Alila Ubud is nestled in the Balinese jungle with a spectacular swimming pool and features a fantastic location and friendly service.
Review #45
Table of contents
Location
As the name suggests, the small resort Alila Ubud is located in the heart of the Indonesian island of Bali, west of the cultural centre of Ubud, beautifully nestled in the midst of the jungle and right on the edge of a pristine wild valley.
Getting there
You will normally arrive in Bali by plane at Ngurah Rai International Airport located in Denpasar, the island’s capital. If you are flying in from outside Indonesia, you will also need to clear immigration and pay your tourist tax. The process can take quite a long time, so we recommend that you prepare for both in advance. You can organize the visa and pay the tax online very easily and quickly, so you’ll be much quicker than most other travelers.
We were coming from our cultural visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Borobudur on Java and had already completed our entry into Indonesia there. Arriving at the domestic terminal we didn’t have to show any visas or proof of tax.
Outside the airport, you will be taken through a long line of shops before you even get to the pick-up point. Bear this in mind when organising your onward journey.
Alternatively, you can land at various ports by ferry – or, of course, with your own yacht 😉
How to get to Alila Ubud
As always, we took a grab and due to Bali’s really annoying traffic situation, it took us almost 2 hours to cover the mere 44 kilometres. Our driver had his car tuned up to look like a Mattel cartoon and as I sat in the back next to the roaring exhaust pipe, my head was pounding quite a bit after a short while and my spirits were rather low as we finally arrived.
The exit from the main road is marked by a small sign at an unoccupied guard house. After a few winding roads through rice fields, valleys and forests, and at least one moment of wondering ‘are we still in the right place’, you´ll arrive at the entrance to the hotel. There is a very strict entry check of the car including the boot and only after confirming you names on the check-in lists you will be let through.
As soon as you are past the gate, you drive downhill through a small part of the resort and get a first impression of how much nature awaits you here.
Check-in
As soon as we reached the end of the street and hence the lobby, we were greeted by a friendly member of staff, helped to unload our bags and, after being reassured that all our luggage had been unloaded, they were stored and then found their own way to our room.
We were accompanied up the few steps to reception, where another friendly welcome awaited us. We were asked to go to one of the two seating areas where we briefly handed over our passports for inspection and settled our payment. The friendly receptionist gave us information about the resort and a small leaflet with the most important dates.
At this point it was also mentioned that we had booked a Preferred Partner Rate, which gave us the following benefits:
- one free upgrade subject to availability (not to a suite or villa)
- Free breakfast for two
- a welcome present
- a free 60-minute massage for two people
- early check-in and late check-out (subject to availability)
As a further welcome, we were given cold, very fragrant small refreshing towels and a delicious drink. We checked in after 3pm and our room was ready for us to move into. After we had finished our drinks we were then escorted to our room.
Alila Ubud at a glance
The hotel was built in 1996 as The Chedi of the GHM Group and together with Alila Manggis (then The Serai) forms the base of all Alila Hotels worldwide. In 2001, both hotels were separated from the GHM Group and rebranded as the first two hotels of the new Alila brand. In 2010, Alila Ubud underwent its latest renovation with the addition of several villas.
The central area with all common facilities is grouped around the lobby and includes the two restaurants, pool, spa, gym and shop. The rooms are arranged along the valley in 6 semi-detached houses in a row, each with 8 units. The standard rooms are at the top and the deluxe rooms at the bottom.
The villas are spread throughout the property. In total, Alila Ubud has 74 rooms and villas – 28 superior and 28 deluxe rooms. The larger Deluxe Rooms are similar in layout to the Superior Rooms, but are located on the ground floor instead of the first floor, and have their own private terrace and partly open-plan bathroom. There are also 4 Valley Villas, 4 Pool Villas, 5 Terrace Tree Villas, 4 Forest Edge Villas and a two bedroom Pool Villa.
Room
As always, we booked the cheapest room – here at Alila Ubud it is a superior room – but were upgraded to a deluxe room as we booked the preferred partner rate. Room 107 in the 4th block from the lobby will be our home for the next few nights.
Welcome
As we arrived in our room we were shown around and after a short tour of the room it was time to read the welcome letter – but we were a little disappointed that the fruit basket was the special welcome gift. However, after a quick enquiry to reception, it was explained that the actual gift was still to come and the sweet treats arrived less than 5 minutes later and we really enjoyed them!
Bedroom
The bedroom itself is not particularly large. The 65 square meters are probably due to the large courtyard and terrace, which were generously included in the calculations.
