Ubud Inn & Spa Hotel Bali

I stayed here for about 2 weeks when I visited Bali. The beautiful grounds are unbelievable. The owner has worked hard to develop grounds that people feel good about and enjoy waking up to every morning. In fact, he himself is on the grounds with his staff at 5am daily, making sure everything is perfect and trimming up the gardens etc. I also took a visit to the Botanical Gardens. While they were very nice, I felt fortunate about the grounds where I stayed. They were terrific.

Upon arrival, I noticed the geckos on the the ceilings and walls. I was worried that they might make an appearance in my room. In fact, I only saw one in there, the day before I left. Was not a problem at all.

The room was cute and fully air conditioned. Not much in the way of TV options for those down times. No music or alarm clock in the room.

The bathroom was definetely not deluxe. The shower was a bathtub, with no curtain, just an open tub. That was very strange. There were 2 windows in the bathroom, however, everything was surrounded by trees. I had to get used to it if I wanted to be clean. So, I did. Also, the first day I was there, I saw a cockroach in the shower. I was not happy, but called the cute man in the sarong to come take care of it and he did!

The sink had a wooden basin around it and I was never really sure how clean that was, since wood is porous. So, I had plenty of plastic bags that I travel with and used those to cover the counters, just to make sure. After all, this is not a place you drink the water from the faucet. You brush your teeth with bottled water.

The best part of the bathroom were the towels. They smelled so wonderfully fresh everyday. I realized how much I missed that when I left and the next towels were "scentless".

The bed was suprisingly comfy and had the sheet canopies for added coziness.

Breakfast was included at the onsite restaurant. It was great to wake up to happy wonderful Balinese people, poolside, and surrounded by gardens, ready to bring you breakfast. There were just a few daily choices, but always accompanied with coffee or tea (Balinese coffee is YUMMO) and fresh fruit. Breakfast was also the time and place to meet other great travelers, several of which I got together with after meeting them at breakfast. In some cases, they were just a familiar face the next day at breakfast!

There is also an onsite "spa" for massages poolside. I did not use this service. I found other places for better prices that felt more like "pampering" than what it "appeared" to be onsite.

The location, on Monkey Forest was excellent. It was in the middle of the shopping district areas (though it is spread out) and near the Monkey Forest. Taxis are readily available... almost too readily avaialable! They ask often (everyday) and if you say, "no thank you", they say, "maybe tomorrow??""

While this was not perfect, all in all, I really enjoyed this location and would go back again... and I can't resist those gardens, the kind reception I received from the workers and the breakfast included made for a great way to start the day.!