Bottom Line
The 30-villa Ubud Village Resort & Spa is a quiet, upscale boutique hotel situated on over 12 acres of lush, hilly land in Ubud. Only about 10 minutes from downtown, the hotel is a convenient base to explore the local sites, but has a secluded, romantic atmosphere. With large villas that include private gardens, pools, and outdoor tubs, it’s easy to relax and enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings. There’s a tasty restaurant on-site serving locally sourced fare, as well as a coffee shop, lobby lounge, and poolside bar. The resort offers a number of activities throughout the week like yoga classes and morning trekking, many of which are free of charge, and there’s a spa and small fitness center, though overall the common areas are spare and sometimes a bit tired. Travelers might also want to compare rates with the Plataran Ubud Hotel and Spa, a similar resort nearby.
Scene
Lush, green grounds with Balinese sculptures throughout
Ten minutes from Ubud’s center, the Ubud Village Resort & Spa is a Balinese-owned boutique resort situated among lush, hillside grounds with the atmosphere of a remote escape. The tone is set on the beautiful, long drive up to the main lobby, a path which is peppered with Balinese sculptures. Once at reception, guests walk up cream-colored stairs to a large open-air lobby with clusters of wicker furniture. On the other side of the lobby are the expansive gardens with aging paved pathways that lead to different buildings and villas. The green grounds even include rice paddies, tended by the hotel’s gardener. There’s an aging quality to the resort, with mossy wall facades and weathered traditional sculptures, but it has the impact of feeling more historic and charming than downtrodden.
Rooms
Spacious villas have expansive gardens with pools and outdoor tubs.
The resort’s villas are simple and spacious, decorated in dark woods, whites, and burgundy accents. The cushioned, wood-framed couches and reading chairs are not overly comfortable, but there is plenty of comfy outdoor lounge seating in the private garden, including a covered daybed and sun loungers in each. In fact, outdoor space seemingly doubles the square footage of the villas, and is a significant draw. Villas also include outdoor tubs and sizable plunge pools. Bathrooms are spacious, with double sinks, beautiful sunken baths, and large shower areas which have windows that overlook the gardens. The larger Villa Suites have even more outdoor space than Garden or Rice Field Villas, as well as kitchenette setups with (older model) mini-fridges, microwaves, hot plates, and a few utensils. Rooms all come with flat-screen TVs, DVD players, and minibars, but Wi-Fi is only available in the common areas.
