Somebody please find me a spa!

After our trip to Dominican, Louise and I headed straight on to Bali. Sounds like a dream right? Welllll, yes and no. On the one hand, we had two trips to paradise lined up back to back (can’t complain about that). On the other hand, we were looking at a 36 hour journey between the two. It turns out that in order to get to Bali from Dominican, we had to go from Punta Cana, to New York, to Hong Kong, and finally to Bali.

When we finally got to Bali, we were exhausted. And greasy…. And grumpy. We only had a week in Bali this time around, so we needed to get back on track as quickly as possible. We needed some hardcore R & R stat. Fortunately, we predicted this might be the case, so we arranged a couple of days stay at the luxurious Kupu Kupu Barong Resort and Spa in Ubud.

Kupu Kupu Barong:

Like so many hotels in Bali, Kupu Kupu Barong is a luxury spa nestled away in a tiny crevice in Ubud. What starts out as a tiny alleyway opens out into a magnificent hillside hotel, with stunning and expansive views of the river valley below.

Check in:

From the moment we arrived at Kupu Kupu Barong, we could tell we were walking into luxury; a welcome cocktail and a cool towel was thrust into our hands, and flower necklaces around our necks. We were also told that we’d have our very own personal butler for our stay….wha whaaaaat!

Private Villa:

One of the things that we were most excited about was having our own private villa and pool. Even in the most luxury resorts, it’s often hard to forget that you’re in a hotel and surrounded by other people. We were looking forward to total seclusion and honestly it really was perfect. The moment the gate shut on our porch, the rest of the world just slipped away.

Our villa was perfectly luxurious for us; it had a beautiful four poster bed, air conditioning (top on my list), and an enormous stone bath. Outside the villa was a double sun lounger and a delightfully cool private swimming pool, perfectly for cooling off after a sweaty day in Ubud.

Rooms range from $170 for a traditional hotel style room overlooking the main pool, to a pool villa (around $370), to a 2 bed river view pool villa for $595 per night. Check here for current rates!

Photos can only do so much, but here goes!

Romantic meals:

One of the things that attracted us to Kupu Kupu Barong in the first place was their ‘romantic meal’ concept. There are three spectacular ways to have breakfast, lunch or dinner; the Birdnest, the ‘Private Infinite Pool’ or the Eagle Nest. Each one is unique in its own way and we’d have loved to have done all three if we’d had time.

 

In the end we opted to go for the Birdnest breakfast (once we were able to tear ourselves away from our villa). The view from the Birdnest is stunning, and the breakfast isn’t half bad either.

What started out as a set menu quickly turned into a banquet; our waitress kept offering to bring more and more options until the table was literally overflowing. The service was incredible and even though the footpath goes right behind the birdnest, we felt completely alone.

I think privacy is less possible for the Infinite pool, as it’s right next to the hotel lobby, but the hotel does its best to shield it with a few curtains. I don’t think it’s a major issue and we’d still love to eat there if we have a chance in the future.

Price:

Each location costs a surplus of anywhere from $40 to $85 depending on which one you choose and which sitting – check here for more details and menu options.

La View

We ate at the ‘La-View’ restaurant for dinner a couple of times and were very impressed by the food. Our favourite night was ‘Japanese night’ on a Wednesday, because it was a Japanese buffet. We love sushi and all Japanese food so it was a no-brainer for us.

The only problem with all you can eat is that you feel like you have to stuff your face to get your money’s worth. Not stuffing our faces wasn’t an option, so we quickly fell into food comas and passed out after dinner. Not really a problem actually is it 🙂

Spa treatment:

We couldn’t go to Kupu Kupu and not try one of their massages!

We booked into the Mango Tree spa and arranged to have a Balinese massage. The spa is literally in a treehouse, and you have fantastic views of the river and rice paddys below. Louise and I lay side by side and were given earplugs (because there was pretty loud construction in the river below). I was feeling brave and asked for a hard massage, Louise asked for a regular.

Normally I fall asleep during massages, but there was no falling asleep in this one. Be careful what you wish for! With that being said, the massage was fantastic and we both felt incredible afterwards. I was limping a little for the next day or two but I think it was what my body needed after all that travelling. I’d definitely go back here for another massage.

Spa treatments range from $125 to $179 per person and you can have a whole range of treatments.

If you go for the more expensive option, you get aaaaaall of this:

• 75 min. REINE BLANCHE FACIAL WITH WHITE JADE (FOOT BATH,CLEANSE & TONE, FACE SCRUB, STEAM, SIGNATURE FACE MASSAGE WITH WHITE JADE, REINE BLANCHE FACE MASK AND FACE MOISTURIZER)
• 30 min. ALMOND BODY SCRUB
• 90 min. DEEP TISSUE BODY MASSAGE
• 30 min. ALMOND DETOX BODY WRAP
• 15 min. SCALP MASSAGE
• AFTERNOON TEA

Try and tell me you’re not feeling relaxed after all of that. You can also visit the spa even if you’re not staying at Kupu Kupu Barong. Free shuttle from Ubud is included. Check here for more of the spa options.

Become a rice farmer:

Eh? Doesn’t really sound too relaxing.

For $150 you can become a rice farmer for a day and learn the entire process and get involved. That sounded a lot like hard work for me for 150 bucks, but actually it comes with a massage and picnic breakfast. If you’re going to get a massage anyway then it kind of adds something a little different to the experience.

In case you’re wondering where this takes place, Kupu Kupu actually has its own rice farm down by the river. Kupu Kupu is set in an enormous hill/cliff, so fortunately they have their own elevator down.

If you’re thinking of finding a luxury spa in Ubud to let off some steam, we’d definitely recommend Kupu Kupu Barong. If you have any more questions then feel free to get in touch!

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