About Us

Pesantian is the culmination of the dream of two families, who have shared an appreciation of good food, a love and respect for the Balinese culture and the possibilities of what can be achieved in working together on this exciting restaurant and accommodation project near Ubud.

After meeting through a cooking class almost twenty years ago, Ian and Santika, both chefs, have developed a strong friendship and mutual respect for each other based on their love of cooking. Santika, as Executive Chef in Candidasa East Bali and Ian running his own Deli in Mt Eliza, Victoria, Australia, have continuously shared ideas, mentored and supported each other. In the past, Ian has prepped Balinese food for Santika in Perth and Santika has continued to share recipes and traditional cooking techniques with Ian. Over the years, they gradually came to the conclusion that they should research the possibility of running a business together.

Throughout a 12 year period, they looked for a suitable property for their venture and finally found the perfect location amongst the rice terraces in the small village of Pesalakan, in Pejeng, on the outskirts of Ubud. An essential criterion for their search was to not use local arable land, so when an empty family compound became available in a beautiful area with stunning rural views, they had no hesitation in renovating and developing the property.

Santika and Ian have endeavoured to maintain traditional Balinese architecture in the design of both the Villa and Warung. They offer not only quality accommodation, complete with swimming pool, luxurious bedding and furnishings, but also a restaurant serving first class local Balinese food in an amazing setting. Chef Santika, who is passionate about the quality and tradition of the food that he serves and cooking classes that he conducts, sources local produce where possible and perhaps Pesantian will have its own kitchen garden in the future.

Pesantian aims to be environmentally conscious in its working systems and to be respectful of the local villagers in the area.