The Alaya Resort is relatively new, so our driver didn’t know where it was. Fortunately we had the location marked (accurately!) on Google maps and were able to guide him to the correct spot.
The lobby is open to the street which made it rather loud and difficult to hear the front desk staff at times. After taking care of the paperwork they told us that we still had a few minutes before the end of the complimentary tea, and invited us to sit on the outdoor patio while they took care of our bags. How civilized :)
“Tea” is loosely defined with a few beverage options, so Leandra ordered a ‘black bali coffee with milk’ (which was the only way she could get exactly what she wanted, plain coffee with a side of milk) and I tried an iced lemon tea. A sampler of little cakes was also delivered and these changed daily.
Our included breakfast was also very good. They had several fresh juices including soursop for Leandra and a mix of orange & pineapple juice for me. The breakfast menu had quite a few choices, including healthy, egg-white omelets, the typical Indonesian fried rice and pastries, both Indonesian and American-style. Every breakfast also started with a large plateful of fresh fruit and yogurt so we were rarely hungry by lunch. During our five days we tried quite a few things and it was all delicious, definitely the best breakfast we had on the trip.
Alaya’s property is rather narrow and oriented away from the main road. Our room was toward the very back looking over the pool and rice fields, which was surprisingly quiet for being in the middle of town.
The room had a lot of space with a large bed and cushions in the middle and right, and on the left a large closet near the door and desk area. An AC unit was in the middle of the room and controlled by remote.
The bathroom was the only downside. First, there was a large area off the shower that simply had a pedestal planter and rocks… it felt like that was meant to be an outdoor feature or a tub and was rather awkward looking. More importantly, the shower is open and right by the front door, so you need to move the curtain around, but then that gets wet. The semi-transparent toilet door is also something we are not fans of in any hotel.
On Monday, while Leandra attended her cooking class, I wasn’t feeling well so I decided to relax around the pool all day. While the resort’s pool isn’t huge, it is nicely landscaped with flowers and trees, plus a mix of sun and shade spots, and pool attendants clean the pool and surrounding regularly. Their attention to detail was quite impressive.
Drinks and food service around the pool matched the on-site restaurant, and both were on par with other restaurant prices in Ubud, so not dirt cheap, but not so egregious. Conveniently, a grocery store is right next door, so it is very easy to buy your own beer, chips, etc., if you want. Room service will happily deliver a wine cooler full of ice for free.
Their in-town location can be good if you want to explore Ubud on foot and does make it easier to visit restaurants that don’t have pickup service. We were very impressed by the service at Alaya, and it was probably the most comfortable stay on our trip.