In the middle is a king-size bed (unfortunately very hard). To the left and right of the headboard are windows overlooking the courtyard. Only on the side of the wardrobe – on the left in our case – is there a bedside table, on which the telephone, a pad with a pen and the remote control with a list of channels are ready and waiting.
The wardrobe on the wall opposite the entrance is the only place to store your belongings. Here you will also find the bathrobes, everything for the laundry, the safe and the fully stocked minibar (subject to a charge).
On the right is the desk in front of a mirror. There you will find everything you need to make tea or instant coffee. To the left of the wardrobe is a luggage rack. Slippers are stored under the shelf.
All in all, the room is really well maintained and in great condition despite the years it has been there. However, we have to say that the weird granny tiles covering the floor don’t really create a nice atmosphere. Fabi compares it to a hospital atmosphere – I wouldn’t go that far – but it certainly doesn’t make the room any cosier.
Bathroom
To the right of the entrance is the inner part of the bathroom. This area is really quite small and consists of a washbasin with a few amenities, as well as soap and body lotion from Jenggala and the toilet to the right. To the left is the exit to the outside area of the bathroom, which is located in a sort of backyard. Here you will find a bathtub and an outdoor rain shower with shampoo, body wash and conditioner, also made for Alila by Jenggala.
The outdoor area is more or less covered and can be separated from the open part by a huge wooden blind. You should always use this, as you can look into your small courtyard from the path leading to the rooms above if you want to. If you were to walk around naked, that could end up in a free peep show for the neighbors.
Turndown
To check out the Turndown Service please also have a look at our YouTube video about Alila Ubud. Unfortunately I forgot to take photos, but Fabi was busy and has some shots for you in the video. Basically, all the windows were closed, the lights were set to cosy and the slippers were placed by the bed.
View
From the terrace, and practically from your bed, you have a great view of the greenery and the other side of the valley. Really tropical right in the middle of the jungle. Unfortunately, the path that all deluxe guests have to take to get to their rooms runs right past the terrace, so your neighbours can also have a great view inside your room.
Especially at night, when it’s dark outside and the lights are switched on inside. So you have to make sure the blinds are always down which is rally a shame. You can’t go out onto the patio anymore, and also can’t see the beautifully lit outdoor area from inside, meaning you´re locked in you room quite a bit. This is a real shame and could have been solved in a different way I´m sure.
Change of room
The fact that you can see straight into the room when the blind is not down, the fact that we could hear the toilet flushing very loudly in our room from the room above us, and the fact that the room was so poorly soundproof that we could hear voices and even furniture being moved to the right, left and up, and even as something fell on the floor in the room above us, was frankly quite annoying.
We raised this with reception in the morning, were listened to very kindly and the issue was obviously passed on directly. We had our massage at 12 noon and immediately after we had finished and were still enjoying our final drinks, the guest relations manager found us, apologized, raised the issue and pointed out that the hotel had unfortunately been around for a few years and that different standards had applied in those days. When pressed, she also admitted that we were by far not the first to complain about the noisy rooms.
As compensation, she offered to move us to a Valley Villa for our second and final night. We were happy to take up the offer, although I would like to stress at this point that we weren’t looking for another upgrade, we just wanted to let them know that the noise level was really bad and we really couldn’t sleep well.
Villa
The Valley Villas all consist of two back-to-back rooms connected by a covered walkway. There is a combined bedroom/living room to the front and a spacious bathroom to the rear. The villas are built in the first row right on the slope down to the valley and offer fantastic views from the terraces.
Our villa for the night is number 303.
To get to the actual room entrance, you have to turn off the main path at the front and walk a short distance to a gate that can be opened without a key. This will take you to your terrace and a few steps further on to the entrance of the villa.
Living room and bedroom
As you enter the large room, it feels more spacious than the Deluxe room, but of course the beautiful wooden floor and traditional roof make it much cozier and more homely. You’ll feel right at home. The centrepiece of the room is a beautiful, comfortable four-poster bed with four pillows and a large, soft blanket. Alila Ubud doesn’t seem to not like bedside tables too much… as there are none at all to be found inside the Valley Villa.
Behind the bed is a really nice full-width desk with a telephone, notepad and hotel information. The bedside lamps for each side are placed in the back corners.
On the opposite side, in front of the window, is a comfortable, built-in super-long sofa. The bar area is built into a corner to the left. The small sideboard has everything you need to make tea and capsule coffee. Behind the door is the minibar, which you have to pay for. To the right of the sofa is a mirrored sideboard that holds the safe, mosquito repellent and TV.
