With a backdrop of emerald green terraced rice-fields and the tumbling waters of the Ayung flowing below, Ubud Hanging Gardens is set at the heart of Bali.
The hotel is only 20 minutes from the centre of Ubud, accessed by a complimentary scheduled shuttle bus service. The airport and Ubud Hanging Garden’s sister hotel and recently refurbished Jimbaran Puri Bali are 90 minutes away by car. A 15 minute helicopter transfer to Denpasar Airport can also be arranged.
Perched adjacent to steep rice terraces with sweeping views across the Ayung river gorge to the ancient Pura Penataran Dalem Segara temple on the opposite hillside, Ubud Hanging Gardens has 38 villas, which are all constructed in contemporary Balinese style on gravity defying wooden pillars with thatched alang-alang roofs. The resort’s accommodation, restaurants, pool and spa cascade down the hillside to the valley floor below and can be reached by a funicular.
The resort’s garden was conceived by the landscape architect William Warren (author of “Balinese Garden”, Thames & Hudson), together with John Pettigrew, (another devotee of botanical gardens who created the garden at Begawan Giri). It is planted with exotic trees and tropical shrubs such as cocoa, coffee, fruit trees, durian, rambutan, lychees, a variety of tropical bamboos, flame trees, bird of paradise flowers and orchids.
The hotel has four categories of villa-style accommodation: 15 deluxe Pool villas, of approximately 100m², 15 panoramic view deluxe Pool villas, of approximately 100m², two panoramic view suite pool villas of 160m² and six 2-bedroom Family Pool villas of 160m².
The villas were designed by Anglo/ French architect Gordon Shaw and all have king sized four poster beds, handmade batik cotton fabrics, an interior bathroom with hand moulded bath, terraces with open air showers and dramatic Java stone plunge pools with adjoining Bales (a traditional Balinese relaxation area). Shaw used precious woods throughout the property, including Merbau flooring for the interiors, Benkirai for the exteriors and wooden furniture with sculpted doors in the Balinese tradition.
