Bali’s newest 5-star resort is named for its forest setting, and RIMBA Jimbaran Bali has taken this concept even further by planting over 50,000 trees to reduce its carbon footprint ahead of its September 2013 opening.

(TRAVPR.COM) CHINA - August 26th, 2013 - JIMBARAN - BALI, 26 August 2013 – Bali’s newest 5-star resort is named for its forest setting, and RIMBA Jimbaran Bali has taken this concept even further by planting over 50,000 trees to reduce its carbon footprint ahead of its September 2013 opening.

RIMBA, another unique product of the award-winning AYANA Resort and Spa Bali, will be a 297-room hotel located within AYANA’s 77-hectare grounds overlooking Jimbaran Bay, just 12 kilometers from Bali’s airport. Under the same management, Capella Hotel Group, RIMBA’s forest ambience and unique facilities expand on AYANA’s 368 rooms and villas and ocean-front setting, offering guests the ‘best of both worlds’.

RIMBA’s name, which is Indonesian for ‘forest’, reflects its setting and sustainable design, and its story dates back to before RIMBA was officially christened. The 8 hectare area on which RIMBA sits on the east side of AYANA was previously known to local villagers as ‘bukit alas Jimbaran’, which is old Sanskrit for ‘Jimbaran forest’. The tree-planting program is part of the hotel’s commitment to preserve RIMBA’s natural surroundings.

“Five years ago, when the ‘seeds were planted’ for the idea of a new hotel at AYANA, our farmers planted 40,000 fast-growing albesia ‘silk’ trees at AYANA’s farm in central Bali,” said RIMBA Project Director Wayan Widhiada. “Now, some of those trees have been used at RIMBA, and we have replanted at the farm to replace them, as part of our commitment to a greener Bali. In addition, we have planted 10,000 trees around RIMBA’s grounds to help further offset our carbon footprint.”

RIMBA features dozens of varieties of plants to color the landscape and create a fragrant botanical oasis for guests to stroll through. The tree-planting program took place at two locations, being the Jimbaran property and the farm in central Bali:

·         AYANA’s farm is located on 32 hectares of land in Bon Village, Central Bali, some 75 kilometers from Jimbaran. Aside from albesia, which is widely used in reforestation programs as it grows to full maturity within five years, the farm also produces pineapples and oranges and wild kopi luwak coffee beans, which are offered on AYANA’s menus;

·         In addition to the 40,000 trees at the farm, 10,000 albesia trees, tropical trees and fruit plants have been planted in the gardens surrounding RIMBA at AYANA’s 77-hectare property in Jimbaran;

·         RIMBA has an on-site greenhouse, organic fruit and vegetable garden and large herb garden which will supply ingredients for its state-of-the-art Cooking School;

·         The fruit garden features over 1,500 trees including manggo, orange, pineapple, soursop, guava, and pomegrenate among other tropical delights; and

·         There are over 25 types of flowers from flamboyants, frangipanis and bougainvillea to birds of paradise, hibiscus, song of Jamaica and song of India.

The tranquil canopy of RIMBA’s lush gardens shades the winding entrance to the Lobby, and recycled materials have been used widely throughout the hotel:

·         The Lobby has been modeled after the front of a ship and has walls made from recycled wood from three old shipping boats, personally sourced in Sulawesi by RIMBA’s engineers;

·         RIMBA’s team also gathered driftwood by hand along beaches in West Bali, which was hand-crafted by local artisans to create 297 unique pieces of natural wall decor, so that each guest room features a different work of ‘eco’ art;

·         The walls at the Lobby and To’ge restaurant are made from handmade bricks;

·         UNIQUE roof-top bar features a bar made from recycled glass bottles combined with local marble;

·         A two kilometer jogging pathway made from crushed recycled glass bottles connects RIMBA to AYANA; and

·         Eco amenities in guest rooms include banana paper artworks, vanity sets made of recycled glass, and beach bags from recycled materials.

Water conservation and natural lighting are also central to RIMBA’s design:

·         A water recycling plant processes ‘grey’ and ‘black’ water for use in lavatories and irrigation of gardens and ponds;

·         There is a rainwater harvesting program;

·         A Reverse Osmosis system recycles rainwater and salt-water for showers and rooms;

·         The Lobby, which enjoys stunning views of the one hectare of multi-tiered swimming pools and surrounding forest from its third floor location, features large sky-lights made from recycled glass by renowned Japanese artist Seiki Torige, at his workshop near Ubud, Bali. These sky-lights run down to To’ge restaurant to maximize natural lighting in the dining areas;

·         The sky-lights run from the open-air Lobby down to To’ge restaurant, a modern Asian restaurant with gourmet bakery;

·         There are three ‘day-light’ meeting rooms with glass walling to maximize sunlight; and

·         Guest rooms have LED lighting and energy-saving air-conditioning units.

