My wife and I stayed at the Kayon Resort on the second leg of our Bali trip over the 2018 Thanksgiving break. We’ve visited Ubud many times but had never stayed there, so we specifically sought out a nice place. We Googled “best places to stay in Ubud” and cross-checked the list against first-hand reviews on TripAdvisor, walking down it (Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, The Viceroy…) until we found something we could remotely afford.
Reservations
Finding a place is one thing; getting a reservation is another. When we looked in summer there was availability, but our plans weren’t firm. By the time they firmed up, availability had gotten scarce and we started considering other parts of Bali. Then one day hotels.com showed availability for a River View Pool Villa — what we wanted — so we booked through them. Normally we’d use the Citi Prestige 4th-night-free program, but the hotel wasn’t showing on the ThankYou rewards site, and we were traveling and couldn’t easily call the concierge. The hotels.com booking was refundable, so we kept checking for Citi availability afterward — none ever appeared. hotels.com it was. The reservation itself was smooth: a one-night deposit paid via a website, and the rest was fine.
Location
The resort is slightly northeast of central Ubud — not walking distance, but the hotel runs free shuttles roughly hourly. We booked a car at our previous hotel for the drop-off; the ride took a couple of hours through many scenic parts of Bali and Ubud, including some lovely rice paddies. The resort is off the beaten path, so you need clear directions — we managed.
What we didn’t realize (but absolutely should have): there are many rivers in Ubud, and “river view” doesn’t mean the river but “a” “river” — in this case more like a little stream, 5–10 feet wide and about six inches deep. But nice sounds.
It is in the jungle. Arrival was lovely — they had our reservation, invited us to a welcome drink at the restaurant, and told us to let them know when we were ready to go down to the room. We decided to have lunch first.
The service was great, the food good and not too expensive. Then we walked down to our room — there are no elevators, and our room was near the “river,” so quite a few flights down. Not a place for those with knee issues.
Room and bathroom
After several flights of steps — all outdoors, so more of an issue in the rain — we reached our room. The door was very attractive, and we had a private plunge pool: usable, but entered via a couple of steepish steps with no handrail.
The entire room complex — outdoor pool area, bedroom, balcony, bathroom — was completely private, with views of the river below and jungle in front. We could hear the waterfall but didn’t have line of sight. The bedroom was large, with a comfortable four-poster bed.
The TV was reasonable (except partly obscured by one of the bedposts), sockets were well placed for our gadgets, and there was plenty of space for suitcases. The bathroom was also large: twin sinks, a big rain shower, and a soaking tub. No door on the shower, so some water escaped — but the bathroom was large enough that it wasn’t really an issue.
Grounds and facilities
The setting is very picturesque — a proper jungle/forest feel, with sounds to match. It’s compact, though, so lots of steps. Easy on the eyes (and ears).
There’s a reasonable (not spectacular) spa. The main pool is very attractive — not large, but very good looking.
The gym is small, with a limited selection of cardio machines and a poor variety of free weights. My biggest issue: the air conditioning was broken, so workouts were in heat and humidity. I managed exactly one — too much for me.
Service
Outstanding throughout. The cleaning crew were thorough and efficient, as were the restaurant and lobby staff. Many knew us by name, and knew the local area (and us) well.
Internet
Weak — I had a lot of trouble connecting to my office VPN (occasional success). Cell signal was also challenged, presumably due to the deep ravine we were in.
Muslim friendliness
Halal food at the restaurant wasn’t an issue — we simply told them and they seemingly honored it. No qibla direction in the bedroom, but the phone compass worked fine. The sinks were very pretty, but making wudu — especially washing the feet — was a bit awkward, at least for my not-very-flexible frame. The wood floor was a little hard on my knees.
I didn’t notice any Muslim staff, and when I asked about a nearby place to pray, I was told Bali was a Hindu place so there were no mosques nearby (Google Maps disagreed). I was somewhat disappointed they didn’t even make the effort to look, or offer a ride.
Overall
We had a great time and wouldn’t hesitate to strongly recommend the place. We mentioned coming back with the grandkids and were told they don’t allow under-16s — understandable, given the honeymoon vibe (indeed, there was a wedding during our stay).
Links: http://thekayonresort.com
Originally posted on the old ReviewSity, December 2018.