Tatler Weekend Hong Kong: In Asia’s luxury hotels, Bill Bensley turns conservation into high art
Editor’s note
A few weeks ago at breakfast, I tasted what seemed like the most delicious papaya I'd ever eaten. The next day brought another equally sweet one, and the day after that, yet more papaya perfection. Intrigued by this remarkable streak, I asked my wife about the secret.
“The previous tenants planted papaya trees in the backyard,” she explained—we had recently moved into a new house. I felt grateful to taste the literal fruits of someone else’s labour—a gift that kept giving long after they had moved on. These organic, homegrown treasures taste far better than anything in the market. Our harvest is so abundant that it outpaces our consumption—now, every friend who visits leaves with papaya as a parting gift!
Nurturing nature creates lasting abundance—giving far beyond ourselves to others and future generations.
Speaking of giving and nature, our planet desperately needs some TLC right now. The recent COP29 summit ended with a weak agreement that merely saved face. The outlook for future agreements remains bleak, and individual environmental actions are more crucial than ever.
Fortunately, inspiring examples surround us. In this Tatler Weekend, we showcase three of them: a hotel designer merging nature conservation with high art, an intrepid explorer raising awareness about marine ecosystems, and a distinctive Bali restaurant serving hyperlocal produce from their own farms. Should your travels take you to Bali, you'll know just where to dine—and rest assured, their menu extends well beyond papayas!
Enjoy Tatler Weekend!
Parminder Singh
Parminder Singh
Chief Operating Officer
Bill Bensley: Eco-luxury hotels’ design rebel
In an exclusive interview with Tatler Homes, Bill Bensley, Asia’s maverick hotel designer, reveals how his luxurious rebellion is reshaping hospitality through radical conservation
In the rarefied world of luxury hotel design, where opulence often defaults to marble and crystal chandeliers, Bill Bensley has carved out a singular reputation by breaking nearly every convention of high-end hospitality. Over three decades, his Bali- and Bangkok-based studios have executed more than 200 projects across Asia, each one challenging fundamental assumptions about what constitutes luxury in the 21st century.
Bensley, an American expatriate and Harvard graduate, has become one of Asia’s most influential design voices, though his work defies easy categorisation. His portfolio includes projects such as the Four Seasons Tented Camp in Thailand, where guests sleep in luxury accommodations inspired by 19th-century expeditions, as well as the Shinta Mani Wild in Cambodia, which is a pioneering conservation resort that employs former poachers as forest guardians.
Read more: 7 concrete masterpieces: The world’s most striking Brutalist hotels now
With OceanX, Mark Dalio is bringing Hollywood filmmaking to ocean research and education
What started as a childhood fascination with nature evolved into OceanX, a non-profit initiative that Mark Dalio and his investment mogul father co-founded to promote ocean awareness and research through storytelling
With headlines often highlighting the state-of-the-art research facilities onboard OceanX’s OceanXplorer, one may not realise that it is also a ship built for top-of-the-line media production, with Hollywood-standard equipment for filming and capturing photos of life underwater.
A non-profit initiative by Dalio Philanthropies, OceanX was started by Mark Dalio, a renowned American filmmaker and producer, and his father, billionaire investor Ray Dalio, who is behind Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund.
With only 5 per cent of the world’s oceans explored by humans to date, OceanX’s vision is to educate and inspire people about the natural world below sea level through audiovisual storytelling, similar to the productions we are used to seeing in the film industry.
Since this May, the 87-metre-long OceanXplorer has been traversing the waters of Southeast Asia, studying its diverse marine life and ecosystems. During its brief stop in Singapore this September, we join the younger Dalio onboard the vessel to chat about the times he spent with his influential father, how he got into ocean conservation and his vision for OceanX.
Filmmaker Corinna Vistan on ‘the secret ingredient’ to creating great stories
Producer Corinna Vistan takes us through the lessons she has learned from a career that has taken her from the Marvel Cinematic Universe through Asian narratives
When most girls in her high school years were gushing over boys, Corinna Vistan was gushing over The Godfather and The Usual Suspects. Her passion for films and television shows emanated from her childhood, so it was inevitable that she would end up at De La Salle University to study film and later be behind one of the most successful movie franchises in the international entertainment industry—the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
As a content producer, Vistan worked for Marvel Studios from Iron Man 2 to Avengers: Endgame, mostly on the short films that connect the pieces of the larger MCU. One that strikes her memory to this day was the music video for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, in which she had the iconic David Hasselhoff singing.
“I have a lot of respect for independent filmmakers, but I think the great thing about Marvel was that they were able to tell stories that many people loved and could relate to,” Vistan shares with Tatler. “So much of what I learned of being able to tell a story that people could relate to no matter what culture they are from or who’s in front of the screen came from my experience in Hollywood for 16 years.”
Read more: What Olympic-level athletics can teach us about life: Lessons from pole vaulter EJ Obiena
More than just a restaurant: Inside Locavore NXT
Chef-owners Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah champion hyperlocal produce at their creative playground which spans over 6,000 square metres
“There is a major disconnect between the food we eat and its origins,” says Eelke Plasmeijer, co-chef-owner of Locavore NXT alongside his business partner Ray Adriansyah. “Hold up an ingredient in its rawest form, and the majority of people don’t recognise it.” Born in December 2023 out of the hope to bridge this gap between diners and the way food is cultivated, the multifaceted dining space is located just outside Ubud, Bali, and spans over half a hectare.
From a fermentation lab and bee-keeping facilities to an edible rooftop jungle, mushroom-growing chamber, and on-site cabins, Locavore NXT is the ultimate gourmand playground. “More than a sit-down dining experience, we offer an experiential one that showcases the different ways ingredients are grown and used,” explains Adriansyah.
Read more: 12 cafés in the Klang Valley for your French toast fix
