Where do we stay in Ubud?

We have been renting house and rooms at home stays for the past few months that we are here.  Our plan is to move to a permanent home eventually.

The price for accommodations in Ubud varies.  They range from USD15 per night for a basic room to over USD1000 for a luxury villa. Depending on how fancy you want to get.

I rented a house last year with two other friends of mine.  It is located on Jl Jembawan, the same street as Radiantly Alive yoga and Bali Buda restaurant and health food store.  Very convenient.  We paid USD2000 per month for that house.  Modern, clean, nice interior decor and spacious.

The rental included daily cleaning service and cooking (we paid for the grocery).  Ketut, who has since become Eron's baby sitter, was the one looking after the house.  The house also has a nice garden.  We used that for morning yoga, meditation or just simply being there and enjoyed the sound of the nature (including roosters).

House on Jl Jembawan

This house has a nice view of the "jungle" and little stream that runs through the woods.  And this is very common among the accommodations in Ubud.  A lot of them have nice views of  ravine, rice fields and "jungle" view.

The other place that we have stayed was the Indra homestay on Jl Hanoman.  We paid about USD15 per night and that includes a free breakfast and daily cleaning service.  The room was not very impressive but it was clean.

Indra Home Stay

The typical breakfast that you will get at these home stays are banana pancake, toast with eggs, omelet, fruits and tea or coffee.  I enjoyed the food so far.

We are now staying at Rumah Roda on Jl Kajeng, paying about USD20 per night (long term rate).  It comes with free breakfast and a shared swimming pool. They are not super diligent in cleaning the room regularly but the room is spacious with good furniture, and a spacious terrace where you can sit down and enjoy the sunset.  We are very happy with this home stay.

Front of our Roda room

Recently I have another friend who stayed at Krishna on Jl Jembawan, paid about USD15 per night without breakfast, but the cleaning that was being done daily was great.  The place is very quiet and has a beautiful garden with plants, flowers and fruit trees.

Oh, notes about temperature.   There have been both hot and rainy/breezy days since we arrived. Accommodations in Ubud usually will only have ceiling fans. You can get rooms with A/C for about USD30 per night.  Check with them if they have hot shower facility.  The ones that I have stayed have it so far.

WIFI. Almost all accommodations have WIFI but they are not high speed. For regular surfing it is good enough but not if you want to Skype.

Safety issue.   I generally find it safe in Ubud and have not had any problem leaving my valuables in my room while I am out.  Well, I did hear about houses of expats being broken into but generally it is safe at home stays and short term rental private houses and villas.

If you are looking for long term rental, I suggest you look for something which is within a Balinese family compound or live in a house where there will be locals looking after the house.

So it is really about what you are looking for . If you do some research you will find a place that suits your needs.