many tourists.”
Aside from the views and the distinguished neighbours, Jimbaran also benefits from good location, just minutes away from Jimbaran Bay with its celebrated seafood restaurants and idyllic white sand beaches, the bypass with its quick access to Kuta and Seminyak and of course, the airport. Supporting infrastructure is not yet to the level of Seminyak, but it is beginning to catch up.
While most of the high quality restaurants are to be found in the hotels, Mediterranean restaurant Di Mare is a notable exception, recently voted 2nd best restaurant in Bali by readers of Hello Bali, just behind Ku De Ta. Gourmet Garage on the bypass provides delicatessen style shopping, offering a vast range of imported as well as local goods.
The new pecatu golf course between the university campus and the Garuda Wisnu Kencana cultural park, is certain to raise the exclusivity levels a notch. According to Exotiq Real Estate, the most significant infrastructure development will be the Bukit ring road linking the Ritz Carlton in the west with the Nikko hotel in the east. Due for completion in 2007, Exotiq expect the road to push up property prices, making now a good time to invest.
“Serious investors have been quick to buy land in Jimbaran, partly because the infrastructure isn’t quite there yet,” says Andy Barski. They are getting in there early because they know the peripherals will develop.” Agents are seeing a fairly broad demographic in terms of investors – a significant proportion are Indonesian and there are buyers from Europe, Hong Kong and Singapore as well as expatriates based in the region.
The lie of the land in the Bukit, with its precipitous slopes and panoramic prospects, has led to a trend in architect-built villas. Whereas the flat topography of lowland areas has led to a spate of generic villa complexes, much of the land in the Bukit requires clever design, encouraging architects to act creatively in blending with natural geological features. All of this has been very recent.
“Much of the land requires clever design, encouraging architects to act creatively in blending with natural geological features.”
Noted photographer Jason Childs has lived in his architect-built home close to the Four Seasons for the last five years. “When I first moved here there were no villas in the area,” he says. “Even with these new developments, the area hasn’t really changed much, which is nice. Hopefully these new resorts will generate some jobs for the local people,” he adds. Childs is also a keen surfer for whom Jimbaran is the perfect interface between the world-class surf breaks of Uluwatu and the relative urbanity of Kuta, Legian and Seminyak.
According to Alan of Liv Bali, a newly launched development in Jimbaran, “It is Bali on the edge of town, Jimbaran is a spectacular bay, it remains Balinese and modest, a jewel just 15 minutes from down town boutique shopping, chic dining and island partying. It is a choice of lifestyle-nature vs. metropolis. Liv Bali has also been instrumental in the re-development of Kedonganan’s beach front, which is now under way and sanctioned by City Planning and the Town Council.
While development continues to creep northward along the west coast of Bali, the long term future of Jimbaran and the Bukit as a nucleus of resort development seems assured. Local authorities, uneasy about the conversion of farmlands into residential plots, are keen to promote this dry plateau and developers, recognising the potential in its rugged beauty and sweeping ocean views, have been only too keen to oblige.
It would seem that Jimbaran has it all, views, beaches, freehold property, and an idyllic location that retains a quieter Balinese local flavour whilst just a stones throw from the tourist/party hubs of Kuta and Seminyak. ■
By Rufus Johnson ~ Photographed by Jonathan Perugia
