Architecture
Choosing a Joglo villa in Bali
Many Bali villas use the word Joglo, and they are not all the same thing: some are old teak houses carried from Java and rebuilt, some are new buildings in the Joglo style, and some only borrow the name. Five things tell them apart, and each one is easy to ask about before you book.
The four posts
A true Joglo is built around four central posts, the soko guru, which carry the whole roof. Ask whether the posts are real timber and whether they stand in the middle of the space, not decorating a wall. See what is a Joglo for how the roof sits on them.
The stepped roof
The Joglo roof is tall and stepped, with layers of carved beams (tumpang sari) rising toward the peak. A flat or single-pitch roof with a Joglo-style facade is a different building. Look at the ceiling from inside, not only the roofline from outside.
Old teak, and how it is joined
Old teak is dark, dense and smooth where hands have touched it, and traditional Javanese carpentry joins beams with timber joints rather than metal fixings. Ask the age of the timber and, if you can, look at where beams meet. A house that has been rebuilt carries its numbered parts and its joints with it.
Where the house came from
Many old Joglos were taken down in Java and rebuilt in Bali. That is a good provenance, and an honest villa will say so. At Villa Aniri the teak Joglo was taken down in Java and rebuilt in the garden, and one of its rooms is a bedroom; the Joglo page shows it.
Living in it
A Joglo is warm in tone and open in structure, which is lovely at breakfast and worth checking for the practical things: air conditioning in the bedrooms, a door that closes, mosquito protection, and how the roof copes with rain. Ask about each rather than assuming.
Questions to ask before you book
Is the Joglo old or newly built? Where did it come from? Which rooms are inside it? Is the bedroom air-conditioned and does it close? A villa proud of its Joglo will answer in one message.
Questions people ask
Straight answers
How can I tell a real Joglo villa from one that only uses the name?
Look for four central posts carrying the roof, a tall stepped roof with carved layered beams, old teak, and joinery rather than metal fixings. Ask where the house came from.
Are Joglos in Bali old houses from Java?
Many are: old teak Joglos were taken down in Java and rebuilt in Bali. Others are newer buildings in the Joglo style. A good villa will tell you which.
Is the Joglo at Villa Aniri a real one?
It is a traditional Javanese teak Joglo that was taken down in Java and rebuilt in the garden. One of the four bedrooms is in it.
Is a Joglo bedroom comfortable?
It is warm in tone and open in structure. Check for air conditioning, a door that closes and how the roof copes with rain, and ask about each.
What is the difference between a Joglo and a bale?
A Joglo is a Javanese house with a tall stepped roof on four posts. A bale is a Balinese open pavilion, usually thatched or tiled.
The next question
Check your dates
Villa Aniri sleeps eight in four bedrooms — sixteen or twenty-four with the houses either side — from IDR 5.399.156 a night, staff and daily housekeeping included. The availability check is live, and a request costs you nothing but three fields.
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Related guides
This guide keeps to what we can vouch for: this house, this lane, and things that are simply true of Bali. Where it would need a fact we have not checked — a restaurant’s current form, a price we do not set, a rule that changes — we have left it out rather than guessed, and said who to ask instead. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.