Marriott STARS & LuminousVirtuoso
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Three MICHELIN Keys, 2026No. 61, The 50 Best Hotels 2026 (51–100)Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star, 2026
Mandapa stands in Ubud, Bali’s cultural and spiritual heart, where the jungle meets the Ayung River, and is laid out like a Balinese village among the rice paddies.
Our team recommends
You arrive through Balinese temple gates at the wantilan, a village pavilion that looks over the whole resort, and are welcomed with an herbal drink and a cold towel. Our butler then showed us around by buggy, and check-in happened in our suite, where our bags were already waiting in the closet.
The resort keeps to the rainforest, rice paddies and river it was built on, and local families still bring offerings to the village temple on its grounds. Stone, water and wood are everywhere, and the suites and villas are spread out for privacy.
Our Reserve Suite was vast, with high wicker ceilings, travertine floors and a balcony off both the living room and the bedroom. The bathroom’s centrepiece is a deep tub for two, and a basket of local fruit was refilled every day.
Breakfast at Sawah Terrace, looking over the rice terraces, is a lavish spread with Balinese pancakes, noodles and congee made to order. Dinner at Kubu is a set menu in bamboo huts on the riverbank, and Ambar, high on the cliff, is the place for sunset.
At Mandapa Spa, our massage was on a deck above the river, to the sound of the water. Afterwards there is a relaxation room facing the Ayung, a steam room, a sauna and a warm vitality pool that looks into the rainforest.
The two pools look over the rice paddies, and staff come round with fresh fruit, coconuts and sunscreen. Each day brings morning yoga, rice pounding in the fields and a sambal cooking class, and every guest is offered a session with the resort’s photographer.
Our butler answered on WhatsApp at any hour, booked our dinners, activities and rides into town, and saw us off with a small parting gift. When an early tour cut into breakfast, the restaurant’s manager simply told us to come back and finish afterwards.
From our guests
Our team recommends
Our team found it right for a few unhurried days at the end of a Bali trip, and for families too, with Mandapa Camp for children aged four to twelve.
From our guests
Our guests write about the small things taken care of, from the laundry to the yoga classes.
From our guests
Most of our guests stay in a Reserve Suite, and some in a one-bedroom pool villa.
Our team recommends
Reserve Suites come with one king or two queen beds, and two can connect for a larger family. The Mandapa Suites are larger, on the corners, and for a private pool the villas look over the rice field, the forest or the river.
For a longer stay, we’d choose the Mandapa Suite, nearly half as large again as a Reserve Suite, with a generous living room and a balcony over the rainforest. Families do well in the Reserve Two-Bedroom Pool Villa, with a king and a twin bedroom, each with its own bathroom, and an infinity pool facing the Ayung River. The Mandapa River Estate adds a third bedroom for a larger group.
From our guests
Unlimited laundry, completed upon request (makes it easier when travelling in Asia during hot summers). A complimentary 30-minute photo shoot and yoga classes.
With every stay
What each program adds to your stay.
Tell us your dates and who’s coming, and we take it from there. Within one business day we confirm your room, the program’s benefits and your requests with the hotel.
For a Riverfront Pool Villa, a bamboo hut at Kubu or a treatment by the river at Mandapa Spa, just let us know and we’ll arrange it before you arrive.
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