Bathroom
To get from the main room to the bathroom building behind it, you have to take a short covered passage. This consists of a walkway surrounded on the right and left by a kind of pond. The bathtub is built into this pond at floor level. Towels, bath salts and bubble bath are waiting for you. To be honest, this is really good, isn’t it? What do you think? Let us know what you think of this unusual design in the comments.
The air-conditioned bathroom itself is in the second house. As soon as you enter, you stand in front of the two mirrored washbasins on either side of the walkway. Both have all the amenities you need, including mosquito spray. That’s good thinking!
A few steps further back is the rain shower on the right and the toilet on the left. There is no air conditioning in either room, but there are openings in the wall that are screened to keep out insects.
To the right and left of the entrance door are wall cupboards with luggage racks. Here you will find bathrobes, slippers and everything you need for cleaning and shoe care.
Turndown
Again, I don’t have any pictures. Have a look at our YouTube video. At the Valley Villa, the blinds are also closed for you, the mosquito net on the bed is lowered, the lights are dimmed to a cosy level and a mosquito coil is lit in the open passageway to the bathroom to repel insects. So you are well prepared for a good night’s sleep.
View
The views are truly spectacular! You have a terrace that spans the entire width of the villa and you are in the first row directly above the valley! From here you can enjoy nature at its best! There is a small table and two chairs outside for you to make yourself comfortable. The only thing I missed here were sun loungers, or at least more comfortable chairs to really enjoy the view.
Hotel activities
Pool
The pool at Alila Ubud is probably one of the most famous on the island. It is located in the extension of the lobby by the lower restaurant and is almost built into the valley. As beautiful as the pool is to look at, the sun-bed situation on site is rather difficult. You don’t have to reserve your sun-beds before breakfast, but the number is very small compared to the number of rooms. I would estimate that there are 20 sun-beds with 6 beanbags by the pool and another 12 on the lawn behind the pool. So you’d have to be very lucky to get two deckchairs in the afternoon.
During our stay there were several families with children of all ages in and around the hotel pool. For the little ones in particular, there is simply nothing to play with on site apart from the pool. And to be honest, there were a few irritated looks when one of the fathers started kicking a small football around the pool with his son. In our opinion, Alila Ubud is simply not the place for a relaxed romp with children.
You won’t be doing yourself, your children or the other guests any favours. Please bear this in mind when booking. To be honest, the vast majority of families and children kept a low profile and it wasn’t loud – but according to our observations, the children weren’t really well received by most of the guests.
Especially around the pool, you have to be careful of the monkeys in the neighbourhood. These clever little creatures will be keeping a very close eye on you and will be quick to find any opportunity if you leave food and/or drinks unattended. Trust me – you won’t see the other half of your sandwich ever again if you don´t watch it closely. Staff will chase the monkeys away at irregular intervals, but you are ultimately responsible for your own belongings. So watch out for them especially at the edge of the platform!
However, at least one monkey family a day will be around your place, as close as you can only imagine outside a tropical jungle. Exciting and a little scary at the same time.
Fitness Center
The gym at Alila Ubud is located below the spa in a windowless room. Here too you can see the age of the place. Nowadays a gym would never be hidden away like it was 20 years ago. The room has everything you need for a proper workout, but the whole place is very sad – there are no windows and it smells really bad, like stale air conditioning. Unfortunately, you will probably have less fun during your workout here.
Spa
Our booking included the two massages for Fabi and me. The hotel had already reserved a slot for our second day pro forma, which we could either accept or postpone. As we checked in we were asked if the date was OK for us and, to be honest, we were really pleased. It also had happened to us that we didn’t get any more slots upon check-in, so the hotel thought ahead perfectly for us. Well done!
With only 5 treatment rooms in total, Spa Alila is very simple and intimate. There are two couples’ rooms – one air-conditioned, the other open and with a bathtub, another large room with a bigger bathtub and then two individual treatment rooms.
As soon as you arrive at the spa reception, there are teas and cold towels waiting for you and you are also asked if you have any special needs or if the therapist needs to look after anything. You will fill in a form and if you have chosen an oil or aromatherapy massage, you will be able to choose your scent at this point. You will also be given advice to help you make your choice if wanted.
We were then escorted into one of the therapy rooms, allowed to change into the clothes provided and had our feet washed in the traditional way before the massage. After the massage you can also be served tea or water if you wish.
