But, having arrived in Ubud, I did not experience a drop of disappointment !! ! It was truly exotic! We were given a room on the first floor with two balconies, one of them went directly to the exotic garden, you sit on the balcony, smoke a cigar, drink local whiskey and feel that you are really in the jungle!
The room in Maya Ubud differed in design from other hotels in which I visited in Bali - turquoise colors and a gorgeous view from the balcony prevailed - the jungle began right here, you can reach it with your hand!
Although I experienced some inconvenience: the sockets are inconveniently located. They brought me an iron, in which the cable was half a meter long, and the outlet was right on the floor, I had to bend a lot to iron my clothes, as a result, I got a small burn due to the iron. But the location of outlets is the only minus of the room in this hotel. There is also no Russian-speaking staff at the hotel, but it didn’t bother me at all - body language and body language always help out!
Walking through the hotel, I saw a small pool in which the Chinese and Germans hung out, and I did the right thing not to stay with him! I went along the road to the abyss and saw far below a gorgeous huge pool, a mountain river and in general the view was simply amazing! In general, pools on the edge of the abyss are an amazing Balinese feature!
At night, of course, I was rowdy in the hotel, singing Russian songs on the balcony! this went on until a huge, enormous beetle almost sat on me, and then a whole bunch of fireflies and a bunch of strange and unseen insects flew by! (There are no mosquitoes there! ) Still, nature is simply amazing in Ubud, it's really exotic!
In the morning, I was expected to practice yoga on the lawn near the hotel, a good breakfast buffet with very tasty food and swimming in the pool, the water from which flows directly into the abyss.
Jungle, pools on the edge of the abyss, incredible plants and insects, meditation and yoga, an atmosphere of happiness - that's what Ubud is all about!
I recommend ; -)
Expensive hotel. First of all, this is due to the presence of SPA services included in the world directory. Hence the contingent - mainly pensioners from Japan, Australia and less from Europe. The hotel itself lives up to its stars. Large, clean, green area. The hotel, although located in a densely populated area, but it is not felt at all. On one side of the hotel there is a river with steep steep banks, on the other side there are rice fields fenced off by greenery. Very quiet. Breakfast, simple, the choice is relatively small, but for all nations, it was quite possible to choose something familiar.
The room is large and bright. Surprisingly, at very high humidity it is relatively dry and without smells of dampness. I liked the number. If anyone was in Europe, then this is the level of the average 4-ki. Cleaning, as expected, with the change of bed linen, towels, etc. , in general, as it should be in 5 stars.
There were no problems during check-in or check-out. There was no need for any collateral or troubles. The only negative of the hotel is the expensive restaurant. The alternative is a cafe-bar in the river area, but the prices there turned out to be exactly the same. For example, the average cost of one dish is ~$15, drinks, beer from $4 for 0.33, local wine from $10 for 150 gr. What "saves", in 10 minutes by a free hotel bus or by taxi (from the hotel $ 4, back, as you bargain) you can get to the center of Ubud. There are a large number of cafes, restaurants, etc. Prices are approximately comparable to those in Kyiv, in cafes of this level (salad $ 3-7, hot, grill, etc. $ 5-12, beer $ 2-3 for 0.6 l. , wine from $3 for 150g, pizza $4). The quality is quite acceptable, the service too. The only thing for us, Europeans, is to be careful about the local cuisine. Even if they tell you that the dish is not spicy, do not believe it! Anyway, it will be very acute for us. It is better to give preference to European dishes or grill.
In Ubud, I can recommend a restaurant, Wayan & Barery (Monkey Forest Street) is a large but very cozy area. Prices correspond to the quality and volume of dishes. In order to avoid problems with the calculation (in all of Bali it is customary not to include VAT and "service" in the price), add about 30% to the price of each dish.
Be careful when choosing a taxi. If you can drive anything around the city and suburbs, then for long distances you should choose cars with a license. The police are very strict in this regard and if the driver does not have such a card, your trip can end very quickly. As for renting a car or scooter, for me, the driver, driving on their roads seems like suicide. Not only is there left-hand traffic and there are very few road signs, but scooters drive as they want, and there are VERY many of them, and at any time of the day! It is much easier to hire "private traders". For the same money you will be taken wherever you want.
For example, a trip from Ubud to the bird and reptile park (about 40 minutes one way), for half a day, costs $20. It is better to negotiate with the driver a day in advance - and you will be comfortable and the driver will have time to wipe the car and interior. Don't worry about the meeting, the Balinese are punctual.
As for Ubud, it is worth seeing the monkey forest (do not give treats right at the entrance! , there are the most impudent and fat monkeys. It is better to feed the cubs and their mothers in the depths of the park) and the market (a lot of the same type of goods, but you can always find something interesting and unusual). The central part of the city is a rectangle, which can be slowly walked around in 1.5-2 hours. There is no point in going deeper into the rest of the streets, everything is the same. You can bargain wherever there are no price tags. The price is usually called very high if the goods are from the category of consumer goods (mass products sold everywhere). It can be safely traded for twice the price.
But for quality items (clothing, woodcarving, etc. ), the price can only be brought down by 20-30%. Otherwise, Ubud is an ordinary densely populated city. Although it is considered the city of artists, the prices for paintings are not cheaper than in other cities of the island. The simplest picture will cost from $20. If you are not too lazy and drive a little to the north, in the foothills, you will be pleasantly surprised by the prices for wooden, carved products. Small figurines, masks, etc. can be bought from $1.