Our introduction to the Ubud Village Hotel was not a pleasant one when the duty staff would not honour their advertised rates. This aside, the hotel seemed to be suffering from the downturn in tourist numbers and a lack of tender loving care. Situated about halfway up (or down) Monkey Forest Road the hotel is centrally located for tourists wanting to explore Ubud; the Monkey Forest, the tourist shops, the market and the palace, the silver shops, the restaurants and a number of galleries.

Our room at the Ubud Village Hotel was fairly simple, entered through a gate into an enclosed courtyard garden and double sliding doors from the veranda. The roof is a tall pyramid if thatch on tapered timber beams. Through the door to the right in this picture is the open air bathroom, which simply means that part of it has no roof so mechanical ventilation and steam extraction is not needed.

The sunken bath, tiled with marble and stone, looked spectacular but the shower area, just behind where this photo is taken, was damp and mouldy as no sun ever seemed to come in. The potted plants by the shower were badly in need of a non-soap wash and a long rest outside in the fresh air and warmth.

The worst aspect of what could have been a magnificent facility was the toilet, just to the left of the view above. It was in an area where the floor sloped downwards and collected all the splash and run-off from the shower. It was not a place to 'drop your dacks' unless you enjoyed pulling them on again when saturated.

The pool was refreshing and cool, not like the warm soups that can sometimes be found in the Kuta/Sanur areas. The pool bar did not open while we were there, much to our regret, and pool towels were only available when asked for and after a long wait. We learnt not to trust the pool lounges as they were wooden and some had rotted around the joints, letting you down at the worst moments.

The hotel restaurant was a nice place to start the day. The staff here were friendly and helpful, the food both good and plentiful. We did not explore the top level as there were not enough people around to warrant opening it. The raised floor was open or three sides with the serving area to the rear, looking back to the pool. For us it was a nice way to plan our days with any help or advice we needed always supplied by the staff who were really interested in what we were doing. Transport was no problem as there were always a few drivers, ever alert, in the street.

We found Lamak Restaurant just up Monkey Forest Road from the hotel and on the opposite side of the street. At first it seemed closed but from the street we were only looking at the few tables in the entry.  At the back was the pristine, gleaming kitchen open to view from the dining areas. There is a central courtyard with a huge steel tub in the centre, overflowing with reeds and crowded with tiny fish. The upstairs areas were like a three sided balcony that looked down into this courtyard. It seemed a cool and peaceful area, but we were only there for a quiet lunch which was superb and really not as expensive as I thought it might be. My large Ginger Lemongrass and Lemonade came in a flower vase sized glass and was a steal at Rp16,000. Her Chevapcici with tsatziki (Rp 36,000) was so good I never got near it for a taste, or maybe I was too engrossed in my Sandwich Nicero Gubeno (Rp36,000).

The attentive but not 'in-you-face' staff were a load of fun, but perhaps this was just another bonus of the quiet time Ubud was experiencing.

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