One of the world’s most coveted stays, the Indonesian resort brings its celebrated Sandalwood horses, a new tennis court and elegant clubhouse together on Nihiwatu Beach.
Horses have always been part of the landscape at NIHI Sumba. They gallop through the surf at Nihiwatu Beach, carry you along forest trails and graze within sight of villas overlooking the Indian Ocean. Few resorts arrive with stronger credentials: it remains the only hotel to have been voted No. 1 in the world in consecutive years in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards.
Now, the resort has given its Sandalwood herd an even more prominent place in daily life with the opening of the Riding & Racquet Club: a new beachfront enclave that brings together equestrian pursuits, tennis, dining, and design. Conceived by NIHI founders James McBride and Chris Burch in collaboration with creative director Caroline Usher and UBD Global, the project borrows the conviviality of a traditional sporting club while remaining firmly rooted in its Indonesian island setting.
The Clubhouse
Tucked beside NIHI’s newest villas, the club feels less like a separate facility than a natural extension of Sumba’s leisurely, outdoors-led aesthetic. You might begin the morning with coffee overlooking the stables, ride along the beach before breakfast, play a set of tennis in the afternoon and return for cocktails as the sun slips into the Indian Ocean.
Looking out across both Nihiwatu Beach and the Sandalwood Stables, the clubhouse features an open lounge, bar and wide terrace that keep the horses in view throughout the day. Interiors draw on the language of an old sporting club, but the materials are unmistakably Sumbanese: think dark teak, high thatched ceilings, carved woodwork and locally made decorative pieces. Vintage tennis racquets and polo mallets displayed alongside traditional Sumba spears, add character.
Time For Tennis
Riding remains central to the experience. NIHI’s Sandalwood horses have long carried riders beyond the resort, following routes through rice fields, woodland and traditional villages, although the shoreline remains the most evocative setting. From the new club, you can watch the stables come to life, meet your horse before setting out and return afterward for lunch within sight of the paddocks.
The Riding & Racquet Club also introduces NIHI Sumba’s first international-standard tennis court available for private coaching, informal rallies and family matches. Placement is deliberate, and the court remains connected to the club, with the stables, bar, and Indian Ocean all within a few steps. Picture yourself finishing a lesson and being back on the terrace with a cold drink in hand before the tropical heat has had too much time linger.
On Monday evenings, the emphasis shifts from sport to fire. Bakar di Kandang Kuda—meaning “grill at the horse stables”—is a weekly open-air dinner built around dishes cooked over flame. Beneath the stars, the resort’s culinary team showcases Sumbanese ingredients and flavors, think less formal dinner more communal beachside feast backdropped by the views of the horses and breaking waves. A dedicated boutique extends the club’s equestrian-meets-racquet aesthetic through limited-edition NIHI apparel, artisan-made accessories and collaborations with local craftspeople. Many draw on Sumba’s natural materials and creative traditions, with several designs available only here.
The club will expand again in January 2027 with the opening of an adults-only pool overlooking Nihiwatu Beach and the Sandalwood horses. Positioned beside the clubhouse, it will add another way to pass the hours between rides, matches and meals. Teached by a one-hour flight from Bali, rates start from $2,090 per villa, per night on a full-board basis, excluding alcohol. nihi.com
