Kat Beyond Borders

I spent fifteen nights in Ubud and I’m not going to pretend that’s a normal amount of time to give one town in Bali. Most people do three days, maybe four, hit the rice terraces, get the iconic swing photo, and move on to the beach clubs in Canggu or Seminyak. I get why, Ubud isn’t flashy in the way beach towns are. But two weeks here taught me that Ubud isn’t a stop, it’s a pace, and once you slow down to match it, it kind of ruins you for rushed travel forever.

This is the full rundown, three different places I stayed and why, everything I actually did, the stuff I researched obsessively but never booked, and the pro tips I wish someone had handed me before I landed.

Where I Stayed, and Why I Moved Three Times

I split my time across three properties, partly by design and partly because Ubud rewards that kind of movement, different neighborhoods within Ubud have genuinely different personalities.

Rumah Kayu Resort Ubud (5 nights) was my first stop, a beautiful wooden villa property with a mix of rice field and jungle pool views. This was the “ease into Bali” stretch, slower mornings, one spa day where I did absolutely nothing else, and my first real taste of Ubud’s rhythm.

Outpost Ubud Coworking (5 nights) came next, and this was a deliberate shift into “actually get things done” mode. If you’re doing any kind of remote work or just want reliable wifi and a change of scenery from resort lounging, Outpost is a genuinely great option, real coworking infrastructure inside a resort setting.

GK Bali Resort Ubud Bali (5 nights) closed out the stay, and this stretch happened to overlap with Nyepi, Bali’s Day of Silence, which I’ll get into below because it fundamentally changed what those few days looked like.

Pro tip: don’t feel like you need to pick one hotel and stay put for two weeks straight. Ubud is small enough that switching properties doesn’t cost you much in logistics, and it genuinely changes your experience to wake up somewhere different every five or so days.

The Hotel Research Rabbit Hole

I will be honest, I fell into a genuine research spiral before this trip trying to pick the right Ubud property, and I ended up with a shortlist of over thirty places I seriously considered. A few that stood out enough to mention if you’re doing your own research: Lawangkala Resort Ubud kept coming up as “amazing,” Komaneka at Tanggayuda and The Udaya Resorts & Spa both looked genuinely lovely if you’ve got more budget to work with, and The Sebali Resort has a pool with a waterfall view that I still think about even though I never stayed there. Nandini Jungle by Hanging Gardens has one of those infinity pools perched over the canopy that you’ve probably seen on Instagram without knowing the name.

Pro tip on the research itself: pay attention to whether a listing says “rice field view” or “jungle view” or “valley view,” they are genuinely different experiences and the photos online don’t always make that obvious. Rice field view properties tend to be flatter and more open, jungle and valley view properties usually come with more dramatic topography but sometimes fewer amenities like private pools.

Culture and Temples

Ubud is the cultural and spiritual center of Bali, and it shows in how many temples and palaces are packed into a relatively small area.

• Ubud Palace, the historic royal palace right in the center of town, easy to combine with the art market next door
• Peliatan Royal Palace, where I caught a traditional fire dance performance, worth arriving around 6:30pm to get settled before it starts
• Pura Tirta Empul, a holy spring water temple where you can join locals in the ritual purification bathing, genuinely one of the most memorable things I did in Bali, bring a sarong and modest clothing
• Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave temple, an easy pairing with a morning out toward the eastern side of town
• Pura Gunung Kawi Sebatu, a water temple I visited on my way out of Ubud, worth the short detour if it’s on your route
• Pura Mengening, a smaller, quieter temple near Tirta Empul, easy to combine into the same outing since they’re close together

Pro tip: temple etiquette matters here. Sarongs are usually required and often available to rent or borrow at the entrance, but bring your own if you can, it’s more comfortable and you’ll be using it a lot over two weeks in this region.

