The most beautiful hotel in Ubud Bali
I had seen photos of The Udaya resorts & spa on Pinterest a few years ago and I was sold. I immediately knew that if I ever visited Bali, it had to be the hotel of choice. The Udaya resorts and spa is the most beautiful hotel in Ubud, Bali. I can understand why it consistently wins awards year after year; more recently, Trip Advisor’s most viewed hotel.
The Udaya is an award wining resort and is the epitome of Balinese traditional architecture. It is a very romantic hotel and still is family friendly as well. This hotel review of The Udaya Resorts & Spa will cover our week long stay on the gorgeous property.
Location of the Udaya Resorts & Spa
The Udaya is located in Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar in Bali and is about 10 mins drive from the Ubud center. It is 25 mins from the popular Tegalalang Rice fields and 20 mins from Kamandalu hotel. The Udaya is on a busy street where you find little restaurants and there is a taxi stop just across the hotel.
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Denpasar Airport to Udaya Resorts & Spa, Ubud
The best option to travel from Denpasar airport to Ubud is by car. Hiring a taxi is very popular in Bali in general and it is quite big business. Often, there will be a referral from someone who has been to Bali, regarding the driver-guide to use. This is what happened for us.
We had a few friends who had been; so one recommended the lovely Putu, who ended up being our guide thought our time in Bali. The taxi ride app, Grab and GoJek are also quite popular for airport transfers.
Arriving to the most beautiful hotel in Ubud, Bali
We arrived at about 3pm and walked straight to the welcoming reception. The lovely staff greeted us, told us what room we were staying and offered us welcome drinks. We opted to have our welcome drinks in our room as we were so tired and just needed to sleep.
First Impressions of The Udaya...
Our first impression of the resort as we walked in, we thought it was an absolute dream. There is an imagination when you think of tropical Bali, well at least for me.
The Udaya Resorts & Spa was exactly what I always imagined. I had seen photos on social media so many times but the beauty we walked into was beyond our imagination. It’s a very beautiful property, has a boutique feel to it and with greenery everywhere. Koi fish in different ponds, waterfalls, a massive pool in the centre and lots of figurines are just a few things we noted. We had no idea what was in store but knew it was about to be a wonderful stay.
Once you walk out from the reception, you are greeted with the most beautiful sight that is the swimming pool. This is where hotel residents gathered throughout the day, relaxing on the day beds and sipping cocktails.
Our Room at The Udaya Resorts & Spa
We stayed in Damar which is a Jungle Pool Suite. I really wanted that Bali experience where it felt like you were in the middle of nature and that was what we got. We walked down some stone stairs and it opened to a beautiful pool. As I was admiring the pool, I realised it was the pool attached to our villa. When I say that the photos online do not do this space justice, I totally mean it.
Jungle Pool Suite at The Udaya, Bali
The bedroom is huge and has a traditional four poster bed, complete with mosquito net beautifully draped over it. It had all the luxury trimmings a suite would come with. There was a coffee table which had a coffee machine and crockery. A large wardrobe that had an ironing board and on the side was a lounge sofa. It was a very comfortable room.
The Bathroom
The door on the side led to the bathroom which was another huge space on its own. A stone roll top bath greeted you and it was the star of the space. Further in, is a shower area, perfect for the rainforest jungle paradise the room must have been modelled after. The toilet had its own separate space with a door for privacy.
Both the bedroom and bathroom opened into the infinity pool. This was definitely the sexiest room we have ever stayed in. I feel like this room alone qualified the Udaya as the most beautiful hotel in Ubud, Bali.
Deeva Restaurant
I think it is safe to say that we are not foodies so I’m not particularly awed by foods when we travel. However, being in South East Asia has been incredible for my palate. For where to eat in Bali, Udaya Resorts & Spa has one of the best restaurants in Ubud. So the fact that we were staying in the hotel meant that we explored a lot of the dishes from the restaurant.
One thing we could not get enough of was Nasi Goreng, Indonesia’s version of fried rice. Deeva Restaurant did it differently; they had the Nasi Goreng Rendang. It had apparently been voted as world’s best food by CNN so we knew we had to try it. We also had the Nasi Goreng Udaya which was the fried rice served with mixed vegetables and chicken satays. We really enjoyed eating here and they had special themed evenings most nights with special menus.
Deeva restaurant is a really lovely restaurant. We witnessed a few lovely moments like birthday celebrations and date nights. It was obvious that Deeva restaurant was one of the special restaurants for special occasions.
Kaveri Spa
Bali’s award winning spa, Kaveri spa deserves all the accolades and hype. The Udaya is known to be the home of flower baths; it is where anyone who visits Bali goes to for the experience. Although these days, lots of hotels now offer this experience, Kaveri Spa in the Udaya is still the one recommended for that extra special experience.
