A Designer's Guide to the Best of Ubud
After years spent living abroad, Elora Hardy boomeranged back to her childhood home of Ubud, Bali, to launch a design firm. Here are her favorite spots in town, from ancient temples to Ubud's best ceramic shop.
Jalan Raya Sibang Kaja, Banjar Saren, Abiansemal, Sibang Kaja, Abiansemal, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80352, Indonesia
My brother, Orin, founded this permaculture farm beside the Green School a few years ago, and people fly in from all over world to study here. Thursday mornings there are tours for visitors, who can also help plant seedlings, build a goat shed, or...
Jl. Tirta, Manukaya, Tampaksiring, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80552, Indonesia
This Hindu Balinese place of worship was built in the 10th century on the site of holy natural springs, about a 30-minute drive outside of Ubud. Most hotels can arrange for a water blessing, where visitors are fully immersed in the springs. This...
Jl. Dewisita, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
Chefs Eelke Plasjmeijer and Ray Adriansyah design tasting menus around seasonal Balinese ingredients. It’s a really simple space with 10 tables, but the food is world class. Now they also have a tiny shop across the street called Locavore To Go...
Jl. Kajeng No.24, Ubud, Gianyar, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
This little shop is reviving Indonesian textile arts. It gives indigenous communities all over the country an incentive to keep doing what they do the traditional way, instead of switching to rayon thread or synthetic dyes. From here, you can take...
JL Jambangan, Banjar Baung, Desa Sayan Ubud, Bali, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
People see beautiful rice paddy photos before they visit Bali, and often they arrive not knowing how to seek out those gorgeous landscapes. A guided cycling tour is a lovely way to take it in. This company takes you into the hills by car, then you...
Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Kedewatan, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80561, Indonesia
Will Goldfarb is an American pastry chef who worked at el Bulli in Spain, and his desserts will blow your mind. He uses Balinese ingredients, such as the chocolaty Southeast Asian kluwak nut for his ChocoBubble Too. He also makes one of the best...
Jl. Raya Sayan No.105, Sayan, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
Michaela and Marcello are an Italian couple who moved to Bali about a decade ago to open their workshop, where they make high-end artistic ceramics for hotels and private homes around the world. Gaya is affiliated with an arts center that offers...
Jl. Banjar Baung, Desa, Sayan, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
A 10-minute scooter ride from downtown, my dad’s hotel is made up of antique wooden Javanese bridal huts, which face the valley’s rice paddies. The restaurant, run by a group of local women, serves some of the most authentic Balinese food on the...
Jalan Tanah Ayu, Sibang Gede, Abiansemal, Sibang Gede, Abiansemal, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80352, Indonesia
You can take a tour of the Green School’s workshop to see how bamboo is processed and crafted, and tour the Green Village, a community of homes we built from bamboo. You can also stay in one of the Village’s homes through Airbnb.
