Things to do in Ubud (& Jati Cottages) -

Accommodation in Ubud

We were planning on spending 5 nights in Ubud. Using Tripadvisor and Booking.com, we narrowed it down to a few places situated around the Monkey Forest. That’s the main touristy area in Ubud and we like being close to the action. The accommodation just outside of Ubud looked beautiful, luxurious and lush – the perfect kind’ve places for honeymoon. But we weren’t on honeymoon…

Jati Cottages

We chose Jati Cottages based on the price, location and nice-looking bathroom (priorities!).

Pool, Jati Cottages, Ubud

I found their website a bit difficult to use so I made the booking via Booking.com. The payment didn’t come off immediately. I emailed them whether I could pay upfront and about transport options from the airport. They responded about the transport (about R315 for a van). However, I emailed them several times after and never got any response. I was a bit annoyed and considered cancelling the booking (it was free to cancel on Booking.com until a certain point). I’m so glad I didn’t.

Arrival

We arrived at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali around 7pm. Our long flight was made longer by a small delay in landing and an even longer delay in getting our luggage (not to mention a freaky 2-second power out at the airport). We exchanged some money for the taxi and dinner.

The long wait for luggage at the Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali

As we walked towards the exit of the airport, we were harassed by taxi drivers. I checked the price of the airport taxi and that was around R400 for the cab. The taxi driver that harassed us wanted to charge us more than that but we haggled him down (not by much). We were tired and wanted to check in.

Ubud is 37km from the airport but in Bali, that means it’s more than an hour drive. Our drive felt even longer as it seemed the taxi driver struggled to find our accommodation. Jati Cottage seemed a bit off the main road. I also noticed a Coco Mart (big grocery store) close by.

Check in at Jati Cottages

Check in went smoothly. The staff were very nice. They informed me that paying with a card incurs a 3% additional charge. The price for our accommodation seemed to increase by R500. Using Booking.com I requested that our 2 rooms be close together. They did just that.

After settling in, we walked for 1-minute to a nearby eatery (Hongalia). Super cheap with free WIFI!

The room, breakfast and facilities

Our room was close to the pool. It was nice and spacious and it had an outside seating area. The bed was super comfy. A much needed aircon kept us cool (although really messed with my nose). There was a basin and tea /coffee station. Although the shower was not separated from the rest of the bathroom, the area dried quickly.

The WiFi was pretty fantastic too.

The room at Jati Cottages, Ubud, Bali

We came very prepared for mosquitoes but found that they were not really as much of an issue as we thought they would be.

Jati Cottages is quite a small establishment. They have a wonderful pool and we spent a lot of time there, just chilling and relaxing.

Poolside at Jati Cottage, Ubud, Bali

I really enjoyed the breakfast at Jati Cottage. They had a menu that you could pre-book. However, it always seemed to take the same amount of time to come. I’d recommend the nasi goreng and flapjacks.

Jati Cottages, Ubud, Bali

I really enjoyed my stay at Jati Cottage. What made it more amazing were the wonderful staff. They were helpful, informative and even knew us by name. Every night, they came to put on the mosquito plug and would give a print out of a short story. I feel like I received the best service there – maybe the best ever service I’ve ever received!

Surrounds

Just outside Jati Cottages are two warungs (cheaper restaurants) and a massage parlour (I enjoyed my very cheap full body massage!). It is 800m from the Monkey Forest which can feel like a far walk in the heat. The roads leading up to the Monkey Forest have many small stores selling touristy items, restaurants and bars. There are also ‘tour stands’ – we bought a tour for river rafting, a boat to Gili Trawangan and a cultural site tour. I didn’t do the Mount Batur hike in the end as it had a 2am pickup time.

Walking around Ubud & Clear Cafe

The area around Jati Cottage is convenient – if you don’t mind a bit of walking. We all fell ill at some point and were easily able to get antibiotics and other medication at the Guardian Pharmacy (pricey!!). We got yummy supplies at the Coco Mart including R7 Cornettos. There were ATMs at various locations. Be warned that there are areas without pavements where walking can be a bit tricky.