And yes, the massage was really good and we can highly recommend it – quite the opposite of the horrible massage at the Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta. If you want to know how not to do it, please read our review and be sure to check out our YouTube post for even more information and moving pictures.
Tours
Bali is an island of possibilities, where you can experience everything from relaxing by the pool to high-level, action-packed adventure. Alila Ubud is a great base for exploring the interior of the island. Rice field tours and white water rafting on the river that flows down the valley just below the resort are particularly popular. There is an entry point just opposite the pool and the shouts of joy from participants as they pass by the hotel never fail to bring a smile to the faces of guests.
Restaurants
Plantation Restaurant
The main restaurant at Alila Ubud is the Plantation Restaurant. This all-day dining restaurant serves breakfast and a variety of Asian and traditional Indonesian dishes throughout the day. Themed evenings with Balinese dance and music are organised on some evenings and were well attended during our stay.
Cabana Lounge
The poolside Cabana Lounge is located one floor below the Plantation Restaurant. International cuisine is served from 10:00 am until late at night. During the day it’s more of a poolside snack spot, but in the evening you can enjoy excellent Cocktails with your meal.
Breakfast
Alila Ubud serves breakfast at the Plantation Restaurant. The completely open-air building overlooks the jungle and valley and the light breeze makes it a great place to spend time.
When you arrive for breakfast in the morning, you will be asked for your room number and then be seated at a table of your choice. Alila Ubud offers only a small selection of fruit and freshly squeezed juices as a buffet. Bread rolls, croissants and sweet pastries are offered from a tray at the table. Everything else is chosen from a menu that changes daily and served at the table.
On our first morning we were quite irritated because the service was really slow, did not work very well and we had to wait a long time for some of our orders. For example, the hot drinks we ordered arrived a long time after the food and the cutlery that had been cleared away was unfortunately not replaced for the second course. As a result, we were left without cutlery for our breakfast. None of this is bad, but all in all rather annoying.
The second morning we were served by Widi, who did her job with unbridled friendliness and told us a lot about Balinese everyday life during a long chat. The service was great that morning and the atmosphere was completely different. So certainly this had a very positive effect on our over all opinion.
Check-out
Check-out at Alila Ubud was smooth and fast. We paid and were proactively asked the night before if we had arranged transport or needed assistance.
Costs
We paid IDR 9,166,234 for two nights at Alila Ubud in a package with the benefits of the Preferred Partner Rate. This is equivalent to 529 Euros in August 2024.
Departure and onward journey
As with getting there, the traffic in Bali is always a disaster. It took us over an hour to drive the 30 kilometers to our next hotel. Please bear this in mind when planning your trip – especially if you are travelling to the airport. On our trip around Bali, the next stop was La Reserve 1785, which has a 5.0 rating on Google. Is it really that good? That remains to be seen. So stay tuned and read for yourself next week!
Conclusion
All in all, Alila Ubud is a very nice hotel. It’s amazing that it’s still in such good condition, considering it’s in the middle of Bali’s humid jungle and has been around for almost 30 years. The initial problems with the breakfast service were sorted out on the second day and we were offered an upgrade to a villa immediately after telling them that the deluxe room was just too noisy for us. The handling process worked really well here.
In our opinion, Alila Ubud should be placed in the Premium Category.
Recommendation
We can only recommend Alila Ubud to couples and single travellers. Although there were several families with children of all ages staying at the hotel during our stay, there was simply nothing for the little ones to play with on site, apart from the pool. And to be honest, there were a few irritated looks as a father and son started kicking a small football around the pool. In our opinion, families are simply not the clientele for the hotel and therefore not really intended. Business travellers are also not really catered for here.
Hotel Homepage
Rating
We award Alila Ubud 9 out of a possible 10 points.
We deduct one point for the noisy deluxe room. Interestingly, the poor breakfast service on the first day was completely different on the second day. Therefore, we do not deduct a point for this, although we had discussed this differently on the first day. Well done Alila Ubud!
Go there?
Absolutely. Personally, I wouldn’t stay at Alila Ubud with my child and would always prefer the standard room. But that’s a matter of taste. But of course it starts getting really great if you get or book a villa.
Our small Bali round trip
Are you also interested in other hotels in Bali? Then feel invited to also read our other reviews of Alila Villas Uluwatu, Hyatt Regency Bali, Andaz Bali and La Reserve 1785 – we’d be delighted if you´d stay tuned.
YouTube Review
For more interesting material about Alila Ubud, check out our YouTube review. You can truly sense the tranquil, idyllic, and tropical ambiance of this place while watching the video.
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