While the gardens were run by a team of fit and well-trained young men and women, Steve was keen to showcase the retired head gardener, who was now the curator of the ‘offering temples’ scattered around the grounds. There was also Maya, a smart Javanese woman, who was in charge of guest relations. She’d had international experience in hotels around the world and was multilingual. The manager of housekeeping, Komang, had trained as a classical Balinese dancer as a child and still performed in ceremonies – she’d be part of the Kamasan’s special blessing and opening ceremony outside the front of the property’s main temple, which would be filmed with several cameras to capture it all. Grace knew when the first guests were booked in, but she hadn’t been given a definite date for the official opening. She hoped the leisurely pace would pick up when they’d decided on a suitably auspicious day.

Andy would also be featured in the video portraits of the behind-the-scenes running of the Kamasan. They’d promote him both as the charming and affable Aussie-surfer-who-stayed, a man who knew how to party, and the sharp, creative mind directing the hotel’s bars and entertainment. One of Andy’s segments was going to show his preparations for a planned weekly competition for his staff, where each Friday they’d submit their cocktail invention or concoction. The winning cocktail would then become the Kamasan ‘special’ for the week.

And then there was the executive chef, Stephano Bianchi. The food was a big selling point for the hotel. As the chef had garnered several Michelin stars and was an international celebrity, he was hardly ever in residence. So it was left to his long-serving second-in-command, Belgian head chef, Emile de Franco, to run the show. He had worked his way up the ranks in Bianchi’s various kitchens around the world.

However, Emile had proved rather elusive, and Grace hadn’t been able to pin him down to discuss doing a video segment. The assistant food and beverage manager, Wayan Toni, a quietly spoken man who controlled the culinary engine room of the Kamasan, had the most to do with Emile, and the previous day he’d pulled Grace aside and delicately explained the situation. Now, as she sat around the table with Steve and the crew, Grace told them what she’d learned.

‘Monsieur Emile is a bitter man, apparently. They were the exact words Wayan used. He’s jealous of his boss and feels that he is the better chef.’

‘That’s not unusual,’ said Steve, tapping his pen on his notepad.