Experience the divine at Maya Ubud Resort & Spa

Still in Ubud, and off to another stunning property, Maya Ubud Resort & Spa, where you are greeted with the most incredible beauty all around. With individual Balinese style villas set in a lush landscape, this well established favourite is also home to one of the best spas to be found in all of Bali. We were told to go here by a local friend who lives in Bali - in her words it is an "incredible experience" not just for the amazing treatments on offer, but also for the sheer beauty of traveling down through the resort to the very banks of the sacred Petanu River. What a stunning setting!

Below the luxurious resort you will discover the riverside spa at Maya, and it has been designed with the utmost sensuality, relaxation and pure pampering in mind. Surrounded by nature, with the swirling waters of the river a stone's throw away, this is the very best of serene Ubud.

For couples, the spa at Maya Ubud is a heavenly indulgence, with double treatment pavilions that allow couples to be together and to share in the spa specialties - a gentle four hand massage, relaxing Balinese massage, reflexology, herbal treatments, organic body scrubs (including the traditional Lulur scrub, highly recommended!) and facials - plus a range of packages to choose from that will keep you in total bliss for hours on end. Divine!

Maya Ubud Resort & Spa has also recently opened a new fitness centre and yoga pavilion, where you can enjoy daily yoga sessions in a tranquil atmosphere, with stunning views over the resort gardens and adjacent rice terraces. There is a "Yoga for Beginners" session conducted each morning for all to join, and also private sessions available for those who really want to immerse themselves in this holistic body and mind practice while staying here in paradise.

There is also the incredible "Spiritual Journey" package available, tailor made by Maya Ubud to include an 8-day/7-night program that will enable you to experience and understand the spirituality of the Balinese. The program includes yoga and meditation each morning, exploring nearby temples and a visit to balinese healer or obtaining a priestly blessing, join in the making temple offerings, and even walk to a traditional village to be greeted by the villagers and experience how they start the day. And between the activities, spa pampering awaits you at Maya, to help you relax and rejuvenate both mind and body. Sounds truly beautiful, doesn't it? Maya Ubud Resort & Spa is just that - a place of beauty, and a unique journey in to romance and relaxation.

Images courtesy Maya Ubud Resort & Spa

Romance and relaxation Kamandalu Resort & Spa

The peace that prevails in the lush green hills of Ubud is so potent, making it an ideal destination when you really want to unwind and rejuvenate the spirit while in Bali. It's a special place, imbued with serenity and enchantingly beautiful in its scenery. 

I had the pleasure of staying at Kamandalu Resort & Spa a few years back, in a deluxe private pool villa that was dramatically perched overlooking the cascading Petanu River. Days were spent floating in the cool waters of our pool while listening to the farmers singing in the surrounding hills, accompanied by the cracking call of wild birds. Occasionally we would drag ourselves out to sample the great food at the resort's restaurant, or to have a cocktail at the swim-up pool bar in the public areas, or a romantic meal in the garden. More than one day was spent enjoying the pampering spa treatments on offer. But one of the real highlights was an evening spent in the privacy of our own villa enjoying a bbq of Indonesian delicacies created by the resort's chefs, just for us. And with that incredible view, it's a meal to remember - if you stay here, you must try it!

Totaling 56 villas in five different styles - the Ubud Chalet, Garden Villa, Pool Villa, Deluxe Pool Villa and the larger two bedroom Pool Villa which is perfect for groups - each villa features natural stone finishing and indigenous grass (alang-alang) roofings, and most have their own private bale bengong (traditional outdoor day-bed) for the perfect enjoyment of the art of doing nothing. And in such a spectacular location, surrounded by nature, lost in the pure bliss, it's the perfect way to spend time together. 

Kamandalu Resort & Spa is located just a 10 minute drive in to Ubud centre if you're keen to go shopping or head out to a restaurant or sight seeing. Though be warned, dragging yourself away from the relaxation of your daybed won't come easy here!

Images courtesy Kamandalu Resort & Spa