Glamping, Bali Style
Capella Ubud is luxury camping seriously redefined. In Bali, so what more could you ask for?
When asked to write this piece, my response was, I think understandably enough: “What!! You know my idea of camping is a hotel without room service!”
I have tried this camping lark once — the air mattress had a leak, there was no coffee in the morning because my now ex-husband had forgotten to turn the gas off the night before, and I had to queue to have a cold shower. Never again…
But this isn’t camping, not by any stretch of the imagination and mine is pretty good. Yes there are tents, but that is the only similarity. This is my idea of camping!
Capella Ubud is a super luxurious tented camp retreat located in the lust green heart of Bali’s Ubud rainforest, 20 minutes north of Ubud, in a village called Keliki. It is set in four hectares (for those, like me who have no idea what that is 4 hectares = 430556 square feet. Better?), where sloping rice terraces meet the untouched and dense rainforest of the sacred Wos River. The property was apparently, and remarkably, constructed without cutting down or compromising one single tree.
The 22 one-bedroom tents and two-bedroom lodge were designed by architect Bill Bensley, and all have their own individual theme but the inspiration comes from the island’s early colonial heritage. Most of the tents are on the valley slopes, accessible by a suspension bridge, however some are on flat terrain. Each tent comes with an indoor and outdoor bathroom, with roll top brass bathtub, a private salt water Jacuzzi. Bedrooms have four-poster beds and the living areas are spacious and beautifully apportioned with furniture typical of Indonesia. In addition, all rooms within the tents have air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, a complimentary smart phone with data included, and — drumroll please! — a coffee machine. The outside decks, of which there are two per tent, are perfect for candlelit dinners or to just sit and enjoy and take in the surroundings.
The promise to guests is to relive the spirit of adventure while enjoying the natural splendor of Bali in luxurious comfort. All centering around wellness, this unique retreat is offering a look at the way of life in Bali, with modern conveniences and technology along for the ride.
Guests can take a culinary trip through the local farm of the village, which includes the resorts own coffee, tea and cocoa plantation and honey farm. You can attend a sacred temple ritual with villagers at the Wos River. There are wellness options which include spiritual and sound healing, or medicinal culinary healing. We can all learn from that.
The adventurous types can attend a jungle boot camp, take a mountain bike ridge tour and low and high impact workouts in the rice paddies. Let that become the new gym trend — rice paddies!
Other retreat attractions and features include an Armory-Tented Gymnasium, Cistern outdoor Rainforest Pool, an Auriga Spa and Wellness Retreat, a campfire (duh!) and numerous day trips to surrounding attractions like the Puri Lukisan art museum and nearby Hindu temples, reached on foot from the hotel or, for you/us lazy ones, by hotel transport.
Food and drink has not been forgotten, the camp has several options with wonderfully tongue twisting and romance-inspiring names like Api Jiwq Asian Street Food Barbecue, Mads Lange Dining Room, Officer’s Tent Living Room, Mortar and Pestle Pool Bar, and the Wos River Deck, all offering options from western to gourmet Asian.
Rates start at 838.00 USD per night (plus service charge and taxes). So it’s definitely not, you know, camping.
Capella Ubud, Bali
Raya Dalem, Banjar Triwangsa
Desa Keliki, Kecamatan Tegallalang
Ubud, Gianyar
Balia 80561, Indonesia
Telephone:
+62 361 2091 888 (Concierge)
