The Samara

Greeted at The Samara by Stephano and his lovely team, you immediately feel at home. A 15 minute walk from the main road in Ubud, it's secluded from the traffic and noise in the serenity of the rice terraces. The distance to town is no issue because they provide a free bike shuttle to the Starbucks at the bottom Jalan Kajeng any time of day. You’re also provided with a phone to call the hotel and request a pick-up from the same spot (also 24 hours). My room was spotless and clean. The bathroom looked brand new and modern. The outdoor shower is perfect for the Ubud heat. The bed was very comfortable, the air-con flawless, no issues with Wi-Fi. Each room has a small balcony overlooking the pool, rice fields and immaculately kept gardens. The included breakfast was as good as any I’ve had at full-service restaurants in town. They even arranged a packed breakfast when I needed to leave at 2.30am for my Mount Batur trek! The kitchen is open for lunch and dinner, plus free refreshments at 4pm (which I sadly never got to attend as I was always exploring town). There’s really nothing not to love about this place, it was a joyous stay. You'll fall in love with what Stephano and his team have accomplished. You can tell the staff take pride in making your experience as relaxing as possible and before leaving you’ll feel like part of their family. Cannot recommend The Samara highly enough!