What comes to mind when you think of Bali? Is it golden beaches or beautiful temples? Or maybe it’s vibrant coloured acai bowls or Eat, Pray, Love?
Well for me it’s rice fields. Lush, green, beautiful rice fields- that’s the image that always came to mind. That’s why having the opportunity to rent out a gorgeous Airbnb in the heart of Ubud’s ricefields was a dream come true.
The Airbnb that we stayed in was called the Firefly villa, and it is located in the ricefields, just a few minutes walk from the centre of Ubud.
Comprising of one living room, a kitchen and two bedrooms, this Airbnb can easily sleep three or four people and for just 45 GBP or AUD 80 a night, it’s fantastic value- especially if there are a few of you splitting the cost.
The Rooms
The Firefly Airbnb consists of one beautiful, large and open living area with a cute kitchen that overlooks the garden in the back. Downstairs is the master bedroom, a huge and luxurious room that opens out on the most insane outdoors shower.
The second room is an upstairs loft which, despite being smaller, was by far my favourite. To get up to the top room, you had to climb a little narrow bamboo ladder. Once you’re up there, it’s more of a balcony than a room, comprising of little more than one low double bed.
What I loved about this room is that it’s completely open with just a mosquito net covering the bed. Getting woken up by the natural sunlight and the sounds of wildlife was such an incredible experience and it really is the nicest place to enjoy that morning cup of coffee.
Getting to our Airbnb
Getting to the Airbnb itself was such an adventure. The instructions from the host were to pass our phone over to the taxi driver when we got to Ubud so that he could receive the directions. It turns out the directions were to wait outside Starbucks- so we did. A few minutes later, our host arrives on a motorbike. He somehow manages to carry our three massive backpacks on to the bike with him before directing us to a cut-through down the road, telling us to walk through it. He will meet us with our bags outside the home.
Now I’ve got to tell you to find this cut through if you’re ever in Ubud. It’s accessed by a tiny narrow path that goes off of the Jalan Raya road. There is a signpost at the entrance of the cut through that says Subak Juwuk Manis (Magical ricefield in Ubud). It looks like nothing at first but rest assured, follow it through and you’ll come out at the most gorgeous, lush green rice paddies with virtually no one but the local farmers around.
Eating and drinking
Although it feels secluded, this Airbnb is minutes away from the centre of Ubud where there are many restaurants and bars to choose from. However, one hidden gem when it comes to eating is the Sweet Orange Warung, located just a 5-minute walk from the Airbnb, a little further into the ricefield. This place did delicious and inexpensive food with unbeatable views- it’s the best place to go for breakfast.
The views expressed in this blog post are entirely my own. If you’re interested in booking this Airbnb, click here to find out more.
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