There’s something hauntingly beautiful about mornings in Bali. Misty and mysterious, the air smells of sea foam or morning dew from the jungle—depending where on the island you’re staying—and lingering smoke from ritual offerings that take place at dawn.
On one such morning, Ronald Akili decided to take his eldest son for an early surf session. “We were on the water, about 500 metres from the shore, and we were still surrounded by trash,” he recalls. “It was unbelievable.” Just last year, it was reported that some of Bali’s most popular beaches were buried in up to 60 tonnes of plastic rubbish every day.
Akili is the co-founder of Indonesian hospitality and lifestyle brand Potato Head, best known for its cult-favourite property on the shore in Bali’s popular Seminyak district, which comprises a beach club, a hotel and several restaurants. The name, he says, is an inside joke among friends and has nothing to do with
