Six Of The Best Lesser-Known Spots In Ubud For People Who Like To Sit And Read

For those who consider themselves #notatourist or simply prefer the road less travelled, we’ve teamed up with Visa to avoid the usual landmarks and crowds and sneak off with a good book to the spots only a local knows about. 

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It’s a sad fact that we now live in a world which immediately summons the Elizabeth Gilbert bestseller (that shall not be named) and Julia Roberts’ toothy rendition whenever the Balinese town of Ubud and books — any books — are mentioned in the same breath.

While that particular pile of narcissistic bird-cage liner has certainly spawned a legion of souvenir slogans (including the succinct “Eat, Pray, Leave”), Ubud — which is just a 90-minute drive from Denpasar airport, tucked in the green, rice paddy-clad mountains, away from the beach-side tourist hustle of Seminyak — is host to a long history of art, healing and hospitality for writers and readers the world over.

Here are our favourite places to curl around a good book:

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Pomegranate

Jl. Subak Sok Wayah, Ubud, Gianyar

The magic of a circus tent pitched in the centre of a rice paddy, combined with a curious mix of Indonesian-Japanese-Israeli eats and serene views.

After tromping along the now-famed Sari Organik walk (a warung or small, local restaurant and organic farm just up the path), it’s even easier to treat yourself to an hour or two of page-turning on one of its much-loved beanbags.

Best time of day is just before sunset, for a sundowner followed by a walk back to Ubud proper, past fireflies and the smooth drone of yoga studios dotted about.

Apart from the gentle tingle of the order bell, the thwock-thwock-thwock of bamboo windmills, or the occasional ping of a camera phone capturing the moment, there will be little to disturb you here.

Pair with: Beauty is a Wound — Eka Kurniawan

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Bambu Indah

Banjar Baung, Desa Sayan, Ubud, Gianyar

The stuff of dreams, Bambu Indah is the baby of architect and jeweller John Hardy and his wife Cynthia, both long-term residents of Bali (and also responsible for the ‘greenest school on Earth,’ The Green School).

Dubbing itself ‘radically distinctive’, the grounds boast eleven antique bridal homes shipped from Java for accommodation, a hanging lounge with bamboo pods and hammocks, a rustic deck overlooking oceans of green, a ‘hidden’ meditation space featuring a circular bed floating cloud-like in swathes of fabric, and, best of all, a pod-shaped treehouse floating serenely above the lot.

Alternatively, try the ‘Udang House‘, built with glass floor panels above a fresh shrimp pond.

Organic Balinese fare is also available, so take your favourite self-help manual, scuttle any scantily clad yogi off the best-placed bolster and prepare to soak up the zen.

Pair with: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance — Robert M. Pirsig, or Siddartha — Hermann Hesse

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Locavore to Go

Jl. Dewi Sita, Ubud, Gianyar

The younger sibling of Ubud’s hippest paddock-to-plate venture Locavore, it’s best to slink into LTG early, before the hordes hungry for ethical deli cuts and hipster baguettes descend. All the better to appreciate the muted flicker of dangling filament light bulbs, the draped animal hides, and hot java served up in chic charcoal ceramics. A cosy corner to while away an hour or two, it could be straight out of Bushwick except for the scooter toots sounding from the street, and the wandering street carts plying their wares.

Helmed by bearded Dutch sweetheart Eelke Plasmeijer and similarly smiley chef Ray Adriansyah, the Locavore philosophy is simple: keep it local, keep it ethical, keep it sustainable. In between chapters, why not check out their chilled vault of handmade chutneys, jalapenos pickled in arak (Bali rice wine), jams and sauces? And on Saturdays you can indulge in a sausage sizzle, Ubud-style, at their informal meat market.

Pair with: Gormenghast — Mervyn Peake, or the Kalix the Werewolf series — Martin Millar

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Campuhan Ridge

Jl. Camphuan, Ubud, Gianyar

While Ubud is unimaginably verdant, with manicured tropical gardens peeking through every second ornate gate, and a green belt of rice paddies circling the perimeter, it’s a little light on things like parklands, public gardens or piazzas. The weather-beaten Ubud Soccer Field is one, and Campuhan Ridge is basically the other.

Also known as Bukit Cinta (Love Hill) the spine-like ridge straddles two deep gorges of tangled vines and rivers. Trek along its summit and enjoy the view, or peel off to one of the hill’s grassier verges for some eye-to-book action.

To get there, walk along Jl. Raya Ubud towards Penestanan or ‘the bridge’, a well-known landmark. A sign on your right points out Warwick Ibah; take this and then follow the smell of fragrant incense emanating from the Pura Gunung Lebah, the eighth-century temple nestled on the banks of the rivers that give Ubud its name (meaning ‘medicine’). At the temple the path is then indicated by signs. If you’ve crossed the bridge you’ve gone too far – but fear not; if you can scowl (or smile!) the peddlers away, that’s also a great spot to get stuck into a book.

Pair with: The Rainbow Troops — Andrea Hirata

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Bar Luna

Jl. Raya Ubud, (Downstairs Casa Luna) Ubud, Gianyar

Descend a moment from Ubud’s high street bustle and find yourself in Bar Luna, a marbled basement with a jungle view serving up tasty tapas and chilled cocktails. If your book walks a little on the wild side, match it with a two-for-one-margarita (happy hour runs 5pm til late), and watch day fade into dusk.

Owned by the founder and director of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (for which I work), Janet DeNeefe, the place is a hub for late-night literary happenings every October. There’s also a varied program of music, performance and film running year round. Unlike other establishments open till the wee hours in Ubud, Luna is a rare gem that manages to cater to both the backpackers and the luxe-seeker crowd.

Twilight is definitely when it shines most, as you thumb the pages of your paperback against the glow of candles and the hum of Ubud’s night descending.

Pair with: Ragtime — EL Doctorow, or Love in the Time of Cholera — Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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Yellow Flower

Penestanan/Campuhan Steps (next to Bintang Supermarket), Penestanan, Ubud, Gianyar

Ranking highly on the ‘hard to find’ list is hippy haven Yellow Flower, a hobbit-like nook that rounds a rice paddy track through Penestanan, another slightly larger community a short walk out of Ubud.

Home to Indonesian and Balinese favourites such as nasi campur — with a decidedly ‘holistic’ bent, a tiny rocking horse, and hordes of butterflies fluttering amongst the vines dripping with lilac blossoms — this spot is almost too picturesque and feel-good. It’s also probably the only place in the whole of Indonesia that frowns on smoking, so you know its wellness credentials are for real.

Pair with: The Hobbit — JRR Tolkein, or Gulliver’s Travels — Jonathan Swift. Then get the hell out of there before you start believing in cosmic rebirth.

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Wherever you travel, take Visa, it’s money you can’t lose*.

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Angela Bennetts is a one-time writer and editor, now marketing consultant for Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, Ubud Food Festival, and Bali Emerging Writers Festival. 

Feature image by eGuideTravel, via a Creative Commons license on Flickr.