The Purist Villas

There are hotels you remember for their scale, and there are places you remember for the quiet. The Purist Villas, tucked into the jungle a few minutes from Ubud, belongs firmly to the second kind. I came for a few restful days on the greener, more spiritual side of Bali, and left already plotting how to return. This review is a first-hand account of my stay in the Bamboo Pool Villa — the villa itself, the pool I swam in far too late at night, the breakfasts I still think about, and the little rituals that make this small, Relais & Châteaux–listed retreat feel like a genuine escape.

If you are still deciding how to shape a first trip to Bali, my advice is to give yourself both worlds — a few days by the sea, and a few days inland in Central or North Bali. You come away feeling as though you have visited two very different islands. For the inland half, if a private pool villa in Ubud is what you are after, this may well be the place.

To see the whole experience — the villa, the grounds and a wander through Ubud town — my full video tour is below.

Overview

The Purist Villas is a small boutique retreat rather than a sprawling resort, and that intimacy is the whole point. It is the only property in Indonesia that belongs to the exclusive Relais & Châteaux association — a detail worth mentioning, because that membership sets a high bar not only for the welcome and the service but for the food and drink, too, something I felt at every breakfast. A handful of individually designed villas are scattered through the greenery, and although each villa has its own private pool, there are also two larger pools open to every guest, should you feel like a change of scene.

What stayed with me most was how easy it was to slow down here. The evenings, in particular, were something close to perfect.

Location & Getting There

The villas sit just outside Ubud, a short five-to-ten-minute drive from the town centre — close enough to slip into Ubud whenever the mood takes you, yet far enough that all you hear from the villa is birdsong and running water. Better still, the resort runs a complimentary drop-off and pick-up service to and from the centre of Ubud; you simply let the front desk know when you would like to go, and a car is arranged for you. It makes coming and going wonderfully uncomplicated.

The Bamboo Pool Villa

Because this is a villa property rather than a hotel, there is no lobby lift and no long corridor to your room. On arrival I was met by the warm front-desk team, who helped with my luggage and walked me through the grounds — pausing to show me where breakfast is served each morning — before delivering me to my villa, where a refreshing virgin mojito was waiting. It is a lovely, personal way to begin a stay.

Each of the villas here has its own character, and mine was the Bamboo Pool Villa: a rustic, traditional design with plenty of room to spread out. What I loved most was the private pool, tiled in natural green stone that catches the surrounding trees, the bamboo and the old stone walls, so the water takes on the colour of the garden around it. It felt entirely of its place.

The villa itself is a generous one-bedroom, roughly 140 square metres, with a choice of a king or twin beds, a comfortable sitting area, an outdoor lounge and a balcony that looks straight into the jungle. There is a butler on hand, and the en-suite bathroom comes with a bathtub and a separate shower. In short:

• One-bedroom villa of around 140 sqm / 1,507 sqft, with a king or twin beds
• Sitting area, outdoor lounge and private balcony
• Jungle view
• Private swimming pool with natural green-stone tiling
• Butler service
• En-suite bathroom with bathtub and separate shower, bathrobes, slippers, hairdryer and toiletries

The pool was easily large enough for a proper swim, and with the villa so private, an unhurried dip after dark became my nightly ritual.

Morning Yoga

One of my favourite ways to begin the day was with a yoga session. Simply ring the front desk the night before to book the 7am class — and, delightfully, it is complimentary for guests. Practising in the cool of the early morning, surrounded by nothing but greenery, is exactly the sort of thing you come to Ubud for.

The setting does much of the work, but the instructor made the sessions, too — friendly, patient and happy to adjust the practice to however I was feeling that morning.

Breakfast at Café Balissimo

This is where that Relais & Châteaux membership quietly makes itself felt. The association places as much weight on food and drink as on hospitality, and breakfast at Café Balissimo lived up to it. It is served à la carte and leans healthy without ever feeling austere — chia bowls, freshly baked pastries, and, my own favourite, a salmon omelette, all made properly and served with real care.

The restaurant itself has an easy, rustic charm — all natural materials and unmistakable Bali character — and a view that makes lingering over a second coffee the obvious thing to do.

Into Ubud Town

With the complimentary transfers, slipping into Ubud could not be simpler — just tell the front desk which time suits you, and you are in the centre in under ten minutes by car. Once there, the Ubud Market (open 9am–6pm) is a lovely browse for local crafts and handmade pieces, while the Ubud Palace stages traditional performances daily. Come evening, the town is a fine place to dine: restaurants and bars are dotted all around, and Jalan Gootama in particular is worth a wander for supper.

The Verdict

The Purist Villas gets the small things right, and in a place this intimate the small things are everything: the mojito on arrival, the free ride into town, the 7am yoga, the salmon omelette, the late-night swim in a pool the colour of the garden. It is romantic without trying to be, and its Relais & Châteaux pedigree shows in the details rather than the grandeur. If you are planning the inland leg of a Bali trip — particularly as a couple — this review comes with a wholehearted recommendation to splurge on a private pool villa here. I would go back in a heartbeat.

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