PARADISE IN THE HEART OF UBUD - Wapa di Ume

Looking for a stunning place to stay in Ubud? Look no further! I visited Bali in July 2019 and was looking for a beautiful property, ideally situated near the oh-so-famous rice fields that dot the landscape of Ubud, along with being somewhat close to all the action in the town as well. Of course, if I could get a private pool villa somewhere, that would have been the proverbial cherry on top.

Lo & behold, I actually ended up finding just what I had hoped for! Wapa di Ume, was exactly what I had been dreaming about. Just a 5 minute drive away from the bustling Ubud city centre, this property was an oasis of tranquility.

Our wonderful welcome to the property! Fresh coconut water with a spritz of lemon, along with wet wipes presented in beautiful wooden holders, topped with such stunning 'Japun' flowers. These pretty yellow & white flowers abound the entire archipelago and are frequently used in Bali for prayers and decorations as well.

I booked the One Bedroom Pool Villa at the property and I couldn’t have been happier with my choice. The villa and its private pool overlooked the pristine rice fields on which the entire property is located.

When the sun begins to set, the sky takes on this beautiful hue and the private pool lights up! Sitting here with a wonderful cup of coffee was an experience I will never forget.

Me, enjoying the time of my life in our beautiful private pool!

This was the entrance to our villa. Absolutely stunning, isn’t it?? All the villas are named after characters in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. Our villa was named 'Werkudara', the Balinese name for the second oldest brother amongst the 5 brothers, the Pandavas from Mahabharata. This character is known as 'Bhima' in the Indian version of the same tale.

Now, even though today Indonesia is a majority Muslim nation, the island of Bali is predominantly Hindu majority, due to which Hindu deities and iconography are the mainstay of Balinese culture. Exquisite statues of Lord Ganesha (as pictured above) dotted the entire property and were a delight to look at. In fact, as a born and practising Hindu from India, it was fascinating to observe the similarities and differences in Hinduism practised in Bali, vis-a-vis the practices in India.

The stunning bathroom (with an additional outdoor shower space) in our Villa, decorated with fragrant Japun flowers and rose petals.

For a nominal additional price, our hotel offered the option of pool breakfast, an Instagram favourite these days with travellers from all across the world. I was quite excited to try it out and hence inquired about it. We booked it the previous night and sure enough, in the morning, we woke up to the most magnificently presented platter of delectable breakfast eats, floating away merrily in our pool. The staff was super friendly and even helped us take pictures with the breakfast, while we floated in the pool. Is it an 'Instagramable' gimmick? Yes it is. It's a super touristy thing to do, no doubt. After clicking the pictures, we actually got the breakfast out of the pool and ate the yummy food in our outdoor deck with the outdoor dining chairs. Would I still recommend you to have this experience? Oh yes, one hundred percent!! It's an absolute fun thing to try out on your holiday. After all, we only live once, don't we?

The food at the property is definitely another reason to stay here. The property has two restaurants, Mr. Wayan, which serves lip smacking Balinese cuisine, and the Wapa's Restaurant, which serves familiar multi-cuisine delicacies from across the world. Mr. Wayan is also the restaurant where breakfast & afternoon tea + snacks (part of their room tariff) are served. The food at both the restaurants was delectable. I'll let the pictures of the food that I had there do the rest of the talking :P

All in all, I had an absolutely memorable stay at Wapa di Ume, which was the perfect place to stay to enjoy a Ubud in all its glory. Lush paddy fields, lip smacking food, gorgeous villas with private pools, you name it and this property had it! This wasn't a sponsored visit and thus, I've shared my actual experience at the property and is a genuine recollection of everything that I loved here.

The following are some details that could help you with booking a memorable stay here, just as I did.

Website: Wapa di Ume

Address: Jl. Suweta, Br. Bentuyung, Ubud 80571 Bali - Indonesia

+62 361 973178

reservation@wapadiume.com

Tripadvisor: Wapa di Ume

Floating Breakfast: It cost us $35 + taxes for 3 people. The quantity was humongous and the food was beautifully presented! Definitely worth the money. The Floating Breakfast timings were 07:00. to 10:00 and the Floating Brunch timings were 11:00 to 13:00. Our villa had a private pool where I got this arranged. But even if you have non-pool villa, guests can get this arranged at the two main pools overlooking the rainforest. Even non-stay guests are welcome (at a slightly higher cost, and obviously only at the main pools). For more information, you can check out the details here Floating Breakfast.

Other Experiences: Apart from the Floating Breakfast, there are a host of paid experiences at the property which you can book while you stay there. There's a BBQ Culture Dinner, a Romantic Candlelight Dinner with your better half and a Balinese Private Cooking Experience with Lunch/Dinner.

Facilities: As mentioned above, the property has 2 main pools which all the guests can access. There's a Gym & Fitness Centre in case you want to keep up with your fitness goals while on vacation. The Spa at the property is also beautiful and has a whole range of treatments. I'm not really a spa person so I don't have any personal experience to share, but it sure seemed popular amongst a number of guests. The hotel has a complimentary drop and pickup service every hour for visiting the Ubud city centre, which is the hub of all the magnificent Balinese temples, the majestic Ubud Palace, the hip eateries and boutiques. A lot of other hotels have the same service, albeit once every 3-4 hours, which requires a bit of planning. Since here it was available at gaps of 1 hour each, it was a delight to keep visiting Ubud whenever we wished to. You just have to wait at the reception 15 mins prior to the closest 1 hour mark. You can inquire about the pickup location in the Ubud market at the reception itself before leaving.

Activities: This is where the property really shines. There's a host of activities that you can indulge in to make your Ubud stay even more memorable. The Rice Paddy Tracking (complimentary every Tuesday & Friday at 7 a.m.) takes you on a 2 hour walk across the village and learn more about this mainstay of day-to-day Balinese life. The Complimentary Afternoon Tea is served daily at both the restaurants from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. where you can enjoy a warm cuppa with some delectable snacks, overlooking the verdant scenery. The Complimentary Yoga Class takes place daily from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. There is also a Balinese Coconut Leaves Creation Session (complimentary every Monday & Thursday from 3:30 a.m. to 04:30 a.m.) where you can learn how to create the beautiful little offerings that you'll be seeing being offered by devotees all over the temples in Bali.

Well, that's been my experience here. I hope this helps you in planning your stay in Ubud! Do let me know in comments if there’s anything more you need to know, or just to share your feedback.