Alongside Canggu's wild surf and neighboring a sacred temple, Tugu is a unique living, breathing museum hotel, dedicated to preserving Java and Balinese indigenous spirituality, art, cultural heritage, and traditions. Evocative of bygone times, the hotel houses the Indonesian proprietor's personal collection of the archipelago's artworks, antiquities, and vintage furnishings. At the same time, this 5-star property welcomes like a family home, coming on relaxed and heavenly romantic, with an endearing staff.

Enter via a dramatic traditional-style hall, doubling as drawing room, lobby, and bar, dominated by a 15-ft. wooden Garuda statue. There's no dedicated restaurant per se, but an unusual "eat wherever your heart desires" concept throughout, which includes Balinese high-tea and culinary rituals served within restored historic dining chambers. Tugu's acclaimed Waroeng Djamoe Spa administers centuries-old Javanese and Balinese ritual treatments in eight quaint, individually themed garden chambers. All 21 accommodations, linked by pathways through pretty gardens and housed in timbered thatched buildings, are delightfully rustic and vintage-styled. First-floor Rejang Suites (request one with sea views) offer a giant sunken tub in an elevated wooden galley, while ground-floor Dedari Suites have private plunge pools and semi-open garden bathrooms. Splurge on Tugu's sublime signature Suites, dedicated to Indonesian-based European artists of old; the Puri Le Mayeur Suite, a red-themed villa floating above a lotus pond, is a romantic tribute to the Belgian artist's love affair with a Balinese dancer—perfect for honeymooners.