Nature and Rice Terraces

• Tegallalang Rice Terrace, the famous stepped rice paddies, genuinely worth the hype but go early, it gets crowded and hot fast
• Tegenungan Waterfall, an easy, accessible waterfall close to central Ubud
• Ulu Petanu Waterfall, a quieter, less trafficked alternative if Tegenungan feels too busy
• Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, exactly what it sounds like, a forest temple complex full of long tailed macaques who will absolutely try to take your sunglasses if you’re not careful

Pro tip: don’t carry loose or shiny items into the Monkey Forest, and definitely don’t bring food out in the open. The monkeys are used to tourists and have zero shame about it.

Craft and Food Experiences

• Alas Arum Silver Workshop, a hands on silver jewelry making experience, similar energy to the craft workshops I loved doing in Kanazawa, worth booking if you want a souvenir you actually made
• Mas Plantations, a coffee plantation visit that includes tasting kopi luwak, the civet cat coffee Bali is famous (and a little controversial) for. Worth doing your own research on the ethics of luwak coffee sourcing before you go, sourcing practices vary a lot between operations
• Satria Luwak Coffee, another coffee stop if you want to compare
• Ubud Art Market, right next to Ubud Palace, good for textiles, woodwork, and general souvenir hunting, and yes you should haggle a little, it’s expected

Wellness and Slow Living

This is genuinely where Ubud separates itself from the rest of Bali. It’s not just yoga marketing, the town has real infrastructure for slowing down.

• The Yoga Barn, probably Ubud’s most famous studio, and it earns the reputation, big class schedule and a genuinely beautiful jungle setting
• Ubud Yoga Centre, a smaller, less touristy alternative if the Yoga Barn feels too big for your taste
• Movement Matters Bali Pilates and Tone Pilates Studio, two different pilates studios I tried, worth picking based on whichever is closer to where you’re staying
• Sparsha, another wellness stop worth checking their schedule for
• A full spa day with no other plans attached, which I cannot recommend enough after the first stretch of any Southeast Asia trip
• Bali Sacred Journey with Kadek Sutarna, a Balinese healer session, and separately, a session with a traditional healer family through Putu Suciyati, which I booked a couple weeks ahead. Healers here are a real and respected part of Balinese culture, not a tourist gimmick, so treat the booking and the visit with genuine respect

Pro tip: book healer sessions ahead of time, especially well known ones. These aren’t drop in appointments, and the good ones get booked out.

What I Didn’t Do (And What I’d Consider Next Time)

A few open, unstructured days crept into this stretch, which honestly felt right given the whole “slow travel” premise of choosing Ubud in the first place. Not every day needs an activity logged against it.

On the accommodation side, the retreats I researched but didn’t book are worth mentioning if a more structured wellness trip is your goal rather than a general slow travel one. Bali Silent Retreat, Goddess Retreats Ubud, and Escape Haven Bali Retreat all came up repeatedly in my research as genuinely well regarded options for a more immersive, program based stay, versus the more independent, come and go as you please approach I took.

I also never made it to some of the higher end villa options on my shortlist, places like Impiana Private Villas Ubud or Kappa Senses Ubud, which looked genuinely beautiful but leaned more toward the “isolated luxury villa” experience than the more central, walkable stays I ended up choosing. Worth considering if privacy and a private pool matter more to you than proximity to town.

My Actual Pro Tips for Navigating Ubud

• Rent a scooter if you’re comfortable riding one, but Ubud’s roads are genuinely chaotic. If you’re not confident, private drivers are affordable and honestly a much better use of your mental energy over two weeks.
• Base yourself centrally for your first stay, then branch out. Being walkable to Ubud Palace and the market for your first few days helps you get oriented before you start venturing to quieter, more spread out properties.
• Book workshops, healers, and popular temple visits a few days to a couple weeks ahead, especially anything with limited daily capacity, this isn’t a place where everything is drop in.
• Bring a proper sarong and modest clothing options, you’ll be visiting temples constantly and you don’t want to be scrambling for rentals every time.
• Don’t overschedule. The biggest thing two weeks taught me is that Ubud rewards leaving blank space in your days. Some of my best moments here weren’t on any list, they were the mornings I had genuinely nothing planned.

Two weeks in Ubud is not a normal amount of time to spend in one town in Bali, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. This is a place built for slowing down, not checking boxes, and the longer you stay, the more that actually sinks in.