Sustainability at Aman Villas Nusa Dua

Rice farming is part of the cultural landscape of Bali. The iconic rice terraces are designed as part of a cooperative water management system of canals known as subak, linking to their temples and their religious customs, which have endured from the 9th century. A key part of the sustainability conversation when it comes to rice is taking into account exactly where this staple is sourced from and the growing processes.  

There are approximately 7,000 rice varieties across the archipelago, and Aman Villas Nusa Dua is invested in helping farmers cultivate an organic heritage variety, buying Balinese Mansur Heritage Rice from Begawan, a charity known for its excellent work supporting self-sufficiency, engagement of the community and sustainable development. This type of rice, known for its fluffy texture and brownish colour, is deemed rare due to the dominance of newer hybrid rice varieties geared at mass demand and dubbed 'heritage rice' because of its rarity, slow farming process, and strict links to the traditional subak system, which is reflected in its flavour.  

Aman Villas Nusa Dua’s interactive cookery classes involving chilli, garlic, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric, and tamarind spices share culinary secrets for guests to return home with using recipes handed down for generations. Guests can also eat in good conscience that they are keeping food miles in check, with less than 10% of good imported from overseas, from locally-made bamboo toothbrushes, to mineral water bottled in Bali. The culinary team embrace the challenge, seeking out the highest-quality and freshest ingredients from as close as can be – such as wagyu from Sumatra and Balinese coffee. 

Instead of taking guests to popular places or sites, Aman Villas Nusa Dua brings a taste of real Bali to its guests through visiting artists and musicians who share their centuries-old customs, through dance lessons, the chance to craft canang sari offerings and Balinese Script Classes, offered in partnership with Basa Bali. 

Spiritualism spills from open-air temples on the 'Island of the Gods' at every turn and receiving a Balinese Hindu blessing under bougainvillaea and palms at an age-old stone shrine is one of the most special experiences. The team at Aman Villas Nusa Dua is passionate about supporting the community, helping clean the region’s precious temples and caring for the Uluwatu Temple on the southwestern tip of the island of Bali. An important place of worship since the 11th century, every month local residents are invited to join the team in keeping the site clean and well-maintained. Donations are also made towards the upkeep of Besakih Temple, a couple of hours away on the slopes of Mount Agung. 

Coastal habitats, such as mangroves, marshes and seagrass beds, sequester up to 40 times more carbon than on-land forests. As well as being important for carbon drawdown – when greenhouse gases are literally drawn down towards the earth and their carbon absorbed into the solid form — they counter coast erosion. Aman Villas Nusa Dua partners with a mangroves project as part of a wider collaboration with the Bali Water Program. The programme focuses on conservation and restoration of mangroves to protect and to bring back biodiversity in coastal areas in Nusa Dua and Kedonganan, a village located next to the Ngurah Rai International Airport and Bali Mandara Toll Road.