A Mandapa bedroom with a king bed, dark timber walls and tall windows on both sides

A bathtub filled with red rose petals, under a window full of tropical plants

The main pool curving around a lawn, with palms and jungle rising behind

Rice terraces and palms stepping down the valley to the pool and thatched roofs below

Inside a woven bamboo dining cocoon at Kubu, with a spiral stair and curved bamboo ribs

A table for two under a curved bamboo roof, looking out to the river and jungle

Breakfast juices and pastries on a table above the river, with rice paddies beyond

A stone path through green rice paddies to a thatched hut, with jungle behind

9.5/10

Exceptional

Best Bali Hotels score

Ultra-luxury · A$1,000+

Mandapa is the best hotel in Bali, and one of the great hotels of the world. It sits in its own river valley outside Ubud, and I think the service is the best in Bali.

It’s for a honeymoon, a big anniversary or a milestone birthday. Book a pool villa, and plan to stay put.

Service
A butler for every guest, day and night. They remember your name, your room and your anniversary.
Rooms
The pool villas are private, huge and beautifully done. The suites are lovely too, but there’s no pool.
Spa
Treatment rooms over the river, plus a free heated pool, sauna and steam room for guests.
Food
Dinner at Kubu, in a bamboo cocoon by the river, is the meal of the trip.
Pools
Quiet pools over the rice fields and the river, and your own in a villa. The main pool closes at 6 pm.
Kids
A nature camp with a farm for about 5 to 12s and two-bedroom villas. Nothing set up for under-5s.
Location
A beautiful valley, but 3 km from town on steep grounds, and you can’t walk to dinner.
Value
Ultra-luxury money, and the extras are priced to match. You book it for the experience, not the value.

Things I loved

The butler. Every guest has one, around the clock. They meet you on arrival and check you in at your room, as there’s no front desk. They look after you for the whole stay, and everything happens before you think to ask.
The setting. The resort steps down through rice paddies to the Ayung River, with jungle on every side. There’s a private temple on site.
It never feels busy. There are only 60 suites and villas, so the pools are quiet and there’s always a lounger.
Kubu. You eat dinner in a bamboo cocoon by the river, with a long tasting menu built from ingredients grown nearby. It’s the dinner I’d plan the trip around.
The spa. The treatment rooms hang over the river. Guests get the heated vitality pool, the sauna, the steam room and the ice station for free.
The little things. Cakes appear for birthdays and anniversaries, the yoga is free and there’s a programme of free wellbeing sessions every day.
Three Michelin Keys. It’s the only hotel in Bali with three.

What could be better

You can’t walk to dinner. Central Ubud is 3 km away, about 15 minutes’ drive. Mandapa is a world of its own, which is the point, but you’ll eat nearly every meal here.
The valley is steep. Getting between your room, the restaurants and the spa means a buggy ride. They come in minutes, but you’ll ride them all day.
The main pool closes at 6 pm. There’s no swimming there after dark. If you want a night swim, you need a villa with its own pool.
Ubud traffic is worse. Since 8 September 2026, central Ubud runs a new one-way system, and the first weeks brought hours-long jams. Allow extra time for trips into town.
It’s open-air. Breakfast and lunch are in the open, so expect the odd fly and mosquito at the table.
Sunset at the bar is busy. Ambar is open to outside visitors, so it fills up at sunset. Go earlier.

Rooms

There are 35 suites and 25 pool villas. Every one comes with a butler.

Reserve Suite: 100 square metres with a balcony over the jungle or rice fields. No pool.
Mandapa Suite: 145 square metres, with a bigger living room. No pool.
One Bedroom Ubud Pool Villa: a walled villa with its own pool, a separate living pavilion beside it, a canopy bed and a freestanding bath. This is the one I’d book.
One Bedroom River Front Pool Villa: the same set-up, closer to the river and the view.
Two Bedroom Pool Villa: sleeps six, with its own pool. This is the family room.
Mandapa River Estate: a three-bedroom estate for up to nine, with a butler and a private chef on request. It opened in January 2026, and it’s what I’d book for a big family birthday.

The suites are beautiful, and if you don’t care about a pool, they’re a fine way to stay. But the villa is where Mandapa really happens: the pool, the privacy and a pavilion of your own. I’d book a villa for a shorter stay before a suite for a longer one.

For a family of four, a suite works: ask the hotel and they’ll set it up to sleep four. For more space and your own pool, book the two-bedroom villa.

Pools and kids

The main infinity pool looks over the rice fields, and a second, warmer pool faces the river. There’s a shallow kids pool beside the main one. The main pool is open from 8 am to 6 pm.

At the spa, the heated vitality pool hangs over the river, with air and water jets. It’s free for guests, and I’d use it every afternoon.

For kids, Mandapa Camp is an open-air bamboo space with a small farm and animals, aimed at about 5 to 12s. There’s rafting from age 5 and cycling from age 10. There’s nothing set up for toddlers, so under-5s stay with you. If the kids club matters more than the villa, the Westin Ubud is the family resort I’d book in Ubud.

Food

Kubu: dinner only, in bamboo cocoons on the riverbank. It’s a long tasting menu, close to three hours. Book a cocoon when you book the room.
Sawah Terrace: the all-day restaurant over the rice paddies, with Indonesian food and Balinese dance in the evening. It’s where breakfast is.
Ambar: the cliffside bar, with Japanese-style plates and live jazz. It’s the place for a drink, just not right at sunset.
Sunday brunch: a big, lively spread at Sawah Terrace. People drive across the island for it.

In-villa dining runs 24 hours. For a cheap night, there are a couple of local warungs on the main road nearby.

Location

Mandapa is in Kedewatan, on the west side of Ubud above the Ayung River. Central Ubud is about 15 minutes’ drive, and the airport is about 75 minutes, 2 hours in traffic.

There’s no beach, so I’d book at least 3 nights here, then finish on the coast. Two nights isn’t enough to do the spa, the pools and Kubu without rushing.

For days out, ask your butler to book a driver.

Overall

Mandapa lives up to its name. The valley, the villas and Kubu are all exceptional, and nobody in Bali looks after you better.

It’s not for a quick stop or a walk-everywhere trip. It’s for staying put, being looked after and marking something that matters.

Book it if it’s a honeymoon, a big anniversary or a milestone birthday, and you’ll take a pool villa. Skip it if you want to walk into Ubud for dinner.

Alternatives nearby

Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape. Open-air villas with no walls, further from town and adults only. It’s wilder and less polished.
Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan. Next door in the same valley, with the best arrival in Ubud. It feels more dated.
Adiwana Suweta. A pool villa and Balinese hospitality, for a fraction of the money.

See all my picks in the best luxury hotels in Ubud or the best Marriott hotels in Bali.