Flower Bath at the Udaya Resorts & Spa
We booked the flower bath and couple massage which meant that we got to make it a romantic afternoon. When we arrived, we were offered some tea in the waiting area. Then, we were directed to the space that had our power bath waiting.
There is a shower room and toilet in the space as well. We immediately got into the bath with the help of the staff (because there is a method to it). The flowers are not just for aesthetics but also have a healing element to it. Once we were done, we showered and it was time for our very relaxing massage.
The experience was just so incredible. We even had more tea and coconut biscuits at the end of our experience as well. The Kaveri Spa is one of the reasons why The Udaya is teh most beautiful hotel in Ubud, Bali.
Cultural Experiences at the Udaya Resorts & Spa, Ubud
Daily Free Yoga Class - Vyoma Yoga Hut
We had free yoga classes in the most gorgeous space every morning for an hour at 7.30am. All you had to do was register at least a day in advance.
Mr E and I booked it for a Sunday morning and we headed up there at 7.25am. I had never done yoga before so had no idea what to expect but we absolutely loved it. The yoga instructor was so patient with us and taught us all these new flows. By the end of the session, I realised it was not as easy as I always imagined. The location looked out to the jungle so it was quite an aesthetic view – serene and scenic.
Cooking Class
The Udaya offers an authentic Balinese cooking experience as a part of their cultural classes. You have a set menu and the Chef teaches you how to make these local dishes.
The cooking class ends with a lunch or dinner; eating the food you have made. This experience attracts a fee and I think it is a fun class to immerse yourself in Indonesia’s culinary tradition.
Cultural dance
We had the most wonderful evening with performance by a local dance company. They performed 4 different dances and even got us to join them in the end. I had never seen anything like that and was mesmerised from the beginning to the end. The ladies were spectacular and moved hypnotically to the tune. It’s a very interesting performance and I wondered how long it must have taken each person to learn their choreography.
Romantic Experiences at The Udaya Resorts & Spa
Candle Light Dinner
This was such a lovely, romantic experience. We chose to have it on the last night of our trip and it was the best end to our wonderful trip. The setting was the rooftop of the yoga studio and it was set up with candles and flowers. We enjoyed our lovely meal and ambiance.
Floating Breakfast date for 2
The Udaya offers a floating breakfast for a cost and it is the prettiest thing ever. I will admit that it is not the most comfortable way to eat breakfast but it is vey cute. We picked the day we wanted ours and the night before, we confirmed our orders. On the morning, the staff came and set everything up and even offered to take our photos for us. In reality, once we were done with phones, we jumped out of the pool and enjoyed our breakfast poolside.
The most beautiful hotel in Ubud, Bali: The best things about The Udaya
Daily Shuttle
There was a daily shuttle which ran every hour to and from the Ubud city centre. It was so convenient to just hop in and in 10 minutes, you are right in the middle of Ubud’s centre. Drop off was the Ubud palace and that was were pick up was as well. We used the service once and found it so convenient especially the return leg.
Afternoon Tea
When we checked in and were told there is afternoon tea daily between 4 – 5.30pm, I don’t think we believed wheat we had just heard. The first time we had afternoon tea, we kept asking if they were sure that it was free. But yes, afternoon tea is free and it is a sumptuous, beautiful spread. You get the choice of tea or coffee including Balinese coffee; Balinese pastries and sweets. We loved this so much and had tea every day as long as we were in the resort for the day.
Cultural immersive activities
The hotel had themed nights, free yoga every morning and a cultural dance performance. I loved that we did not have to leave the hotel to feel like we were in Ubud. Somehow, they managed to bring the essence of Ubud to the hotel and it did not feel pretentious at all.
Staff
It is impossible to talk about the things we loved about Bali in general without talking about its people. The Balinese are incredibly kind. We had the most wonderful experience at the Udaya Resorts & Spa because of its lovely staff. The ladies at the reception were so lovely and gave us all the advice we needed for days out and photo spots. The service we received at the restaurant and bar was always so lovely too.
The most beautiful hotel in Ubud, Bali: Hotel Review of The Udaya Resorts & Spa
I have to say that the way hotel was built is very intentional. We could have stayed in all day and not bothered to leave the hotel at all as we had everything we needed within. Staying in the Udaya really made our time in Bali even more special.
There are so many gorgeous hotels and resorts and villas in Bali so narrowing it down can be difficult. I did a lot of research because this was a milestone trip for us. For the value for money, this hotel exceeded all our expectations.
Bisous, Bugo x
2 Comments
Tiesé
These photos alone were enough to relax me. What an absolutely stunning property!! I love hotels that are built to complement the natural environment. Definitely saving!
Bugo
I don’t know if I’ll every get over the entire Bali trip. And tbh, this hotel was the icing on the cake; felt like we hit jackpot and all our Bali dreams were realised x