What a wonderful resort!!
We stayed here just over a year ago but really wanted people to know of this little secret.
It was our honeymoon and we stayed for 5 nights although I wish we had of booked for longer instead of going to the Sheraton in Nusa Dua which was not any match to Alila!

Everything was catered for. From the thoughtful 'honeymoon' cake and champagne on our first night as a suprise to the essiantial oil handmade bath soaps. Our bathrobes were changed every day! Beautiful biscuits by the bed every day.... shall I go on?! As I have not even left the room yet!

The property was small but semmingly spacious due to the cliff and forest. The staff were exceptional. Staff would see you walking to a sun lounge, so they would immediately come down with towels and iced face towels infused with essential oils. And at 4 ro 5pm they would come around to your lounge with complimentary afternoon tea- freshly brewed coffee and homemade Balinese treats. Yum.

The breakfasts were included and were so delicious...I looked forward to them every day. We ate there only on one night and highly recommend it although I do agree with others that the restaurant was perhaps a little pricey.....so, catch the shuttle to town (what a relaxing journey) enjoy your meal and then catch a cab back.

Alila Ubud is a glamorous property in a stunning setting with a gracious staff. By day, the pool area and the hotel grounds enjoy inspiring views of the gorge and surrounding green hillsides; by night, the hotel is beautifully--almost theatrically--lit. The hotel's pool is justifiably famous: a black bottomed infinity pool cantilevered into the gorge. Rooms are sleek, and those on the ground floor have slate walled outdoor showers around a walled courtyard. And to soften this all a bit, there is a family of long-tailed macaques on property--considerably more camera shy than their relatives in Ubud's Monkey Forest.

Somehow, the whole is less than the sum of the parts, however. Details seem to be a challenge here. With such a dramatic pool, why are chaise lounges strewn everywhere, including at the end of the infinity edge, marring the view that has gotten accolades as one of the best hotel pools in the world? Any room choice involves trade-offs. . .while deluxe rooms on the first floor have lovely bathrooms, these rooms don't have the better views or the peaked ceilings that the less expensive rooms above enjoy. The iPod in the room was impressive; I'd be more impressed still if it worked--three entreaties to the front desk and the docking station for the iPod still never worked right. Great that the hotel furnishes bikes--better still if the maps thoughtfully supplied were accurate. . .this map routed me back through an irrigated ricefield. The hotel's spa is lovely, with stunning treatment rooms and outdoor waterfall showers, but a hotel with a seeming dedication to well being should have a fitness center as well, or at least some place for guests to work out. And while the hotel runs a shuttle to the center of Ubud, the last return seems specifically timed to have guests avoid enjoying dinner in town rather than dine at Alila's considerably more expensive dining room.

With Bali being such a great value right now, this hotel falls short. The rooms, while nicely appointed, are smaller than they should be, and for all the drama of slate-faced outdoor bathrooms, the white tiled walls are pretty ordinary. The dining is nice, but food prices are elevated pretty aggressively--it would appear because the isolated location allows the hotel to get away with it. Alila is one of the more outlying Ubud hotels, and it is easy for guests to feel a bit isolated here--good or bad, depending on your outlook, I suppose.

If you do stay here, be sure to ride a bike into nearby Begawan village--I did so during preparation for a festival, and felt as if I'd pedaled into a photo spread out of National Geographic. Women with baskets high atop their heads, photogenic kids, elders dressed in festival finery. . .wow.

As for Alila, it is not an awful choice, but Ubud is filled with many better choices. I don't think I'd choose to stay here again. . .

The hotel is excellent. service fabulous, great activities, some of them a bit pricey.
The rooms are beautifully decorated, and the setting for dinners and breakfast is so quiet, relaxing and with amazing views! would return anytime.
only downside is the fact of being a bit far from ubud, and the bus shuttle is only every two hours, so you do depend on cabs to drive you around.
swim at dawn, monkeys to visit the little temple next to the hotel, flowers everywhere, and again, really good service are the best memories of our stay at the alila. by the way, it was our honeymoon.

We stayed at Alila Ubud as part of our honeymoon and loved it! When we arrived the room was covered in flowers which was a lovely surprise. We had a fantastic view across the valley and could see one of the volcanoes in the distance.

The staff were really friendly and helpful. They always had a smile for us and made us feel very welcome. The pool is absolutely beautiful and the setting is perfect for romance! We would definitely go back as we have such fond memories.

If you are looking for a commercial resort like Nusa Dua, then this is NOT the place for you. Alila Ubud is all about relaxation and spending some time in the peace and quiet of beautiful surroundings.

We stayed 4 nights at the Alila and found it excellent.
I do agree about its distance from ubud. However the shuttle is convenient and it is easy to find transport back to the resort if needed.
We had a superior room with a nice view. The room was big enough and the shower in the bathroom fantastic. I do not know how many times a member staff entered our room in the evening: to turn down the bed, light a candle and mosquito coil on the balcony, bring some biscuits. We saw staff going from room to room several times..
We had a free 3 1/2 hours nature walk and lunch included in our package starting at 8am (worth $60/person). We walked through the countriside stopping at a farmer's house for coffee and fruits, walked down to the Ayung river and back through paddy fields to a "bale" for a very early but wonderful lunch. That was very romantic overlooking the terraced fields.
There are also other trails from the hotel.
The Alila restaurant offers excellent but pricey food with very good service. We had one late big lunch in Ubud and skipped dinner and also a full day out with lunch with Dean. Breahfast on the terrace is very well cooked and plentiful and served at the table rather than a buffet which is nice.
The pool is indeed wonderful. The hotel was not that busy so we did not have any problems to get a lounger but some guests who arrived later were not so lucky. This could be an issue if the hotel is full. A nice touch was a tray with two wet towels, two glasses of iced water and a water spray for when it gets too hot.
A short walk out of the lights of the hotel in the evening and the paddy fields become magic with fireflies flying around and croacking frogs.
A troup of monkeys gives some entertainment during the day and there are also lots of birds to spot.
The Spa was too expensive and not very busy as the staff sometimes wondered around to remind the guests of their services.
An heaven to come back to after a day of sightseeing and/or shopping.

