I have a confession: I’m not your typical “go on holiday to laze by the resort pool” kind of traveller. However, after a big year, some quality R&R in Bali was calling my name. When I saw Maya Ubud Resort & Spa pop up as a travel deal package on Luxury Escapes, I hit go and booked my first ever 5-star resort stay, with every intention of purely lazing around the pool and enjoying all the lush resort had to offer during our stay.
Read on for my firsthand review of what it’s like staying at Maya Ubud and what to expect from this resort nestled in the jungle of Ubud.
About the Resort
Built in 2001, Maya Ubud is situated on 20 hectares of tropical jungle landscapes and lush rice paddies. Perched on the edge of the Petanu River, the expansive resort certainly wows from the minute you drive down the long winding driveway, passing perfectly manicured gardens on the way before reaching the open-air lobby entrance.
There are 107 rooms in total, consisting of 47 rooms and 60 villas which are equipped with a private pool or spa bath and employees around 250 staff, as I learnt from my local guide one morning on the complimentary Maya Discovery walking tour of the grounds.
Getting There
The resorts offer direct Airport transfers at a cost of IDR 950,000 (about USD 62) at the time of our stay in November 2024. Instead, we opted to book a much more affordable Private Airport Transfer with Klook for only ~320,000 IDR (about USD 20)
It takes about 90 minutes (depending on traffic) to reach Maya Ubud from the airport.
Just a quick reminder not to leave home without travel insurance! There’s nothing worse than getting unwell overseas, let alone worrying about whether you can afford to pay for treatment. I use Covermore when I travel, and they’ve been fantastic – from delayed flights in Kuala Lumpur to getting stuck on an island in the Philippines due to the weather, I’ve had no issues the few times I’ve needed to make a claim. Get a quote here!
Location
There’s no shortage of luxury resorts to choose from in Ubud, but one of the key things that sets Maya apart is its location. Despite feeling like a tranquil, private escape, it’s only a mere 10 to 15-minute drive from the bustling centre of Ubud (depending on traffic). Most of the other resorts we considered for our stay were at least 30+ minutes away.
Sustainability
Another differentiation point is that, unlike much of the hospitality industry in Bali, Maya is Indonesian-owned. There’s also a tangible effort towards sustainability and social responsibility – more than 30% of the employees are from local neighbouring villages.
Elements of sustainable design are evident across the property – from the lanterns hanging at the lobby entrance, made from recycled fish traps to the rice ploughs converted into beds and sofas, among other recycled furniture.
Room
I decided to splurge and went all out and booked a villa with a private plunge pool, called the Heavenly Pool Villa.
Our package, booked through Australian travel company Luxury Escapes, came with inclusions such as:
- Daily buffet breakfast
- Daily three-course lunch or dinner at Tree Bar
- Nightly sunset cocktail each at Tree Bar
- One 60-minute Balinese massage per adult at the Spa
At a total cost of ~ AUD 560 per night for 3 nights (approx. 350 USD).
For Bali, this is the most we’ve ever spent – on previous trips we had a budget of $120 per night! Upon reflection, it was worth every penny and I’m SO glad we decided on the private pool villa – it really made our trip.
Our room was located on the riverside of the resort, with a private gated entrance leading to a garden bursting with greenery, an outdoor terrace, and a sparkling pool. Inside, the rooms were tastefully decorated in traditional Indonesian style, with a plush king-sized bed, large bathroom and tub overlooking the pool.
Most importantly, in the humid and hot weather that we experienced at the start of Bali’s wet season during our stay in November 2024, the air conditioning was strong and effective! Bonus points for the Nespresso pod machine!
Our villa came with butler service, which we took the liberty of enjoying when ordering cocktails that came hand-delivered to the pool where we were lounging – now this is a true luxury!
As our room was located at one end of the resort, we made use of the complimentary buggy service to get around a bit. Simply dial Guest Services and they’ll send a buggy pronto to ferry you across the resort – necessary on those hot days when you don’t feel like walking in the heat!
If it’s in the budget, I highly recommend booking a villa over a standard room!
Facilities Overview
Infinity Pools
Maya Ubud is home to two beautiful infinity pools – the Infinity Forest Pool, and my favourite, the adults-only Infinity Riverside Pool. The Infinity Forest Pool is for all ages, with a shallow kids’ pool located next to it.
