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It was in January 1978 that I first set foot on Bali soil, via Jakarta.

At the invitation of a hotel developer in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, it was a multi-day trip aimed at researching resort hotels.

At that time, Southeast Asia was at the dawn of a tourism boom in the Asia-Pacific region, with five-star hotels representing cities such as Dusit Thani in Bangkok, Shangri-La and Mandarin in Singapore, and Borodubour in Jakarta.

In 1970s, Bali Airport was still a small, rustic terminal building, and of course there was no air bridge. It was an airport that lacked glamour, in the days before people from all over the world who were attracted to the island would arrive at the airport.

From the airport, we decided to take a taxi to Sanur Beach, which was about 10 kilometers away, where the most advanced resort hotels were located at the time.

It was a lonely airport before it became an international airport.

Photo by author, 1978

Along the way, we saw the scenery of pristine salt fields.

Photo by author, 1978

Then we drove through the bumpy roads of the salt fields for about 30 minutes …

Photo by author, 1978

We finally arrived at the Bali Hyatt on the coast of the Sanur district in eastern Bali. It was the first five-star hotel to open in Bali at that time. And it was like another world.

The entrance to the resort is made of coral sedimentary rocks dug out from the nearby mountains, and the reception building is about 100 meters away. By creating such a long approach, the hotel have succeeded in creating a boundary between the everyday outside world and the specially built resort area.

Entrance to the Bali Hyatt Hotel.

Photo by author, 1978

Photo by author, 1978

Since there is no public road between the hotel and Sanur Beach, which spreads out at the back of the hotel, the hotel grounds are directly connected to the beach, and the beach and the hotel’s outer garden succeed in creating a seamless view. This kind of resort design method can be seen repeatedly in the Nusa Dua area, which was developed on a large scale as a trump card for Bali tourism since the 80s by the Suharto administration.

Photo by author, 1978

Bali Hyatt Hotel Reception as shown below. Almost all the building materials used in the building were wood, bamboo, thatch, and local stone and brick.

Although it was simple, it was consistent with Bali’s unique local production and consumption, which enhanced the unique resort feel of this place.

Photo by author, 1978

Bali Hyatt Hotel’s Open Lobby Lounge.

Photo by author, 1978

From the hotel’s private white sand beach, you can see Mount Agung, which is revered as a sacred mountain by the Balinese. A great location and photo spot.

Photo by author, 1978

The hotel’s private quiet white sand beach on the east side

Photo by author, 1978

Photo by author, 1978

Miniature golf course.

Photo by author, 1978

Photo by author, 1978

Photo by author, 1978

Photo by author, 1978

A low-rise guest room block facing a white sand beach.
The height limit for buildings in all areas of Bali is 15 metres.
It was set so that the building would not exceed the height of the palm tree.

Photo by author, 1978

The first five-star hotel in Bali, the Bali Beach Hotel, is now known as the Inna Grand Bali Beach, was built with war reparations.
With the development of tourism, Bali now has as many hotels as there are stars in the sky, so this hotel is considered old, but it still stands quietly on the beach in Sanur as a witness to history.

Photo by author, 1978

Photo by author, 1978

Photo by author, 1978

Photo by author, 1978

This first trip to Bali was an inspection trip to gain a foothold in the development of tourism on the scenic land owned by Mr. L’s family. I am very grateful for this trip, which allowed me to learn the essence and methods of resort development in the early stages of my working life.

A group of companions relaxing at an outdoor bar in the gazebo.

Photo by author, 1978

Hotel employees in an indoor coffee shop in 1978

Photo by author, 1978

The first five-star hotel in Bali on the beach side of Sanur was the Bali Beach Hotel (now Inna Grand Bali Beach). I heard that it was built with Japan’s reparations after the war, and I visited it. It is a typical 10-story building, with a closed-in and dimly lit entrance and lobby lounge, a disappointment that does not match the tropical climate and environment at all..

The hotel’s negative reputation and bad reputation led to strict building height restrictions. As a result, Bali’s landscape is unique compared to other resort destinations.