Ubud in Bali, Indonesia, is a two hour car journey north of the tourist mecca of Seminyak. This hillside town is centred in one of the most scenic parts of the island. It is surrounded by vivid, green, terraced rice fields, stunning, mountain waterfalls and nearby Mt Kintamani. This is where tourists go to experience epic sunrises and discover another facet of Bali’s fascinating cultural landscape.
An International Destination
As a major international destination for tourism Ubud has exploded with development. There are now thousands of small boutique shops, great for the shopping aficionado. Food is a major feature of the area with hundreds of wonderful restaurants and local warungs. Organic, natural foods are readily available and the annual Ubud Food Festival attracts thousands of foodies each year.
The hinterland of Ubud is simply stunning and offers adventure tourism like, biking through the rice fields, swimming in fresh mountain waterfalls and kayaking down whitewater rapids. For those less interested in adventure seeking, yoga retreats are highly popular, along with relaxing massages and workshops like pottery, silverware and batik classes.
Ubud’s accommodation offerings, from serenity soaked bungalows in the rice paddies to beautifully appointed hotels and cottages, is well known. What is not so well known is that Ubud is, from our recent experience, somewhat ‘over-loved’. The small streets in the town are choked with tourists and chaotic traffic jams make moving around the town very difficult, highly frustrating and time consuming. Unfortunately, to move a short distance across town can take upwards of 30 to 45 minutes in a car. Of course a motorbike is an option but a very risky one that travel insurance companies don’t appreciate. All that aside, Ubud is still very much worth visiting.
Gay Ubud
Gay tourists in Ubud should have no problems. The locals are welcoming and the town is very safe, even late at night. Most people are in bed by 10pm ready for their sunrise walks, early morning yoga classes and visits to the vegetable and fruit markets the next day. Unfortunately, we found no gay bars, gay massage spas or gay meeting places.
However, it is common to see gay couples in restaurants or exploring everything Ubud has to offer. Your best option for a gay experience in Bali is to head to Seminyak with its famous bars and meeting places.
Our Accommodation
A few hundred metres off the main road (Jalan Raya) we found the boutique hotel Kano Sari.
Of course there are hundreds of places to choose from but if you want a tranquil haven in the heart of Ubud, Kano Sari is a perfect choice.
The six room luxury villa is designed in traditional Balinese style around a central pool. The rooms are opulently appointed, the gardens and pool are lush and inviting and the dedication of the staff is always on display. Novi, the manager, could not be more accommodating with local hints and offerings.
The villa gives free access to the ‘blue’ hotel car to go to restaurants and bookings which is a real bonus. At Kano Sari they certainly live up to their signature logo of “an elevated experience”.
Restaurants
We found Sugriwa’s Warung, a local Indonesian eatery, excellent for food choices, quality and price. This place is an authentic Indonesian experience with the sounds of the gamelan playing in the background, punctuated by the local temple dogs barking in the nearby street.
Arcadia Restaurant, located at the former, well-known Bridge Restaurant, is an exceptional choice for that special dining experience. It offers both a-la-carte and four different five course tasting menus. The stand out feature of our meal was the charcoal battered, lava cauliflower stuffed with pumpkin, ginger and eggplant. The confit duck leg served on beetroot risioni was succulent and delicious. Arcadia’s décor, located beside the river and perched high in the jungle surrounds provided a relaxing, soothing ambiance for a memorable gourmet dinner.
Casa Luna, which was once the absolute ‘must do’ Asian fusion place in Ubud, has now succumbed to the usual choices of pizza and pasta. Although their food is still delicious and offers a wide choice, there is little that separates it from most other eateries in the main street.
Hujan Locale (Indonesian) is a highly impressive restaurant getting everything right in terms of quality and service. Other places recommended to us were L’Ossteria (Italian), Indus (upmarket Asian fusion), Ibu Susu (Vegetarian) and Room 4 Dessert, a unique, new dining experience serving exotic desserts in four different rooms.
Walks
Udub is famous for its walks with favourites being Campuhan Ridge Walk (2 kilometres one way) and Tegallalang Rice Terrace Walk (about 4 kilometres). We chose neither and opted instead for a rice fields walk from the centre of town called the Kajeng Rice Field Walk.
The path starts on the west side of Jalan Raya between The Water Temple and Starbucks. At first the walk goes past many small shops, then the track narrows out to a collection of small businesses like warungs, coffee shops and souvenir shops and finally meanders its way through the working rice paddies.
It you want a short easy walk take the left hand track and follow the signs to famous Sweet Orange Warung.
For those seeking more adventure, continue onto where the track forks, keep right and follow along the side of the small stream. The track eventually comes to an end and you need to scramble up a bank to find the return path back to Ubud.
The longer walk does give you the full effect of being in the heartland of Bali and there are plenty of eating places to choose from on the return journey. The Rice Joglo Restaurant & Eco Stay has a beautiful setting for resting and taking a snack after your long trek.
We booked our second walk through Ubud Story Walks. We chose the Past and Present tour. Although the tour gets glowing reviews on various websites we found the walk only somewhat interesting, offering not much more than what we could find by using our mobile phones and doing some prior research. However, our guide was charming, caring and knowledgeable and ensured everyone on the tour was well catered for and had the opportunity to ask questions if required.
Ubud Market
The new Art Market in the centre of Ubud is now a large two storey undercover market that is packed with cheap Chinese made clothes and souvenirs. If you want to see local fresh vegetables and fruit then you need to get there before 10am. We have been to many Asian markets around the world and this one is somewhat lacking in authenticity and appeal. A local described the market succinctly and accurately by saying, “We not like new one, old market much better.”
Cultural Shows
There are several dance shows every evening in central Ubud. We thoroughly enjoyed the show and setting at Café Lotus. The Palace Dance Performance is highly popular and set in the former residence of the Royal family. There are a number of other performances like Barong Dance shows. If you have never seen these cultural shows they are usually extravagantly and professionally presented and we can highly recommend them as well as booking ahead to ensure a place.
One of the best things to do in Ubud is to visit the Blanco Renaissance Museum to discover the life and works of famous local identity and artist Antonio Blanco. Don’t miss it.
Ubud has been totally discovered. What once offered a sense of spiritual reawakening has turned into a chaotic assault on the senses. Although it has many features to recommend staying a few days, much like the rest of Bali, and due to lack of planning and a great deal of overdevelopment, the island has sadly lost one of its most treasured and remarkable environments to overcrowding and retail growth.
Recommended Accommodation
NB: All places recommended are (importantly) within walking distance to the centre of town.