COMO Uma Ubud @ Keep Things Magical

From soul searching to wellness retreat, visitors travelling to Bali for all kind of reasons, for the love of the sun and beach, the vibrant night entertainment night life, the rich history of its own unique heritage and culture or savouring the traditional Balinese gastronomy and more, there is always something for everyone.  mylifestylenews writes.

Bali - the Island of the Gods - is an island of contrasts and unique of its own - thanks to its magical blend of colourful culture, friendly and warm people, stunning nature, countless activities, tropical weather, culinary delights, vibrant nightlife and plentiful beautiful resorts to choose from……

For our fond memory of Bali, Ubud is the only one destination that gets to the heart and soul of an amazing experience. The mystical forest in the heart of the island is here that we connect with nature and marvel at its beauty in a serene atmosphere that feeds the soul, especially when choosing a affable resort that transports you into this mysticism for a stress free state of mind and we believe that the intimate rural COMO Uma Ubud has what it takes for a tranquil and lush staycation.

If tropical beaches is not your cup of tea in Bali, immersing yourself in the mystical forest would be the next best alternative. Situated on the main road on the fringe of the town centre and not so distance away from the artist town of Ubud, COMO Uma Ubud is a hidden gem where you can immerse yourself with endless possibilities to explore its lush topography surroundings at all the sights and colourful life on the way as you are worlds away once you enter the environs of this boutique resort.

 

COMO Uma Ubud pride themselves on the beauty of their surrounding estate and recognize your true passion lies in discovering the destination. The intimate resort comprises of only 46 luxury suites that are tucked along green planted corridors and exude traditional Indonesian charm. The larger villas have landscaped courtyards and infinity plunge pools, so there is no end to what level of luxury you choose.

This resort offers seclusion, quiet luxury and a variety of private villas to suit all tastes with understated luxury amenities offers.

Overlooking the Tjampuhan valley, you are surrounded by hillsides of coconut palms and banyan trees, which takes you to another world to be at one with nature.

The resort arranged a hassle free pick up transfer from the airport and a somewhat 90-minute ride - traffic permitting, the hospitable service team awaited our arrival with a very warm welcome and greetings that made us feel as easy as home immediately.

To our surprise, we were quickly whisked away to our upgraded Garden Pool Villa. The entrance to our 85sqm villa is defined by the lushly planted open-air courtyard with an outdoor terrace overlooking the water feature. Then the bathroom wing to the left and the bedroom wing, outdoor plunge pool together with a secluded garden to your right.

With a base colour of white, the interiors are bright and have a plantation feel to them all and the stone floors add that cool touch, given the tropical heat. Inside, light-filled interiors are set off by the four-poster king bed draped in airy white fabric, which is an essential given the tropical atmosphere.

There is so much space to enjoy and you will instantly want to unpack and just chill in the seclusion of your villa, as it allows you to have privacy and blend into the nature without intrusions. The sounds of nature -  with geckos, frogs and crickets - adding a soundscape that reminds you where you are and we were loving it.

Already we were feeling as though we had stepped into a world that lets you have the town of Ubud at your fingertips, but you would rather leave it behind and enter the world of COMO Uma Ubud. 

The resort is bigger than anticipated, which seems magnified by the extensive landscaping, lush vegetation and maturity of the trees and plants, so a lot is hidden in a sense, so that is also an instant draw card and we felt the need to eventually explore every pathway which adds to the enjoyment.

Spacious Bathtub

We wandered between tall, lushly planted walled paths and meandered up and down steps, so each turn of a corner presented us with a totally different aspect of the resort and we were quickly surrendering to the charms of nature, this forms part of the wellness aspect and the pool is overlooked by the open-air yoga pavilion on top of the Uma Bar.

The more we discover, we began to realize that the design of the resort is simple, with the lobby, pool and bar at its open-spaced heart. Less is definitely more here. So your yoga practice affords you an elevated view of the treetops, with scheduled yoga classes to participate in, which calms the soul once again, we enjoyed the morning yoga session with some extended good stretches and peaceful time al-together.

The pool environs were so beautiful with the mature plantings offering some shade and scents wafting through the air, so at any time of the day you could find some shade in the swimming pool as well, to escape the tropical sun, which can get rather fierce in its intensity. 

