Boutique hideaway Ocean Mantra Village has opened in East Sumbawa with just 24 rooms, underwater meditation rooted in freediving, and a retreat designed for the ultimate escape
Ocean Mantra Village has opened on a protected bay on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, a 24-room retreat built with no mobile signal, no neighbouring resorts, and a nautilus-shaped infinity pool designed to mirror the night sky underwater.
Sumbawa, located to the east of Bali and Lombok, isn’t an island you hear about all that much. However, this remote, pristine destination offers the Bali experience of 30 years ago, making it ideal for busy urbanites looking to escape.
A True Escape
The new Ocean Matra sits on 3.5 hectares of coastline that had no road, electricity or water supply before construction began. In fact, the founders, who had explored ten Indonesian islands in search of a swimmable bay that guests could enter directly from the resort, had to build all three before the retreat could exist.
“We did not want to build another beautiful hotel and then call it a retreat,” said Olesia Vlasova, Co-Founder of Ocean Mantra Village. “We started with the opposite question: what needs to disappear from a person’s normal environment for them to actually slow down? Then we built the place around that.”
The result is 12 ocean-facing glamping rooms and 12 bungalows set beside a living coral reef and two largely empty swimmable beaches. It just might be the secluded paradise you’ve been looking for.
The resort’s daily programme centres on sunrise meditation, active and restorative yoga, and underwater meditation rooted in freediving techniques, with sessions, held in the resort pool, built around breath and stillness rather than depth, making them accessible to complete beginners.
Accommodation, three daily buffet meals, the full programme and water-activity equipment are bundled into one all-inclusive stay. While guest rooms carry no wifi (the digital detox we all need), for those who need to maintain links to the modern world beyond, there’s Starlink connectivity in the restaurant.
Suitably Remote But Still Accessible
Getting to Sumbawa is increasingly easy, with direct flights to Bali from all major Asian cities, and a one-hour flight on to Bima, followed by a two-hour road transfer to the property. It’s a rare pairing for Indonesia — genuine seclusion reached without an expedition, and a retreat guests can walk into the same morning they leave a major regional hub.
Ocean Mantra Village takes no day visitors, and there are no neighbouring hotels or beach clubs on the property. Just the chance to breathe, to think and to be free.
