Journal
Notes from Ubud
These are the notes we'd hand a guest arriving for the first time. First-hand, short, and updated when things change on the ground.
7 min read
Renting a scooter in Ubud: the fifteen minutes before you ride away
Not a nudge to rent one. If you have already decided, this is the part nobody writes about: inspecting the bike, filming it, deposits and the passport question, what the paperwork does not cover, fuel, and what to do when something goes wrong.
8 min read
Bali, month by month: why every season is worth the flight
There is no wrong month for Ubud. A honest walk through the Bali year, what the weather, the rice cycle and the light do in each season, and why every one of them has its own reason to come.
7 min read
The Balinese ceremonies calendar
Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi and the daily offerings you will see on every doorstep. A gentle guide to the rhythm of Balinese Hindu life, and how to be here for it respectfully.
6 min read
Getting around Ubud: scooter, driver, or on foot
How we actually move around Ubud: when a private driver earns its keep, when a scooter is the joy of the trip, and where your own two feet win. Honest, practical, and safety first.
6 min read
Three perfect days in Ubud
A slow, honest itinerary for a first Ubud stay: one dawn at the rice terraces, a slow afternoon, a museum, a cooking class, dinners you'll remember.
6 min read
Denpasar airport to Ubud, and Ubud back to the airport
About an hour by car on a good day, considerably longer on a bad one. Your options in both directions, and how early you actually need to leave Ubud to catch a flight.
6 min read
Rainy season in Ubud, and why we love it
The green months are Ubud's best-kept secret. What the wet season is actually like, why the villa is made for it, and how the quietest, greenest time of year became our favourite.
6 min read
Ubud for grown kids and multi-generational travel
The trip where the grandparents, the parents and the twenty-somethings all come away happy. Why a private villa in Ubud works for a family travelling together, and how to plan it so everyone gets their own kind of holiday.
8 min read
Things to do in Peliatan, on Ubud's quieter side
The village that sent Balinese dance to Paris and London, and still plays it on a Friday night. A palace, three museums, a cave temple, the warungs, and honest advice about which of them deserve your morning.
7 min read
A week in Bali with an Ubud base
Why we tell guests to unpack once. Seven days of Bali with Ubud as your home, and day trips to the coast, the mountains and the islands that come back to a quiet villa each night.