With the tropical heat being all pervading, a dip in the large 25-metre resort pool was in order. The sun lounges were widely spaced out and during our stay, we had the entire pool to ourselves at most of the time. It was a bonus treat!

The spa has a superb location and if you want to experience more than just a glimpse of Bali right on your doorstep.

Spiritually, art and shopping are the key things to do in Ubud and there are also many more activities on offer outside the resort that capture the essence of Bali’s cultural heartland, so don’t just confine yourself to within the resort and while the town is an interesting enclave to explore, there is so much beyond within a short distance.

A morning nearby guided Keliki village walk for approximately one hour before breakfast is highly recommended that allows you to explore a real Balinese family compound and then wander through the rice paddies, organic gardens and river paths.

At the adjacent village of Sebali, where you can make a canang sari -  an offering to the Gods as a gesture of gratitude which is made from a woven bamboo container that includes rice, flowers, incense, sweets, fruits, spice. With lots of firsthand information given, the tour is rather educational.

Feeding the soul is some wonderful food as well and as small as the resort is in room count, you have options. While in Bali, savoring the traditional Balinese cuisine is a must and that can certainly be found at Kemiri. The Asian-inspired all-day dining revives authentic Indonesian dishes with contemporary interpretations of the neighbouring countries specialties. 

This lush dining alang-alang (reeds) roofed outdoor pavilion overlooks a large koi pond and offers serenity while enjoying some delicious food. Breakfast is an absolute joy here, a semi-buffet menu with unlimited warm dishes cooked a-la-minute which is really important when the whole reason for choosing Ubud is to take things slowly.

After a few mornings of trying various dishes, from eggs Benedict to Nasi Goreng and even Bakso Sapi, nothing failed to please. The fruit juices are fresh as well as the colourful seasonal fruits available are inviting with some homemade jams that are particularly irresistible to go with the fluffy warm pastries.

As always, breakfast is our favourite part of the day. Deckwan and Suci  - the morning service team was always spot on and they knew how to engage guests and remembered your preferences after day one, which impressed us to no end. We were always the last to leave, as it was just so peaceful overlooking the koi pond and listening to nature. Other guests seemed to speak in hushed tones, seemingly not wanting to disturb the peace, so our start to the day was always a joy. No matter how indulgent you are, you can always swim it off later in the large resort pool.

If you prefer a change for the taste buds, there is also Uma Cucina, the convivial restaurant and lounge bar serving Italian inspired cuisine for dinner. Most importantly, you are experience locally grown ingredients that are nutritious, seasonal and pure in nourishing combinations and you can be as healthy or as decadent as you want!

We were dreading the day of departure, as the resort had fed our soul and allowed us to wind down and relax in a way we had not done for so long. It had been an incredibly memorable stay. We made the most of our villa pool and its seclusion, but equally spent a lot of time in the main resort pool to soak up the wonderful atmosphere created by nature, together with the calm and graceful and traditional Balinese Gamelan music created by an ensemble of percussive instruments such as gongs, xylophones and drums played in the late afternoon by the pool side of Uma Bar while you are floating weightlessly in the giant pool. Simply magical!

In general, the staff had delivered the warmest hospitality during our stay especially the front office team. Ayu, Silva and Dila always greeted us affably by name and anticipated our needs as well as the F&B team members aforementioned, from beginning to end. Despite some interior elements of the villa were showing its age, we found serenity and comfort at a level to be expected of such an eponymous brand. 

In this case of obsessive brand loyalty, you can count on standards of service delivery and five-star comfort and there’ll always be surprises in terms of the setting and a design unique to local culture and landscape.

But there’s latitude, too, to think beyond brands and opt for smaller and more idiosyncratic options, especially when your chosen destination is outside well-trodden realms. We travel to explore, learn and understand more about the world around us, go beyond the ordinary, so we believe travel should be a doorway to cultural insight and personal enrichment. Small luxury resorts such as COMO Uma Ubud with curated staycation experiences will definitely leave a special place in your (our) heart.

Tried & Tested:
Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 4.5/5
Room Amenities: 4.5/5
Housekeeping: 4/5
Food & Beverages: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Value For Money: 4.5/5
Experience: 4.5/5

 

COMO Uma Ubud
 Jalan Raya Sanggingan,

Banjar Lungsiakan, Kedewatan, 

Ubud, Gianyar

Bali, Indonesia

Tel: +62 3619 2448

 
Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated.