At first glance, there is a distinctly rustic vibe to The Seed, Bailey’s four-villa exclusive-use estate. There are stepping-stone pathways, boulders that double as steps. wooden ladders leading up to the treehouse suspended in the canopy. Organic shapes and natural materials abound, including recycled wood and silvery slate.

It looks like a jungly seaside village where Tarzan might go on holiday, and I’m reminded of the surprisingly-stylish set-up the castaways on 1960s’ TV hit Gilligans Island fashioned for themselves. (The wooden weights in the gym are straight out of another ‘60s favourite, The Flintstones.)

Yet The Seed is actually a high-tech, high-touch hideaway, with features including a state-of-the-art recording studio that doubles as a private nightclub, a poolside cinema, a yoga shala and a hot-and-cold-therapy centre.

That’s not the only way The Seed challenges expectations. Designed as a private estate, it nonetheless maintains a resort-like feel, thanks in part to the spread-out design and in part to the fleet of staff that caters to every need. It’s a tropical haven that ticks every box and, remarkably, it was created by someone who not only had no hospitality background, but who wasn’t even planning to get into the business.

“When I started, I was creating something for my family,” says Bailey, an American who has been based in Bali since falling in love with the island in 2007. Having snapped up the last oceanfront parcel of land in Candidasa, the advent of COVID got him thinking about how his family might survive should the pandemic drag on. A private estate with its own mini-farm seemed the answer.

Things took a turn, as things often do, and Bailey decided that the complex he was building would make a fine holiday spot for groups of families and friends. Smart enough to know what he didn’t know, he roped in the help of local experts. Bailey’s mentor, Bali-based architect Martin Friedrich, reached out to his network of traditional craftsmen. Their skills are seen throughout the resort, from the woven “nest” in which the treehouse rests to the delicate carvings on the windowsills.

No trees were removed during construction, and the team focused on re-use and upcycling. When a fallen tree blocked one of the nearby roads, they sought permission from locals and then used the trunk to create their bar.