The Samaya Ubud, Bali
After having already spent a week swanning around a Royal Courtyard Villa at The Samaya in Seminyak, we were looking forward to our foray into the bohemian heart of Bali and the promise of lush paddy fields, monkey filled forests, thatch-roofed coffee houses, arts and crafts on every corner and plenty of options for dining. One of the most recent additions to the Ubud hotel scene, The Samaya Ubud exceeded all expectations. The setting of the resort is spectacular: from high on the crest of the valley, the individual walled villas tumble down the hillside to the very edge of the River Ayung. The panorama of paddy fields, palm trees and endless verdant green, reaching out to a blue sky dotted with perfect cotton wool clouds, instantly relaxed us. Our butler-serviced villa was set in a private walled garden surrounded by trees, with a large pool and a Balinese cabana bale.
The room itself had a high ceiling in traditional Balinese style and a large bright contemporary bathroom with a huge Jacuzzi tub. Aside from all these luxuries, we also found fresh fruit and a picnic basket with mini snacks and culinary treats waiting for us every day. We enjoyed relaxing at the aptly named Swept Away restaurant, lounging in comfy chairs nibbling on Asian tapas to the sound of the f lowing river. Dinner at the lovely fine-dining-with-a-view restaurant, Scene, was an absolute delight of exquisitely designed and presented dishes, culminating in to-die-for apple pie ice-cream with hot apple soufflé. Had it not been for the desire to try out as many different restaurants as possible, this fabulous venue would have been our daily haunt. After a hard day shopping and monkey-spotting in Ubud, you can spoil yourselves with a fabulous choice of spa treatments at The Samaya Ubud. We treated ourselves to a couple’s Balinese Eternal Bliss, a delectable treatment that took an indulgent two and a half hours and literally pampered us from head to toe. It was bliss. In fact, our whole experience in Bali was bliss.
Here’s what Sukai & Ben thought….
‘The honeymoon was wonderful, we had such a lovely time. Arriving to the Samaya Ubud was just perfect as it is such a peaceful haven, our villa was gorgeousand the staff were lovely – nothing was too much trouble and they werewonderfully friendly. The resort is gorgeous, intimate and secluded and weloved our villa – the only thing that disturbed the peace was
the gecko that decided to take up home on our roof one night! but that was the type of distraction people would pay to have I think.’
(Travelled October 2011)
