Overview

Alila Ubud (formerly known as The Chedi Ubud) is a secluded hillside retreat that sits high up on the edge of the rich green Ayung River valley in Bali’s central foothills. Blending contemporary design and traditional Balinese architecture, the secluded courtyards, spacious terraces and private gardens create an intimate and tranquil feeling like none other.

Location

Alila Ubud, in the traditional Balinese hill village of Payangan and on the banks of the mystical and magical Ayung River, is just five kilometres from Bali's artistic and cultural centre of Ubud, the place where artists and painters, writers and musicians from around the world find their inspiration. Guests can visit a number of art galleries and museums, see dramatic and opulent temple festivals and dances, and take in the magic of the real Bali.

Accommodation

The resort’s 56 Deluxe rooms and suite villas stand above a ravine on stilts like tree houses. The world-renowned architectural firm Kerry Hill Architects makes use of traditional Balinese design, but it is transformed into modern geometry. Smooth plaster walls and concrete meet thatched roofs; terrazzo tiles meet gravel or crushed rock; wood meets glass. All rooms have panoramic views of the magical Ayung River and surrounding volcanoes. The Garden Suites provide a private tropical garden and an outside bath surrounded by a lotus pond.

The Pool

If you were to rank the 50 most beautiful hotel swimming pools in the world, then Alila Ubud would be right up there at the top (actually it is – Travel + Leisure 2002). Surrounded by stone-tiled sun decks that feature comfortable sun-beds with attractive Balinese umbrellas, the dramatic emerald-green swimming pool is perched on a terrace and appears to float above the plunging Ayung River valley below. Moving from the pool bar into the cool depths, the water’s surface seems to flow endlessly through the terraced jungle and reach up to the sky.