I had heard from many people that they thought we would enjoy Ubud much more than Bali. They were correct. We arrived here to end our long week in Indonesia and really focused on relaxing while here. This area is still touristy but in a different way than the coast and was a much better fit for our explorations. We opted to stay in a very remote open air Airbnb arrangement while here which became the focal point of our three nights. We did some excursions but also enjoyed reading, a little yoga and watching the wildlife at our jungle abode.

EXPERIENCE

Ubud is meant to be explored at a slower pace. We kept busy exploring the rice paddies and local attractions. We did a full day of temples and sites.We started at 5AM to get to the very popular Gates of Heaven site at the Hindu Lempuyang Temple. This was quite touristy, required sarongs but was worth the visit. This site also provides a spectacular view of the still active Mount Agung. From here we made a visit to Tirta Gangga, which is a local palace with beautiful gardens and impressive statues and giant koi fish. We did a hike down to the canyon to see Tukad Cepung Waterfall which was really beautiful but amidst some sort of Instagram bikini photo frenzy while we were there.

This phenomenon was not uncommon while in Ubud, which seems to be a Millennial tourist hot spot of a phony “spiritual” sort. We walked by the swing at Tegalalang Rice Terrace in the Tegalalang Rice Terrace Site, which is also insanely touristy and odd. We went to a coffee plantation as well where the Lewak makes its special poop coffee bean. We had a really nice tasting experience here and ended up purchasing both coffee and some delicious teas. After this, we had seem about enough and retreated to our house for some solitude. Things we decided to skip, but others may enjoy include the Monkey Sanctuary Park, Batubulan Village and the Elephant “Sanctuary”. We also added a nice little massage to our walk around town, stopping for a very affordable couples massage at Cantika Zest Health and Beauty Spa. This place was neat because they handmake all their own lotions and potions organically in house.

EAT

Fresh fruit dominated our cuisine while in Ubud. Our Airbnb cooked a fantastic breakfast and made some great dining recommendations.We had a mediocre lunch with a great rice patty view one day at Lereng Agung Restaurant.

Our favorite restaurant we came across in all of Indonesia was Bird’s Nest Thai Kitchen. We ate here twice and enjoyed some awesome coconut soups, curries, pad Thai and mango sticky rice. The great thing about this place is that it is right next door to Gaya Gelato, which is another fantastic stop while on the island, we especially loved the Mangosteen Sorbetand Ginger Chocolate chip! Among these we got tons of other restaurant recommendations while here, many of which I’m sure are great.

STAY

The vibe in Ubud demands a local stay. We found an incredible hideaway retreat on Airbnb and loved every minute of our three nights there. This place was an open air architectural marvel set on a rice patty about 15 minutes walk from the nearest street. While it made me a litte jumpy at moments, we loved sharing our outdoor rice patty house with giant geckos, a variety of lizards, tree frogs, toads, hummingbirds, huge snails (…and praying not snakes) the past few nights. Thinking of this as our very own mosquito patrol squad. these critters just hop in and out— quite the evening entertainment.

Overall, we enjoyed our time in Ubud. For those who have not traveled much in Asia, this might be an accessible first destination. While it feels particularly touristy and Westernized in terms of it’s offerings, I can only really compare it to Tulum. Both of these are lovely places with a magical spiritual vibe to them that is somewhat authentic, yet often catering to a world far from its own.