The ceremony involves priestly chanting, praying, cymbal ringing and ritualistic water pouring

Tonight, after a ferry ride from Sanur, I arrive at Pramana Natura, a resort that sweeps down Penida’s steep cliffs to the sea. Hang onto your hat as golf buggies whisk you down the incline from reception to the oceanic-designed rooms, the infinity pool with its in-water lounge chairs and the stylish Acropora Bar & Restaurant. I’m soon soaking in a softly bubbling spa on my suite’s patio, enjoying the splendour of the setting sun across the Badung Strait that separates me from Bali proper.

DIVE IN

More water experiences, often with a spiritual bent, are on my agenda the next day, when the ferry transferring me from Penida to Gili Trawangan – the largest of Lombok’s three

Gili islands, the others being Meno and

Air – drops me off to snorkel in the midst of a bale of green and hawksbill sea turtles; they glide serenely over my head and swirl around my feet. I spend the night on the island at the eco-friendly Kardia Resort Gili Trawangan, with its four accommodation choices, canopied poolside cabanas and serene sea views. There’s no such thing as motorised vehicles on Trawangan, so when I leave the resort I mooch about on bicycles and in small horse-drawn carriages called cidomos.

Sanctified by my turtle encounter, I’m off to my next spiritual experience in Ubud, the jungle-laced heart of Bali. I’m now in full Pramana Experience mode, checking in to Pramana Watu Kurung – a resort within a Balinese village, its position poised above the Ayung River enveloped by dense tropical rainforest. Here I discover that hotel manager Ketut Sumartono is also a water purification priest, or pemangku, able to host ceremonies known as melukat.

His melukat is the first of two purifications I undergo while in Indonesia, and it involves priestly chanting, praying, cymbal ringing and ritualistic water pouring, splashing, drinking, gargling and spitting … followed by a small amount of flower crushing.

My next cleansing at the Pramana Giri Kusuma – a healing sanctuary further north near the Ceking rice terraces – is a little more … immersive. This retreat sits on the sacred Giri Kusuma River, and my melukat involves plunging fully clothed into its waters to be blessed. That’s followed by meditation on the surrounding rock platform, alfresco amid the rainforest.

The full benefit of both these purifications was felt later in the resort’s Eucalyptus Spa. Here, I float in a warm milk bath, then enjoy a full-body massage that sends me into a sublime state of bliss. Between the boutique accommodation and the dreamy setting,

I’m in fine form for a spiritual awakening. pramanaexperience.com