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When Mike and Natalie Keegan came to Bali for their honeymoon in 2005, they, like so many before them, fell in love with the Island of the Gods. Originally from Calgary, Canada, the couple currently live in Hong Kong, where Mike works as a pilot and Natalie as a fitting model. And like so many before them, the Keegans come back to Bali whenever they can.

“Ever since our first trip to Indonesia, we dreamt about having a villa of our own one day and living in Bali,” Mike said. And with every visit, the couple’s dream became more concrete as they searched for the right plot of land to build a place of their own.

“Finally, we came across the village of Pererenan and fell in love with its old Bali charm and beautiful coastline,” Mike recalled.

They soon acquired a piece of land just a couple of steps away from Canggu Beach, a popular surfing spot. According to Mike, who himself likes to surf, they found a spot that was the best of all worlds.

“You are away from the hustle and bustle of Seminyak but it’s still only a 20- minute drive away,” Mike said.

“There is a feeling you get when you drive past all the traffic and businesses of the tourist area and into Pererenan that just makes you smile every time. When we see the open rice fields and villagers walking along the streets, and then the breaking surf and beach right before you turn off the main road to the villas, we finally feel at home.”

The Keegans built two twin villas on the property, both constructed along the same concept and featuring the same interior design. The couple fly in from Hong Kong with their 18-month-old daughter whenever their schedule allows, and rent out the villas to tourists when they’re not there.

“The whole project took us about four years to complete — two years securing the right plot of land, a year in working out the best design, and another year to construct and furnish the villas,” Mike said. “We worked with a great architect from New Zealand, Ross Franklin, who has been living and working in Bali for over 20 years.”

Both Mike and Natalie wanted to incorporate their own ideas of “beach house chic,” characterized by an open living concept.

The villas are surrounded by a garden, which Mike said keeps the air flowing and the temperature cool, even on the hot and humid days.

Each villa features its own swimming pool, a kitchen, dining and living area, two bedrooms with open-air bathrooms, a rooftop garden and a bale (Balinese-style gazebo) overlooking the surrounding area and the beach, so that Mike can check the waves from home.

“We were hoping to make the villas feel relaxed, homey and unassuming,” he said. “We love all the old wood and antiques from around Indonesia and decided to use as much of it as we could to make the villas feel warm and welcoming. The feel and look of reclaimed wood really makes even the smallest of things feel more decadent.”

Instead of filling their new villas with typical Balinese statues and carvings, as so many other hotels and private homes do, the Keegans decided to focus on natural elements, giving the homes a sense of harmony, serenity and feeling of “bringing the outside in.”

“Bali is one of the few places in the world where you see the open living concept being used in architecture, and it’s such a unique thing to experience,” Mike said.

Since they opened Pantai Indah Villas in July 2011, the Keegans have received visitors from all over the world. They say most of their guests are “independent travelers — someone who knows Bali a bit already and is keen to be away from the busy tourist areas, to experience what the island really has to offer.”

With a villa that features as many beautiful spots as Mike and Natalie’s, it is hard to pick a favorite place. When asked where they would spend most of their time, the couple found it hard to answer.

“This is usually our biggest dilemma when we are there — where should we hang out?” Mike said.

“The rooftop bale is one of our favorite areas in the villas, since you can see the sunrise over the volcanoes in the morning, then watch the sunset over the surf of Pererenan Beach,” he said.

“During the day, it’s got to be the bench under the waterfall in the pool,” he added. “But at night we like to sit on the sun chairs looking at the stars while sipping a cold drink.”