Ni Wayan Murni was born in Penestanan, Bali. Murni is a well-known and much loved personality on the Bali scene and a pioneer of Balinese tourism. Her personal YouTube video is on youtube.com/watch?v=z2pUsbhwNzw
Shops and Restaurant
During her extraordinary life Murni has lived in Sanur and Ubud and has travelled widely. By the early 1970s she owned 4 shops on Sanur beach and had opened Ubud’s first real restaurant, Murni’s Warung, overlooking the Campuan River. Since then thousands of people have enjoyed her food and hospitality. She is still very active in the restaurant.
There are YouTube videos on youtube.com/watch?v=zf3VVj7gx8g and youtube.com/watch?v=KWTgnXtOlpA
Asian Antiques and Textiles
During her adult life Murni has been busy collecting and becoming an expert on Asian antiques and textiles and many of them are to be found in Murni’s Warung Shop beside the restaurant and in her private gallery. She was the first person in Ubud to have a proper gallery of antiques, textiles, costumes, old beads, tribal jewelry, stone carvings, masks and other ethnic pieces. Many of her pieces are museum quality and her fine arts credentials are impeccable. Murni is a member of the Thai Textile Society.
Exhibitions
In 2007 and 2009 Murni exhibited part of her collection at the prestigious shows, Arts of Pacific Asia and Tribal Arts & Textiles, in San Francisco and gave a lecture on Balinese textiles to the Textile Arts Council at the de Young Museum. Murni understands and participates in Balinese culture on a daily basis and used to play in a women’s gamelan group at important religious ceremonies.
Articles and Books
Murni has written numerous articles on Balinese art and culture (https://www.murnis.com/murni/articles-by-murni/) and the book Secrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World by Jonathan Copeland and Ni Wayan Murni, published by Orchid Press in 2010, is in its second print run. It is available from https://murnis.com/ebookstore
Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud by Ni Wayan Murni and photographs by Jonathan Copeland was published in October 2011 and is available as an ebook from https://murnis.com/ebookstore
Ni Wayan Murni and Jonathan Copeland wrote From Tattoos to Textiles, Murni’s Guide to Asian Textiles, All You Need to Know ... And More, which is an ebook available from https://murnis.com/ebookstore
Murni’s Bali Tours, Where to go, What to Do and How to Do It is an ebook of 7 special tours was written and designed for guests staying at Murni’s Houses & Spa to bring with them on the tours It is an ebook available from https://murnis.com/ebookstore
Murni’s Houses & Spa
In the early 1980s Murni started to construct Murni’s Houses in Ubud, a complex of seven, now twelve, extraordinary residences and open-air pavilions amid a garden full of flowers, statues, fountains, trees and shrubs lying all by itself next to open fields.
It is a wonderful introduction for first timers to Bali and a dependable refuge for her many guests who return each year. Just 5 minutes walk from the main road and accessed through a traditional Balinese roofed gate, it’s a place of tranquility. Residential Spa packages are available. There are YouTube videos: youtube.com/watch?v=Cd1A2xgNlDc
and youtube.com/watch?v=3vCnSMavfRk
Tamarind Spa at Murni’s Houses
Murni’s latest venture is the creation of Tamarind Spa at Murni’s Houses, which has won 4 awards. Tamarind Spa brings all these aspects of Balinese art, luxury, and culture together in one healing experience. There is a YouTube video on youtube.com/watch?v=h4IscHN4dqo
Houses
She also has houses in Penestanan for long-term rent.
Anniversary of Murni’s Warung
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Murni’s Warung, Forty Delicious Years, Murni’s Warung, Ubud, Bali, 1974–2014, From Toasted Sandwiches to Balinese Smoked Duck was published in 2014. It has its own YouTube video www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFq22MYP-_s. It is available as an ebook from https://murnis.com/ebookstore
Social Media
Murni’s Warung, Murni’s Warung Shop, Murni’s Houses and Tamarind Spa are on Trip Advisor and Facebook, and Murni is on Twitter and Linkedin