Alila Ubud. Bali

We have visited twice before and always been so impressed with the experience but disappointed when we moved on to somewhere different in Ubud. So, this time , we spent our eight day stay entirely at the Alila Ubud and, yet again, they surpassed our high expectations. From the moment we arrived we were so warmly greeted by our Alila Ubud ‘family’. We upgraded to a ‘Valley View Villa’ which was superb with the bed in the middle of the room and which had the most unique and stunning views over the canopy of the rain forest. The covered outside link to the bathroom and wardrobe area was supreme as it had a very large sunken bath in an even bigger fish pond! The dressing room area was spacious with two vanity areas and a separate shower. We never ceased to be amazed at the view from our bed first thing in the morning! Every morning we were treated to an A La Carte Breakfast, which changed daily over a week, in the covered open air Plantation Restaurant and offered traditional options for the European palette as well as the Ubud Asian options. There were healthy Balinese drinks and smoothies, fresh pastries, fresh fruit and omelette station. All freshly prepared with a service, that was second to none, from the amazing staff who could not do enough for you. What a way to start your day! Grateful thanks to Rusmiati, Sri, Nita, Sudi, Marianti and not forgetting Widi! The Cabana Lounge offers a relaxed poolside dining experience again with amazing staff. Afternoon Tea at 3pm should not be missed! The pool area is unique with an infinity pool overlooking that rain forest and, again, a superb attendance and service from the staff in the Cabana Lounge and Kio especially. We were lucky enough to have experienced three treatments from the Alila Ubud Spa (2 for two hours and 1 for one and half hours) including Balinese massages, facial, reflexology and pedicure in the most perfect surroundings in a treatment area that was covered but open to the sounds of the rain forest with spa music gently playing in the background. From the unique Balinese Spa reception, throughout the awesome treatments to relaxing with a herbal tea afterwards, all at an amazing cost of about £65 in British Pounds! Total perfection and a massive thank you to Kadak Rusty, Jess, Ardi, Marianti and Sudi, all of whom were superb in making our Spa experience so utterly perfect and relaxing. Alila Ubud offer some reasonably priced excursions such as the ‘Guided Cycle Tour’ around the local area and paddi fields as well as the ‘Purification and Prayer’ Tour both facilitated by the amazing DJ and which were excellent and, again, very reasonably priced. And, if all of this wasn’t enough, the cheeky monkeys arrive when you least expect them, with their family of babies, mischievous young ones and parents. It is a delight to see them in their natural habitat. Please be assured that they are no trouble as the staff are always well prepared to provide a presence to gently keep them at bay. Every single aspect of the Alila Ubud experience is one to be savoured and enjoyed but special thanks and appreciation must go to every single one of the staff, behind the scenes as well, as they all make this truly beautiful place, my favourite place in the whole world! To our Alila Ubud family, we thank you 🙏 and we absolutely cannot wait until we return again…

L’hôtel est magnifique avec une piscine splendide!

ممتاز

الموقع والخدمة

Location was good, breakfast was alright.

We did couples massage and honestly it didn’t feel like a massage. I brought this up with the staff and the literally had nothing to say or comment let alone addressing the issue. The hotel provided us with discount vouchers to use at the restaurant which we forgot to use. At checkout I requested if I could redeem them but they straight up refused.

Absolutely wonderful. The pool and cabana area are hard to tear yourself away from. We will definitely be back.

This was the most impressive hotel of my entire Bali trip. Nestled deep in the jungle, the experience was truly unforgettable—from monkeys trying to steal food during breakfast to the soothing sounds of birds, wind, and rain. Being surrounded by nature made every moment feel special and peaceful. I would especially like to thank Eva and Dewa from the Rooms team. They were incredibly warm, friendly, and attentive to all of my requests, making my stay extremely comfortable. I am also very grateful to the Assistant Manager who welcomed us at the restaurant the next morning and introduced us to a wonderful dining experience with delicious food. The natural surroundings are absolutely stunning, and the large, deep swimming pool was amazing. The room was very comfortable, and the outdoor bathtub was a perfect place to relax and unwind. I highly recommend this hotel and will definitely return on my next visit to Bali. Thank you once again to everyone for such a memorable stay.

The view is truly exceptional and definitely the highlight of the stay. The front desk team was also very warm and welcoming, which I appreciated. However, I was disappointed because it was not worth the price. The room was very small, the massage in the Spa felt quite basic, and the breakfast was also rather simple for this price point. I have stayed many times at Alila Seminyak (the same chain in a different city) and the experience was much better.

The location of the hotel is scenic and peaceful. We had dinner a couple of times at Cabana Lounge and it was quite flavourful. The spa is clean and staff is efficient. Where we felt the hotel lacked was response time. There was leakage in our bathroom for three days and no one seemed to bother until we demanded it is fixed immediately. Turns out the AC unit was blocked and leaking. The room design is not comfortable. It seems the curtains are going to break and fall from the middle due to lack of wall support. The cleanliness is not there at all - again for the time we were there, the team did not clean surfaces properly. There was perpetual dust and greasiness everywhere. Regardless of what one feels, brekkie options are very limited. Surprisingly, no staff could tell us the name of the GM. For me, this shows lack of training and awareness (or interest). Overall, for the rate charged, it is not value for money. And we gave this feedback at the time of checkout. Oh, and beware of the monkeys.

Beautiful property, great service, stunning pool, great shuttle service and cute afternoon tea offering

Overall, we enjoyed our stay, but there are a few areas where the experience could be improved. In villa 302, the Wi-Fi was unfortunately not working. Additionally, the bathroom could benefit from an update and a deeper clean. I understand that humidity can be challenging, especially with many wooden elements, but some extra attention here would make a difference. I was also not fully convinced by the breakfast concept. There is no traditional buffet, and the menu changes daily. Personally, breakfast is not the time of day when I enjoy experimenting - if I find something I like, I’m usually happy to order it again. With the changing menu, breakfast became a daily trial-and-error process and also quite time-consuming. On one morning with an early tour pickup, we still had to plan around 45 minutes for breakfast, whereas in other hotels this would have been a quick 15–20 minute grab-and-go experience. Service is attentive, but sometimes overly elaborate. For example, pastries are offered from a small tray carried around the restaurant. While this is charming in theory, it can be impractical - when you simply want another slice of bread while mid-meal, it becomes surprisingly difficult to get quick service. We also like trying local dishes, which are included on the menu. However, without knowing whether we would enjoy them, we hesitated to order a full portion. A buffet allows guests to try small amounts without waste, which encourages culinary exploration. Two final points: - The gym felt underwhelming compared to other hotels - located indoors with no windows or natural light. - We unfortunately got sunburned at the pool because the umbrellas could not be opened (despite calm conditions). A more permanent shade solution such as cabanas or sun sails would greatly improve guest comfort, especially on windy days.