Casa Tuya’s intimate approach

While Bali has no shortage of luxury resorts, Casa Tuya hopes to offer an antidote to the mega-resort when it opens in Ubud next July.

With just 12 private standalone villas and a generous five-to-one staff-to-guest ratio, the new resort is deliberately keeping things small, with the focus firmly on personalised stays rather than scale.

In fact, Casa Tuya founder Christopher Katke doesn’t really see it as a traditional resort at all. Instead, he describes the property as a “safari for the soul”, where guests are given the space and time to slow down, switch off, and reconnect with themselves.

Guests can choose from three signature programs — Solo, Mindful, and Wellness — catering to those seeking everything from a restorative escape to a more guided wellness experience.

At the heart of the property is a healing and wellness centre, with four treatment rooms and a sauna, steam room, ice bath, thermal spa, gym, and yoga and Pilates studios.

Treatments will include bodywork and skincare rituals using Casa Tuya’s own remedies, made with locally sourced Indonesian medicinal botanicals, while an in-house practitioner will offer herbal tinctures, therapeutic oils and restorative tonics.

Guests looking to delve a little deeper can also take part in workshops or book private consultations with a naturopath, alongside therapies drawing on energy work and ancient healing practices.

In other words, there will be enough on offer for guests that there should be little reason to leave the property.

Food will also play a significant role in the overall experience, with Casa Tuya’s signature restaurant, Tio Tio, serving a Mediterranean-inspired menu cooked over a wood and charcoal fire.

While the menu has been developed in collaboration with a Michelin-starred New York chef, guests won’t necessarily be bound by it. Those craving something entirely different can ask the kitchen to create a meal around their tastes.

Katke’s own CV is almost as varied as the retreat’s offerings. Before turning his attention to hotels, the entrepreneur, designer and photographer worked alongside famed portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz. He then swapped his cameras for kitchens, and trained at the French Culinary Institute. He later worked at Michelin-starred Annisa in New York, and went on to establish BLK BOX Design, creating luxury residential projects for private clients across New York and Europe.

Casa Tuya brings those various threads together, with Katke drawing on his background in photography, food, design and hospitality to create a resort where the details are intended to feel considered rather than simply luxurious.

“Casa Tuya is the place I wish I’d found earlier in my own journey, somewhere that doesn’t rush you toward relaxation, but gives you the space to actually arrive,” he says.

“Every detail, from the size of the property to the food we serve, was built around one idea that you can’t manufacture transformation, you can only create the conditions for it. This isn’t a resort in the traditional sense. It’s an invitation to come as you are and reconnect with yourself.”

fast facts

+ Casa Tuya is set to open in July 2027, with 12 private standalone villas.

+ Located in Taro in Ubud’s northern region, the property is about a 45-minute drive from central Ubud, and a nearly two-hour drive from Denpasar International Airport.

+ Casa Tuya is now taking bookings for stays from July 2027.

+ Visit casatuya.com for more information.