Ubud: Three Perfect Days
AT COMO UMA UBUD
Destination 5 minute read
COMO Uma Ubud is located in the centre of Ubud, Bali’s cultural capital. This bustling artists’ town is a great place to visit for a long weekend, or as part of a wider Bali itinerary.
Ubud is a town in central Bali, known for its rich cultural heritage and vibrant arts scene. The town is surrounded by lush rice terraces, dense jungle and slow-flowing rivers. It’s home to ancient temples and royal palaces, as well as an eclectic mix of museums and contemporary art and photography galleries. We have designed three perfect days at COMO Uma Ubud, showcasing the best of Ubud’s natural beauty and tranquillity.
Day One
Discovering Bali’s Traditional Heritage
After you’ve unpacked into your suite or private villa, get ready for an afternoon activity. Options change daily but might include a Balinese dancing lesson or a musical class on how to play the rindik — a traditional Balinese instrument made using bamboo tubes.
Other activities include making a Canang sari Hindu offering using flowers. For an outdoors adventure, you could explore the local Keliki village and its rice fields, or take a guided walk along Tjampuhan Ridge, which passes the sacred Tjampuhan Temple as well as Tjampuhan Bridge, on the River Oos. The bridge is said to be where Bali’s spiritual and natural worlds meet.
After unwinding at the resort, walk to Room 4 Dessert for dinner, one of Ubud’s most popular restaurants. It’s headed up by Chef Will Goldfarb, who is known as one of the world’s best pastry chefs and has appeared on Netflix’s Chef's Table. His experimental menu aims to challenge what ‘dessert’ really means, combining savoury snacks with plated desserts and petits fours. The full tasting menu is a 21-course experience — and not as unhealthy as it might sound — Chef Goldfarb’s ethos is to avoid white sugar and salt in favour of local ingredients and herbs.
Day Two
Exploring Ubud
Begin the day with a guided morning walk along the trails and rice paddies that surround COMO Uma Ubud. They’re one of Bali’s most iconic sights, and photograph particularly well at sunrise.
Next, stop for breakfast at the resort’s Kemiri restaurant, which includes traditional Indonesian fare as well as healthy options from the COMO Shambhala Kitchen. Once your appetite is sated, it’s time for a three-hour Ubud Discovery Tour. A guide will structure the tour around three elements of Balinese culture: spirituality, art, and trade. Your guide will tailor the places you visit according to your interests but particular recommendations include the contemporary local art galleries and museums, the colourful open-air Ubud art market, and even local designers and artisans.
After your Ubud tour, have a late lunch at Ubud’s famous Naughty Nuri’s Pork Ribs. For many, Naughty Nuri’s is the pinnacle of Ubud’s street food scene. It has been serving barbecued spare ribs, dirty martinis and cold beers since the mid 1990s. For a smarter option that also serves halal food, Mozaic is a classic option for fine dining, with an impressive cellar of over 200 different wines.
Head back to the resort for an afternoon yoga class, or enjoy some well-deserved relaxation by the pool.
For dinner, you could head to Uma Bar, which has excellent Balinese Arak cocktails, barbecue nights each Monday, and an Indonesian street food night on Fridays. Or for an Italian-inspired feast, stop by Uma Cucina.
Day Three
Finding Inner Peace
Luxuriate in a slow start and breakfast at Kemiri, before heading out to visit the Pura Taman Saraswati water temple or Goa Gajah Elephant Cave — another extraordinary religious site dating back to the 11th century. If you’re hoping to see more rice terraces you could also take an hour's drive north of Ubud to the rural Jatiluwih rice terraces, which are much less touristy than Tegalallang.
After all that visiting, head back to COMO Shambhala for a 60-minute massage. You can choose between an invigorating signature COMO Shambhala massage, Indonesian deep tissue massage or restorative Taksu massage. Alternatively, combine several of our body therapies for an afternoon of relaxation where you don't have to worry about a thing.
Whatever your preferences, our expert team at COMO Uma Ubud are on hand to help you plan your stay. Please get in touch for more information.
