What’s up, everybody? Philcaela here :)
So you’re coming to Ubud, you’re looking for accommodations, there
are tons of options out there, right?
We were bombarded by how many options there were.
There are so many resorts everywhere, there were a lot of villas, Airbnb’s, Booking.com,
Agoda, there are just so many options.
We wanted to make a video to show you guys our experience here at the resort and then
later on in the trip, we’re gonna be at an Airbnb villa in Seminyak, so just to kinda
compare the two and see how the experiences are, how costs are, just so you have an idea
of what to expect if you’re booking one or the other.
Especially on Airbnb, there are tons of villas and someone they even all look the same and
sometimes even resorts will actually post their listing on Airbnb, so in this video
today we’re gonna show you the difference between a villa and a resort!
Let’s go!!!
We’re actually staying at the Udaya Resort and Spa, and as soon as we arrived we were
actually greeted by such great hospitality and great service.
As soon as our car pulled up to the lobby, we were actually greeted by someone opening
the door for us, grabbing all our bags and then walking us to the checkin area.
And then during the checkin experience, they brought us this little lime juice citrusy
thing while they were checking us in, always smiling and saying “hello” and they really
are there to help you.
So we’re staying at a resort , but we’re actually staying in what they call the “pool
villa,” so it’s a villa in it’s own thing, but it’s part of the resort, which
is why you’re getting that amazing, amazing service.
It’s beautiful in here, let’s take a tour!
Walk down some stairs and here is our pool villa in the Udaya Resort.
Hi!
So as soon as we walked in, they placed all our luggage in the closet right over there.
So before we go outside, we’re gonna show you the inside and behind us right here is
actually the bath tub which is amazing, it’s huge!
There are 2 faucets here.
The water actually comes out of there so it’s like…
Whoa!
Look at that!
The toilet, standard.
And then the shower here.
And then also the bathroom has 2 sinks and it’s really cute, it’s like a little stone
thing here.
Lots of towels and then another sink here.
The King size bed, so right now this is actually tied up here, but at night once we’re out
at dinner, they actually come down and do a turndown service, which means they make
the bed so it’s ready for you to go in right away, and it’s really nice.
And this things comes down so you’re covered, so no bugs can get to you, if there are bugs,
but there are no bugs here!
And the best part of why we’re here is the pool villa!!
Let’s go!
And then this is also where we have our floating breakfast!
This is our little pool.
And behind us is the jungle of the backyard!
Keep in mind at this resort, you can only have a floating breakfast if you’re staying
at a pool suite or a pool villa.
Now that we’re staying at a pool villa, we’re gonna get some really great drone
footage, so you’ll see some with the entire resort.
Time to check out the pool!
So we’re at the pool right now, we want a little snack and a drink, so you push this
button and they come to you and you can take your order and the restaurant’s right up
there and they bring it down to you.
So we just ordered a chicken satay and some iced teas and now we’re just gonna relax
here and enjoy the sunset and lay out a little bit.
And just a heads up that we paid about $300/night for the pool villa here at the Udaya, yes
it’s very, very expensive and you can definitely find much cheaper accommodations in Bali.
However, we wanted a really luxurious experience and so far it has been absolutely worth it.
As for amenities, it’s obviously going to vary from resort to resort, but we can run
through some of the awesome ones they have here at Udaya.
Here we have the restaurant on the resort that serves Western and traditional Balinese/Indonesian
dishes.
We ate here on the first night and this place was amazing, some of the best food we’ve
had in Bali, we had at the resort here.
This is the gym on site, it’s a pretty small gym, but if you need a quick workout, this
should work.
And they also have an option of doing a candlelight dinner way up here with this beautiful view
overlooking all the lush greenery.
If you are really trying to go all out, that’s an option.
The workers here are really, really helpful, really sweet, really friendly and that’s
what makes the Udaya so amazing (and other resorts, too, if they have amazing service).
So that’s gonna do it for a tour of our resort.
So we’re actually gonna be staying at a villa booked through Airbnb in Seminyak so
we’re gonna show you there next.
Let’s go to Seminyak!
Welcome to our villa!
So here we have lots of plants.
Of course in a villa, you have to have a pool, so, we got a pool here.
Dining table, we got barstools, we got cute lights, we got a big mirror!
And this is the living space and more plants.
So this villa here has actually 2 bedrooms, they’re both identical, so we’re just
gonna show you one because they look exactly the same.
They’re both masters, they both have restrooms, and big closets.
Into the room!
Woo turned the AC on so it’s cold in here now.
The room, it’s really spacious, it’s really big.
Its sliding door leads you out to the patio and the outside.
And we have a mirror, bed, and the decor is really cute in here.
We have the closet.
In here we have the bathroom, it’s pretty spacious actually.
It’s a really big bathroom, you can shower on the side, go to the bathroom here and a
pretty big sink and a ladder for decoration that you really don’t use.
It’s actually a very big living space, you have your pool chairs and also there’s the
outdoor pool shower, which is great after you’re going swimming, get the chlorine
off yourself.
I’ll say Bali is the place to shower outside if you really want to because it’s always
warm.
It’s your own private villa, you can do whatever you want, you can be naked!
So pretty much this is a villa in Seminyak, I’ve been looking on Airbnb and tons of
places pretty much have a layout like this, like a pool and the rooms inside with the
AC, there’s not really AC in this outside living space, unless you have like an apartment
villa, I guess.
That’s a tour of the villa here.
It’s pretty spacious, it’s really big, it’s really nice.
I did see a lizard last night, but that’s how it is, it’s Bali, it’s the jungle!
It’s gone now so I think we’re OK.
So after both tours, hopefully you can get a sense of how a villa and resorts are like.
I definitely recommend staying at a villa, maybe even a bigger one, if you have a group
of friends just because everyone gets to chill together in a big communal space to hang out
together, whereas in a resort you don’t really have a big communal space you can hang
out privately with your friends.
But if you’re a couple, I definitely recommend staying in a resort.
I kinda like the resort better, right?
Yeah especially just as a couple.
With 2 people, you don’t really need THAT much space and the rooms are going to be plenty
big at a resort anyway.
But if we were with friends, we would definitely love to split this place.
We have a 2-bedroom just because it cost the same as a 1-bedroom and I really liked this
place.
Yeah, depending on what kind of vacation you’re going for, or how big your group is or what
kind of costs you’re looking for, these are all things to take in consideration, but
in summary, a villa is going to be much bigger, more spacious, more cost-effective, but you
don’t get the service that you get at a resort, which honestly is a big deal.
When you’re here, you’re just texting someone who’s helping out the owner here
and that’s the only service you’ll get.
Some hosts will actually check you in and will have more hospitality.
But a lot of places will just have a lockbox and you’re just good to go, you’re on
your own.
You’re gonna have probably more amenities, better service, people helping you, you can
call the front desk and ask for an iron, for them to call you a cab, turndown service,
whatever else.
So these are all tradeoffs!
So no matter where you book, whether it’s a resort or a villa through Airbnb, you’re
gonna have an amazing time.
Bali is beautiful, it’s amazing, there’s so much to do here!
So hopefully this is very helpful and gives you insight on what you should book.
Maybe you can narrow it down on either a resort or narrow down your searches or maybe just
do Airbnb villas and you can just narrow down your search to there so you don’t have to
go through everything like we did.
Thank you guys so much for watching and if you haven’t already, SUBSCRIBE for more
travel videos coming soon.
See ya next time!
Bye :)