Our next stop in Bali was the lovely and luscious Ubud! This northern city and the resort we stayed at is HIGHLY recommended if you ever visit Indonesia. We booked two nights at the Kamandalu Resort & Spa. Our stay was absolutely magical and I wish that we had spent just one more night at this gorgeous hotel.
SERVICE
Kamandalu’s driver picked us up in Seminyak. He was very kind and wasn’t shy to tell us the history of Bali answering all our “What’s that?” questions during the drive. He didnt mind if we wanted to stop at one of the art or silver shops on the way and even encouraged us to do so. When you first arrive, the bell boy is waiting with a tray of flowers to put behind your ear. He then escorts you to a big comfy couch with welcome drinks- icy fresh limeade! The reception ladies come to you to check you in as you relax with the open breeze of the lobby and views of the rice fields.
When you are lounging by the pool, the bartenders bring you iced fruit kabobs and chilled glasses of water. You can order food or drinks anytime at the pool bar or the poolside restaurant.
The general manger Deasy came to greet us at breakfast once. She is extremely sweet and will do anything to ensure your stay is memorable. The front desk staff booked restaurants, drivers for wherever we wanted to go and two excursions. One of our excursions required that we had to wake up at 2am to climb and watch the sunrise on top of Mt. Batur. The man at the front desk did this excursion 4 times and highly recommended it. The only problem… we didn’t like the breakfast that the tour was providing (deep fried bananas). Because of this, the hotel made sure that we each received a boxed breakfast (with waters, juices, croissants, fruit, scrambled eggs, etc.) packed and ready for us to grab on our way out in the wee hours of the morning. Definitely 5-star service.
ROOMS
We first got to Kamandalu and realized that the garden villa was not like the one in the picture on the website. Apparently, there are two different types of garden villas. We asked to be switched to the garden villa with the newer layout and there was no problem moving us and our bags to the new room. The room we stayed in was large and open-concept. The king bed had white net curtains and traditional-style blankets that were a bit strange to get used to but extremely comfortable nevertheless. We slept like babies here especially after a long bubble bath overlooking the beautiful luscious garden or after the outdoor shower. We spent one afternoon laying in the garden’s cabana and it was quite relaxing. The sounds from the waterfall below and the birds in the jungle was fabulous from our garden. Apparently, sometimes the monkeys come to your garden to say hello but it is not recommended to feed them as they won’t leave and can end up robbing you! The rooms come with the softest traditional Balinese-style robes and you can purchase one in the gift shop before you checked out. I wore these around the pool during the day and some guests even wore them to dinner. There is a turn-down service every night which always gives a hotel that extra luxurious feel. On our last night, there was a ring at our doorbell and we received farewell gifts from the staff including a bowl of snacks and a letter wishing us goodbye with all our flight information for the morning.
AMENITIES
There are two gorgeous pools at Kamandalu. One is the quieter infinity pool and one is the main pool with swim-up bar and restaurant.
There is a secluded spa around the same area as the infinity pool. Near the lobby, the resort has their own rice paddy fields if you can’t make it to see the public ones.
You can chose many different options as add-ons during your stay at Kamandalu. You may chose lunch in the rice paddies or on a boat that floats around the river going through the resort. You may also book a romantic dining experience in the candle-lit courtyard for one of the nights (pictured below).
There is also complimentary early morning yoga everyday in the yoga barn. The teacher is really great, better than other experiences I’ve had at other hotels. The atmosphere is so pretty and the peacefulness of the nature really helps your mind let go of all the stress you may have.
One of the add-ons we chose was the 3.5 hour private bike tour guided by Wish, a member of Kamandalu’s staff. He was great and lead the way through the old villages of Ubud and the acres of rice paddy fields. In the less touristy bike paths, you will go through the rice farmer village where they are all bathing in the stream. It is honestly one of the most beautiful sights you’ll ever see in your life with all the children waving and smiling at you as you bike by.
LOCATION
Kamandalu offers a free 10-minute transit to Ubud’s main square where there are restaurants, shops and tourist attractions. The resort is situated in a jungle in the middle of the famous Ubud rice fields. The resort was a 1-hour or so drive from Seminyak. Kamandalu’s main restaurant, Petalu, served us a great dinner and wasn’t too busy. The hotel is also a 2-minute drive in the Kamandalu car to the Viceroy Ubud which has a highly recommended restaurant, CasCades. When you are finished dinner here, the Viceroy hotel will call Kamandalu and they pick you up right away. I liked how this resort is situated in the art villages and rice fields instead of directly in Ubud square. This is why I highly recommend Kamandalu’s bike tour… you do not have to bike far before starting to see beauritul scenery.
Book your trip today! Kamandalu Resort & Spa.