As others have said, the pool is an incredible feature of this hotel. As a private hide away place, this is a perfect selection. However, there are also a lot of activities in downtown Ubud and you are 15 minutes away by taxi. They do provide shuttle service, but it runs only once every 2 hours and this is not enough. They would be better served to work with local taxi drivers so a guest could get to town at any time easily.

The restaurant food was OK but a bit over done and definitely over priced considering the meal deals to be had in downtown Ubud. Watch out for the duck on the menu, it's incredbly chili-hot.

Loved the room with its almost outside appearance. It was not a large room but seemed very spacious because of the outside patio and the glass that gave you a view of the valley and river that runs below the resort.

I thought this hotel was stunning in its beauty and finish. Loved every minute that we stayed there.

We did have a problem with plumbing (leak) which forced them to change our room for the last night. They tried to be very responsive to our needs.

The spa is also expensive given other local options that we found later.

If I wanted to rest and relax, I would definitely choose this resort again. However, if I wanted to see more of the local activities, I would look elsewhere.

Myself and my partner decided on this hotel after seeing the fabulous pool and rooms in a Bali brochure. We weren't disappointed. There for 3 days before meeting family in Sanur, we were burnt out from work and this place was so what we needed. We were pampered and looked after from the moment we got there, from cooling drinks to face towels and we loved our room - perfect size and HUGE bed which was so comfy! Great balcony overlooking the valley too. The weather wasn't great whilst we were there, misty and rainy which made the pool a bit cold, but the first night there was a cocktail party and the manager was friendly and giving us travel advice and entertaining us with stories. We then went into the restaurant and had a fantastic meal by the top class Aussie chef (they forgot our bread rolls and were so apologetic - got amazing service the rest of the night!). Yes it's expensive, yes it's away from town - perfect for the ultimate relaxation. Spa did great massages, and get down the steps to the valley and play chess in the little gazebo with a gong to bring the waiters! Get the shuttle into town late afternoon and get a cab back - it's dirt cheap and you're helping out the locals. Will go back there again without hesitation.

I stayed at the Alila Ubud for 5 days earlier this month in one of the first-floor rooms. Although the room was small, I quite liked the set-up and the bathroom with outdoor shower was very cool. As other reviews have stated, the hotel is very calm and peaceful, and the pool is indeed stunning.

It is very far from the town center -- I timed the drive and it ranges from 10-15 mins, and the Alila is much farther out than the Four Seasons, the Uma, Tjampuhan, etc. At first I thought it'd be nice to be so far away, but given the limited dining and activity options at the hotel (there is NOTHING within walking distance from the hotel), I think it makes sense to stay elsewhere in Ubud given all the activities in town. Unless you're happy to do nothing in Bali but lounge by the pool, eat mediocre and high-priced (for Bali) hotel food and use the expensive hotel spa, the Alila is not for you.

We stayed at the Alila for 3 nights in May. The Alila has many positives, but we came away with the overwhelming sense that it could be so much better.

The pool is undoubtedly stunning with a beautiful view over the tree tops and the gorge beneath the hotel. However, there are too few sun loungers and unless you are down to the poolside early (ie before 10am) to stake your claim then you are unlikely to find one free. On the plus side it is very peaceful and the cold face flannels were a welcome treat.

The restaurant has a great terrace overlooking the gorge but this is not utilised to it's full potential and looks neglected. The quality of service at the Alila is fine, but not outstanding. We chose to eat at the restaurant on our final night and ordered a bottle of sparkling wine which arrived unchilled and we had to wait before a chilled bottle was eventually found and brought to our table. This is was well below our expectations of a reputedly excellent restaurant.

Our room was on the first floor of one of many 2 storey blocks along the hotel grounds. We had a standard room and it did feel very small, these rooms do not contain the mini i-pod that other reviews have mentionned. There is also no television in any room.

The hotel is a long way from the main road, and from Ubud so I would recommend you hire a car for your stay here otherwise it will feel very isolated. There is a shuttle bus into town but it runs every 2 hours and it doesn't run in the evenings which is a shame as there are so many good things to see in Ubud in the evening.

The Alila is a relaxing place to stay and it is definately an enjoyable place to stay. However, there is plenty of room for improvement and the management would do well to reflect that great pools do not always equal great hotels!!

Went to the Alila on Honeymoon in September as part of a 10 day trip to Bali, 7 days in Nusa and 3 days in Ubud.

It was poles apart from the manicured setting of Nusa Dua and was a great break from the US style resorts.

We had a deluxe room with outdoor shower, on first look the rooms are quite small when compared to other hotels of this standard but this resort has to be defined as calm and cool and the rooms reflect that to a tee. The no telly situation was a welcome suprise and the addition of an ipod mini in every room is a great facility.

The hotel itself has a great infinity pool which overlooks the valley and is stunning both during the day and at night. As soon as you sit down you are attended to with flannels and water cooler.

Restaurant is on the expensive side but is definately worth the money. Service by staff was never a problem and they always did all they could to make your stay enjoyable.

The only negative side for us was the lack of social activities in the evening. There is no where people congregate to have a drink.

A class resort and well recommended!!!