A Night by the side of the Rice Field

The itinerary was at last finalized. How we wished we could have many more days in Bali. But anyway, we decided to spend one night in Ubud. Now, the next big task was deciding where to stay. Simple it may sound. But given that we only have one night in Ubud and we want to get the best run for our money (given our budget), picking one out of tens of good hotels were not easy. But anyway, Tepi Sawah Villas emerged as our eventual pick.



After a day of tour in Ubud, we finally arrived at Tepi Sawah Villas. It is a small hotel with less than 30 (as of then) villas in total. The hotel lobby is simple with display of the Balinese warmth. As we entered the gate and headed down to the lobby, I told my wife that we've probably made the best pick.

After checking in, we were led to our villa. We've got a villa on the second storey, so it comes with more privacy. When the door is opened, we were so delighted. The ambiance is all romance and we could not wait to just pamper ourselves. One great feature that you seldom get even in five stars hotel is the window by the bath tub that opens up to magnificent rice field view. So, can you imagine soaking yourself in that warm bathtub, relaxing the aching muscles (after a long day of walking) and watching the rice grain moves? It is one of those ultimate relaxing experience.

While staying at Tepi Sawah allows you to retreat from the hustle and bustle of a city live, it does not take away the convenience factor. There are few dining options to choose from. The hotel itself comes with great restaurant offering some of Bali's favorite cuisines such as Bebek Bengil. You can choose to sit at one of the traditional wooden huts built right by the side of the rice field where you can continue to be mesmerized by the green padi field while enjoying fine Indonesian specialties. The hotel offers free shuttle to and from Ubud Art Market where choices of great dining outlets are plenty. Another alternative is to take a short walk. There are at least two warung - warung hana and that are located about few hundreds meters away from the hotel


The pool is small as it caters only to less than 30 villas. You can pamper yourself with Balinese spa (something that we did not have to chance to indulge in).

Another must-do activities when you stay in Tepi Sawah is to visit the Nyoman Sumerta Arts Gallery. The gallery is huge and it boasts some of the finest masterpieces of some of the finest Balinese artists. In fact, it was the popularity of this Gallery that prompted Mr. Nyoman Sumerta to start the restaurant and villas business.

Overall, we had a restful night at the villa. Sleeping experience was peaceful and one that was accompanied by the sound of the crickets from the distance. We woke up to the sound of cocks crowing. This is a place I would suggest if you are looking for a tranquil but considerably budget-friendly place to stay.