Sapodilla Ubud

This small hotel is squeezed into a small lot of land, without much in terms of grounds beyond the narrow, lush garden that's mostly occupied by the outdoor pool and adjacent pool deck and a lovely grassy garden area beyond it with a few stone pathways. The lobby is housed in an open-air pavilion-style structure with high-beamed roofs and a few suspended lamps, and there are a couple of seating areas plus a well-stocked book exchange for guests who want to lounge. The property attracts many budget travelers, including couples and solo travelers, and it's not well-suited for larger groups or families. 

Sapodiall Ubud is located in the southern part of Ubud, an inland town known for its numerous artisans and spas. Ubud also hosts a thriving New Age expat community, along with yoga studios and health food restaurants The hotel is located right next to the Agung Rai Museum of Art and about a nine-minute walk to the Yoga Barn, a popular local yoga studio. It's about 13 minutes on foot to the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. Getting to the main market and the adjacent Saraswati Temple takes just under a half-hour on foot or 10 minutes by car. Getting to Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport takes around an hour by car. Denpasar city center is about 45 minutes by car, traffic permitting. 

The single category of units at Sapodilla Ubud are called Suites here, though they are smallish and lack separate living areas. All Suites come with marble floors, lovely wooden canopy beds with sheer white curtains, and matching wooden paneling, plus wooden desks and chairs. Flat-screen TVs are mounted on the walls. The hallways feature huge cabinet areas for keeping clothes along with safes, tiny minibars stocked with drinks and water, and coffee- and tea-making facilities. Bathrooms are contrastingly large and modern, with separate walk-in rainfall showers and deep basin-style soaking tubs. Hairdryers and simple toiletries are provided. All rooms have furnished balconies with lovely views over the quiet grounds. 

The hotel's most attractive feature is undoubtedly its long, narrow pool, flanked on one side with a wall covered with creeper plants and a wooden deck with a swinging bench and a row of shaded lounge chairs on the other. There's also a restaurant -- White Ginger -- with a few tables and chairs inside and additional seating looking out over the street. Breakfast is included in room rates. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel. There's also parking for three cars in front of the hotel and a shuttle is available on request.