Guests of both AYANA and RIMBA will experience seamless service as they enjoy the best of both worlds: RIMBA with its forest ambience and AYANA’s unrivaled ocean-front setting. With its unique facilities and design, RIMBA complements AYANA, providing guests with two unique hotels to explore and two very different experiences to enjoy. Linked to AYANA by scenic jogging trails and shuttle bus service, its strategic location also enables RIMBA to support accommodation needs and additional function and meeting space for corporate and wedding events held at AYANA.

In anticipation of its upcoming opening, RIMBA Jimbaran Bali has launched an introductory offer for all bookings received before 22 December 2013, for stays until 31 March 2014. Book direct to save up to 36% on with special benefits including daily buffet breakfast, Balinese massage for two people and US$50 Resort Credit per room. For more information and reservations, contact bookings@rimbajimbaran.com.

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About RIMBA Jimbaran Bali

Named after ‘forest’ in Indonesian, RIMBA Jimbaran Bali offers eight hectares of lush gardens to explore within the 77-hectare grounds of AYANA Resort and Spa overlooking Jimbaran Bay, just 12 kilometers from Bali’s airport. The 297 well-appointed guest rooms and suites are contemporary, elegant and chic, with an emphasis on sustainable design.

Hotel facilities include Indonesia’s biggest Chinese restaurant Ah-Yat Abalone; ultra-glam roof-top bar UNIQUE; gourmet Bakery; Cooking School; swim-up pool bar; Kids Club and children’s pool; six roof-top spa treatment rooms; Ballroom and meeting rooms; jogging trails around AYANA; resort shuttle; and complimentary WiFi.

About AYANA Resort and Spa

Named after a ‘place of refuge’ in Sanskrit, AYANA Resort and Spa enjoys majestic ocean views along its 1.3km coastline on cliffs above Jimbaran Bay, just 12km from Bali’s airport. Guests enjoy unrivaled sanctuary within the 77-hectare resort, which is also home to RIMBA Jimbaran Bali, a 297-room hotel scheduled to open in late 2013.

AYANA’s 368 guest rooms comprise 78 private pool villas and a 290-room hotel. Resort highlights include the 22,000sqm Thermes Marins Thalasso spa with one of the world’s largest Aquatonic Seawater Therapy Pools and the Spa on the Rocks villas set amidst the Indian Ocean. There are five purpose-built wedding venues; the avant-garde Champa Garden for grand-scale events; four freshwater swimming pools including a children’s pool; a salt-water, infinity-edged Ocean Beach Pool at the cliff’s base, accessed via an inclinator; 12 dining venues; 18-hole golf putting course; tennis pavilion; jogging/cycling path; fitness center; children’s center; perfume-making studio and boutiques; comprehensive meeting facilities and business center; and resort-wide WIFI.

Awards for AYANA Resort and Spa include:

                                TRAVEL + LEISURE READERS’ AWARDS

2013                        World’s Best Hotels

2012                        Asia’s Best Resorts

                                CONDE NAST TRAVELER

2012                        Gold List: World’s Best Hotels and Resorts

2011                         Readers' Choice Awards: #1 Best Resort in Asia

2010                        Readers' Choice Awards:#1 Spa Resort in the World

                                destinasian readers’ choice awards

2012                        #1 Resort Spa in Asia-Pacific

                                #1 Best Hotel in Bali

About Capella Hotel Group

Capella Hotel Group based in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. was founded in 2002 by legendary hotelier Horst Schulze. The principals of the company leverage unparalleled hospitality experience and a diverse track record of operating world-class hotels and resorts to create value through superior service at luxury, world-class properties and conference centers in gateway cities and high-profile resort destinations around the world. Capella Hotel Group has successfully launched two hotel brands, Capella and Solis, and manages leading independent brands including AYANA. They have helped reshape concepts of luxury service throughout the hospitality and service industries and created the unparalleled Canon service standards introduced at AYANA, underpinning the resort’s commitment to excellence and guest satisfaction. For more information, visit www.capellahotelgroup.com.

For interviews/photos, contact:

Marian Carroll

Director of Public Relations & Marketing Communications

marian@ayanaresort.com

Telephone: (62)(361)702222

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