place of interest

•Ubud Location:
Ubud is located 12 miles NE of Kuta, in the district of Gianyar. Driving from Kuta it will take you between 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes to reach Ubud.

•Ubud Geography:
Ubud sits centrally among a group of villages. Padang Tegal and Nyuhkuning are to the south, Peliatan and Kutuh are to the east, Campuhan, Penestenan and Sayan are to the west and Sanggingan and Kedewatan are to the NW. Ubud also has a number of rivers flowing through it including the Wos Timur and the Wos Barat.

Downtown Ubud slopes from north to south and is quite easy navigate. Notable landmarks include Monkey Forest in the SW corner, the Ubud Palace on Jl. Raya Ubud and the Art Market, also on Jl. Raya Ubud.

•Ubud History:

Important people in Ubud history: Rudolf Bonnet:
Rudolf Bonnet was one of Bali’s most influential foreign artists. During his time in Bali, Bonnet was well connected with other leading foreign artists such as Walter Spies, Balinese royalty including Tjokorda Gede Agung Sukawati and helped to create the Pita Maha Artists Association as well as Museum Puri Lukisan.

Important people in Ubud history: Arie Smit:
Arie Smit is one of Bali’s most well known foreign born artists. Born is Holland in 1916, he became an Indonesian citizen in 1950 and still lives in Bali. Arie Smit’s painting style using oil on canvas, incorportates vivid color and celebrates the colors found in Bali.

Important people in Ubud history: Walter Spies:
German artist Walter Spies was born September 15, 1895 in Moscow. From an early age he had an interest in the arts, including painting, dance and music. Attending university in Dresden, gave Spies the opportunity to interact with musicians and composers, such as Paul Hindemith and Arthur Schnabel, and artists such as Oskar Kokoschka and Otto Dix. The 1920’s saw an influx of foreigners to Bali, including Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward, Vicky Baum, Miguel Covarrubias, Margaret Mead and others. Spies was one of the first, and living in Campuhan close to Ubud.

Important people in Ubud history: Miguel Covarrubias:
Miguel Covarrubias was a Mexican artist and writer, born in 1904, who lived in New York City. He is best known for his artwork and iconography, that shed light on the pre-Colombian art of Mesoamerica. Here in Bali, he is known for writing The Island Of Bali, a work that gives great insight as to the cultural workings of Bali in the 1930’s.

Important people in Ubud history: Ni Wayan Murni:
If you ever go up to Ubud then at one time or another you will hear the name Murni’s mentioned or even see her establishments there. Do yourself a big favour and eat some great Balinese tucker at Murni’s Warung.

Important people in Ubud history: Antonio Blanco:
Bali is an island of artists, or so it might seem at times. One of the famous foreign artists to live in Bali was Antonio Blanco, or ‘the Maestro’ as he liked to be called. His museum in on the edge of Ubud.

Important people in Ubud history: Janet DeNeefe:
Janet DeNeefe, the ‘Queen of Ubud’, as some people have called her, is the owner of Casa Luna and Indus restaurants, author of Fragrant Rice, and creator of the Ubud Readers & Writers Festival. Her connection with Bali goes way back.

•Getting Around Ubud:
Ubud is relatively tranquil place that many visitors to Bali enjoy. The day time scene on Jl. Raya Kuta can get a little hectic, but away from that immediate area and in the evenings, Ubud is peaceful. For people with a car or motorbike, Ubud and the surrounding areas are a joy to behold. Some of the most scenic 1-2 hours drives are in the Ubud area, a couple starting on Jl. Raya Ubud. It is possible to rent cars and motorbikes down town in Ubud, which is not a bad idea. Hiring a car with driver for the day is a good way to go also and ideally sohuld be booked in advance. For people arriving in Ubud by bus and who have no intention of renting a car or motorbike, here are some other transport options.

•Ubud Accommodation:
Ubud has accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets, ranging family homestays to 5 Star resorts. Downtown Ubud is the center of the budget accommodation, which is great for people arriving by Perama bus. Perama’s office is located on the bottom end of Jl. Hanoman, putting you very close to accommodation options.

Three budget locations in Ubud include Jl. Hanoman, Jl. Kajeng and Jl. Penestenan, in the west of Ubud. The first two are right downtown, with Jl. Penestenan being suitable for those with some transport.

Central Ubud also has mid-range accommodation such as Nick’s Hidden Cottages, just off of Jl. Raya Ubud for around 250,000rp, with shared pool. The Biyukukung Suites and Spa is another place centrally located, with a relaxing rice-field environment.

There are plenty of budget guesthouses, that are 50,000rp and up. They are not in any hotel booker, don’t expect to see them on any other website in Bali. Most are extensions of a family compound where the family still lives. An excellent way to observe the culture, right from the start of the day when a family member will give offerings and prayers, to the little bits of life that occur like the preparing of traditional food and religious events.

Most of these places offer a basic room with fan, twin or double beds, hot water, breakfast. Being located downtown makes life a lot easier on people without transport. Another thing is that for people on RTW trips who want to relax as well as explore, when you are only paying $6 a day you won’t feel too guilty for not having a productive day.

Staying slightly out of town in Penestenan costs more. People are prepared to pay for that rice field / Bali village feel. There are also some fine hotels in places like Campuhan and Sayan. In fact one of the Best Hotels in the World (the Four Seasons Sayan) according to Travel & Leisure, is only 15 minutes from downtown.

Eating out in Ubud:
Ubud is the kind of place where you can go crazy sampling all the wonderful eating options available. Downtown Ubud, particularly Jl. Raya Ubud, Jl. Hanoman and Jl. Dewi Sita