We had an early morning dip at the Infinity Riverside Pool, after warming up our legs and doing the scenic river walk along the forest valley. The pool was lovely, but I will admit, it’s difficult to beat the private pool of our villa, which is where we spent most of our time!
Fitness Centre & Yoga Pavilion
If exercising while on holiday is your thing (you crazy fit people, you!), you’ll be pleased to know there is a small but modern gym and fitness centre.
Above the gym, you’ll find the open-air Yoga Pavilion. I joined the daily morning yoga one morning of our stay, which was a delightful way to wake up and stretch the body. As well as yoga, there are weekly meditation sessions held here as part of the resort’s complimentary activities.
You’ll find a tennis court and kids club, both located behind the Fitness Centre.
Shuttle Bus
A complimentary shuttle bus to the centre of Ubud departs from the resort every hour during daylight hours if you’re eager to leave the resort and explore more of town. We managed to leave our private pool one day to have a wander and enjoy lunch in town, and it was easy to get there and back using this service.
It’s also possible to order Grab or Gojek taxis if you don’t want to wait around – this is where we found having an eSIM super handy, as it gave us freedom and flexibility to get around easily in Bali.
Activities and Experiences
Each week, there are a varied and full schedule of complimentary and paid activities offered by the Resort. We took full advantage of these, taking part in Morning Yoga, the Growing Grounds Farm tour and the Maya Discovery Walk tour.
For the latter two, we ended up being the only guests on the tour, so we had a private experience both times!
The Growing Grounds tour was fascinating – we explored the small resort farm and a section of the rice paddies. The kitchen uses produce from the gardens, which includes tomatoes, chilli, eggplants, ginger and more. We also met the resident flock of ducks (not used for food, don’t worry!).
On the Maya Discovery Walk, I learnt more about the history of the property and some unique features, like artifacts recovered from a local shipwreck that are displayed in the foyer. My friendly guide walked me to the Resort temple, where I learnt so much about local Balinese customs, traditions and Hinduism practices.
The guides on both these tours spoke English well and were very friendly and informative.
See the image below for the full suite of activities that were available during my stay, which included Private Yoga sessions, Purification experiences, private painting classes and more.
Additional adventure activities are available to book directly with the hotel, including Mt Batur Sunrise Hiking, E-Bike tours, white water rafting and quad biking.
Dining
Maya Ubud is home to three restaurants:
- Mayasari (buffet breakfast, cultural dinners)
- Tree Bar (all-day dining)
- River Café (open for lunch only, overlooks the riverside pool, serving Italian cuisine)
The buffet breakfast at Mayasari was incredible – I’m calling it and saying it was the best hotel buffet breakfast I’ve had.
There’s a huge range to select from, including Indonesian, Indian, Japanese, fresh fruit, pancakes and waffles, baked treats and made-to-order egg service, plus barista coffee. We went to bed each night looking forward to waking up and feasting the next morning! We didn’t dine at night, but there is a cultural performance held each night for diners, such as a traditional dance show.
We enjoyed dinner each night at the Tree Bar, whose menu featured mainly Mediterranean and international dishes. Luckily, we could still order our favourite Indonesian dishes, including nasi goreng and mi goreng. The cocktails were well-made, with a mix of classics and unique concoctions like the Balinese Negroni twist I tried.
My only slight complaint is that there wasn’t a huge amount of variety unless you wanted Western food, as we love to dine on local cuisine when travelling – but I guess they are catering to the preferences of their standard guest.
Spa
Our package included a 60-minute couples Balinese massage.
The spa is an experience in itself – after being greeted upstairs at the reception and choosing your scented massage oil, you follow your therapist down a winding set of stairs and along the river until you reach the treatment rooms which directly overlook the river. We had a great and very relaxing massage while listening to the calming flow of the water below.
You can view the Spa menu and pricing here.
Final Thoughts
It’s official – I’m converted! After my 3-night stay at Maya Ubud, I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed our taste of resort life. Maya Ubud was 5-star in almost every aspect, and our stay went by so quickly. We honestly could have not left the resort at all for the duration of our stay, but on our one outing to Ubud town, it was very easy and convenient to get there from the resort.
If you’re looking for a memorable stay and relaxing resort experience in Bali, I highly recommend Maya Ubud Resort & Spa, and hope to get back there again soon for another delightful stay!