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Tampah Hills: Living The Dream... Sharing The Dream

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When Jakob Johansson last spoke with mylombok, he was excited about a project that was the realisation of a dream. Now he’s leading an ongoing venture that’s helping others to ‘live the dream’, too. Tampah Hills is a tropical island community, where entrepreneurs, guests and locals can live, work and play.

Villa Sorgas was finished in 2015. It was a labour of love for Johansson, a young Swede who had been attracted by the natural beauty of Lombok. He told us how its design – by architects  Alejandro Boreggo, and Paula Huerta of Bambook Studio – focused on eco-friendly construction that also provided luxury accommodation.

It changed his life. He and his family now spend most of their time in Lombok. He still owns and manages Villa Sorgas.

‘We’re very happy with it’, he says. ‘My dream was to build a villa in a tropical environment, so families could come and enjoy the beauty of Lombok. It’s a place where you get inspired. In fact, it was while working on Villa Sorgas that we had the idea for a more extensive project’.

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The Tampah Hills project

A villa on a tropical island is a dream for many people. Making it come true, though, presents a challenge – a challenge that Johansson and his team took up. 

They purchased 120 hectares of land on a hillside, rising to 265m above sea level, between Kuta and Selong Belanak, and a 10-15 minute drive from each. It’s an ideal location; as well as ocean vistas, there are views of Mount Rinjani and Mount Agung on clear days.

After the planning phase, the brand and the concept were launched in 2017. The first task was to plant trees on the land, in line with the ‘Amdel’ environmental permit. Although in a prime spot, the land was dry and without vegetation. A team of 32 people were employed to work on the reforestation project; since then, more than 70,000 trees have been planted.

The following year saw the construction of roads and bridges. The first villa was finished in 2020; currently 13 have been completed, with 16 under construction, including 14 pre-designed buildings in the ‘Seaside Collective’ – a daughter brand.

‘Tampah Hills is about making the dream real’, says Johansson. ‘It’s about building an amazing place to live – short-term or semi-permanent – and creating something more than just villa accommodation. It’s a village community, a ‘seaside society’ that will have everything people need’.

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An innovative concept

We asked Jakob how the concept worked, in practice, for people who are keen to be part of the project.

‘We have a masterplan: you pick a plot you like; we get to know you and your reasons for choosing Tampah Hills; you sign an agreement; and then we introduce you to the eight architects we work with.

‘We also help you through the design process and, when you’re happy, you choose one of our three contract companies and the work begins’.

Most of the villas are available as holiday homes; they can be viewed and booked via the Tampah Hills website. 

For guests, the experience is also designed to be ‘a dream come true’.  On arrival in Lombok, visitors have the VIP treatment: airport-to-villa car, luxury accommodation, a butler service and a personal chef to prepare a 5-star menu, cooked in your villa or brought to you from the central kitchen. 

‘The great thing is that we have eight different architects who work with us, so no villa is the same. Each time you come to stay here you can pick a different villa but still get the same service’.

Guests can also enjoy an in-house massage, cooking classes and various sporting activities, including fishing trips, spear fishing, surfing, snorkelling, paddle, tennis and volleyball.

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A work in progress

The concept for the project has evolved over the years as new ideas have been incorporated into the plan.

As Johansson explains:

‘As well as villas, shops and restaurants, we are building an innovation centre and co-working spaces. The majority of villa owners in Tampah Hills are entrepreneurs and we see the community areas as creative spaces, where people can either work on their own or bounce ideas around with others. 

‘We also plan to offer seminars. We want this to be a place where companies can bring employees for a ‘workcation’  stay, perhaps for team building.

‘Villa guests will be given access to co-working spaces and visitors from outside can rent a place. It’s open to everyone’.

‘The community will also have access to workshops, where they can learn crafts, such as pottery and weaving – artisan skills in danger of being lost as people rely more heavily on technology’. 

The recreational area is already up and running. As well as enjoying the wide range of sporting activities available, guests can choose to relax and have a massage. 

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Working with local people

Those responsible for the project have the interests of local people firmly in mind.

‘When we were buying the Tampah Hills land’, says Johansson, ‘we had to approach various people. Two properties had houses on them, so we found new land and built new houses, locally, for those families. Some land was being used by local people to raise produce, so we bought new productive land for them so they could continue their normal lives. 

‘We currently employ about 100 people from the villages bordering Tampah Hills. The rental division has 50 employees; all but two or three are local. We are trying to educate and employ people from Lombok. Just recently, for example, we ran a butler training course for our staff.

‘The development has also created other opportunities; for example, about five new warungs have opened, which didn’t exist before.

‘Because of the villa accommodation, we are dedicating three hectares to farming. We grow salads and other produce, use what we need and sell the surplus to other businesses in and around Kuta’.

The project has also helped rebuild the local school; seven new classrooms were constructed, using plastic eco-bricks.

The next goal is to build a hospitality school, similar to the Sumba Hospitality Foundation, offering young people education, training and work experience.

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The team behind the dream

Jakob Johansson is one of the co-founders and the CEO of the company, along with Jonas Norberg.

They have 230 employees and a management group of around 10 people. The company has an international flavour. A mix of Indonesian, expat and foreign staff work in either the building or the management division. The construction manager is Swedish and the manager of hospitality is from the Philippines.

‘There are challenges every day’, says Johansson, ‘but we always find ways to overcome them’. 

‘The main thing is that we’re very proud of what we are doing. I am always happy to show people what’s already been achieved and what our goals for the future are’.

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What does the future hold? 

The completed villas are all open and fully operational. Guests arrive every day to experience Tampah Hills. 

There are also massive plans for ongoing development. 

The village community, as currently envisioned, will be completed in 8-10 years from now.

Future plans include two different yoga centres, and a hilltop restaurant, with spectacular sunset views overlooking Selong Belanak beach.

‘Our goal is to build a world class hospitality centre’ says Johansson. ‘With 100 individual projects in Tampah Hills, I would say we’ll be busy for a while yet’.

You can visit the websites to find out more about Tampah Hills and Villa Sorgas.