I am thrilled to be sharing my Ubud Travel Guide with you today. Our first stop after Singapore (see my guide on 48 Hours in Singapore here), was Ubud. We didn’t actually stay in Ubud proper, but about 25 minutes away. I found our villa through my personal favorite blogger, Happily Grey. I remember when I saw her stories last summer I knew Bali was high on the list for honeymoon destinations. And we for sure made the best decision. We had the trip of a lifetime and I can’t wait to share more about each of our destinations.

Ubud Travel Guide

Where to Stay

We stayed at Villa Kalisha. It was probably the most gorgeous property I have ever seen. It’s about a 2-hour ride away from the airport – but the villa has an entire staff – driver included. Dougie met us at the airport and we were on our way to the villa. We pulled up on the side of this random road and had no clue what we were in for! The entire crew met us at the entrance and helped us carry our bags inside – on their heads! We were in shock. It’s about a five-minute walk from the street to the actual villa entrance.

We walked through our first rice terrace – it was so beautiful. We really were in a place like we have never seen before. Our first glimpse of the villa was incredible. I almost didn’t believe it was real. The property is GORGEOUS. I was in love with the pool and the huge sprawling wall next to it. The first day, we chose not to leave because it was so beautiful.

They have an entire menu that you can order from all day long and the fridge was stocked with drinks and their local beers, Bin Ting. We had our first taste of Balinese cuisine and we loved it! They made us a gorgeous breakfast every single morning, and we had lunch there every day. To be completely honest, we didn’t leave the villa much because it was so pretty.

We laid out by the pool, read a lot and even took a Bali Flower Bath – I can’t even begin to describe this experience. If you are ever in the Ubud area – I highly recommend you stay at Villa Kalisha. I already want to plan our next trip back.

I have also heard great things about: Udaya and  The Damai. We had dinner (do the tasting menu) at Mandapa, which is a Ritz Carlton Reserve property and it was STUNNING. I told my parents to book a flight ASAP. They drive you around on little golf carts and the property is by a river and is sooooo well manicured and thought out.

Where to Eat

Moksa: This is the first restaurant we came to while in Ubud. One of my friends from college actually lives here now and so we met up with him for dinner and a little wedding celebration. It is a vegan spot, which made Joe incredibly nervous but we both loved it! We all did the Prix Fixe menu and I am now addicted to jackfruit! A must try even if you’re not vegan.

Kubu at Mandapa: GO HERE! We booked a private cocoon here and we chose to do the gourmet tasting menu. This is much more my vibe than Joe’s but he was a good sport and it was super romantic. The cocoons sit right on the river and were very private. It actually poured rain while we were eating and it was magical. Our 8-course meal was more like 13 because of the amuse bouche and dessert! They recently got a new chef and everything was excellent. Get the wasabi martini – sounds weird but just trust me!

Mozaic- One of our besties also honeymooned here and highly recommended this spot. We had a reservation for when we first got into town, but ended up canceling it and just eating at the Villa. Our driver said really good things about it, we will definitely try it when we go back.

What to Do

Photo Tour: A friend of a friend owns a Bali Photo Tour company, Ego Trip Bali,  where they arrange a driver and a photographer to take you all around Bali’s most instagrammable spots. They divide it up by area and it is such a cool concept! Our first full day started with them and we had a 5 am wakeup call so we could catch the sunrise at the Tegalalang Rice Terraces. Our photographer was amazing, and was actually from the Bay Area too!

We have a ton of mutual friends in the industry, so we had a blast getting to know him. We chose to forego the typical Ubud shots like Monkey Forest and the Bali Swing and decided to literally chase waterfalls instead. Cam took us to two amazing spots that we never would have known about without him- I didn’t tag them on the gram but the ones we went to were: Tukad Cepung & Tibumana.

Ubud Market: This is Bali’s version of a flea market. All the local vendors set up shop selling things like woven bags, wood carvings, and hand-blown vases. We didn’t end up making it here but it was on our list.

Monkey Forest: This was a maybe on our list before we came to Bali! I kind of wish we did it. They don’t let you feed them anymore so the monkeys jump on you less! We will have to go next time we are here.

Rice Terrace: Visiting the rice terraces is a must do when you are in Bali. Simply for the sheer amazement of how they work. Ignorantly, I had no clue how rice was even made, but now I am fascinated by it. They are so gorgeous and it makes for an epic Instagram shot.

Bali Swing: I wanted to do this really bad, but honestly our rice terrace and waterfall shots were so epic we decided to skip it. Weird because this was my number one Bali bucket list item, I guess I just have to come back!