The ARMA Museum & Resort in Ubud captured my attention purely because of its close proximity to the centre of Ubud, and their secluded private pool villas. I booked to stay there for just one night, and was completely blown away by the beautiful resort!
The location of the ARMA was literally perfect – just a 20-minute walk from the Ubud Sacred Monkey Forest and the centre of Ubud, or a 10-minute Grab. The resort is also joined to the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA), which was founded by Agung Rai, and guests get free entry to the museum.
The aim of the resort is to blend tradition in art, culture, and architecture. Situated on six hectares of lush Balinese gardens, the design of Museum and Resort seamlessly reflects the ARMA philosophy of balance between man and environment.
Providing an elegant, tranquil and serene environment, the ARMA was one of the most visually stunning hotels I’ve stayed at.
Superior Pool Villa
I’d booked a Superior Villa, and my jaw literally dropped when I walked up the steps to my front door, and stepped through the exterior doors and into my own, secluded private terrace complete with private pool and balinese bed.
It was incredible.
The surprises continued as I walked into my village to not only find a huge bed with high, vaulted ceilings, but an outdoor bathroom with a shower that required you to cross an actual pond to get to it!
The main room had everything you could need: a large bed, desk area, plenty of storage space in the walk-in closet, and a comfortable seating area.
Of course, the bathroom was my favourite part. A double glass door leads out to the outdoor space, and the bath was probably the largest bath I’ve ever seen. I also loved how they had a normal shower as well as the outdoor shower. I won’t lie, I didn’t actually use the outdoor shower because I was slightly scared to walk across the pond!
Filtered water, tea and coffee, and lots of amenities including the usual shower cap, toothbrush, comb etc were left by the little indoor sink.
The only downside to the room, was the bed and pillows weren’t the comfiest for me so I didn’t sleep very well. My first night in Ubud had been spent at the Blue Karma Dijiwa Resort, which was about 20-minutes outside of Ubud, and I had a much better sleep at the Blue Karma.
Breakfast at the ARMA
After my night of poor sleep I went to the resort’s restaurant for breakfast as it was included in my room rate, and was left disappointed by the lack of options. They only serve a buffet, and it’s very, very small.
There’s an egg and omelette station, and then a very small selection of fresh fruit and pastries. It would be great if they could serve soem a la carte options as well, even if it’s just basic things like eggs benedict, avocado on toast, fresh pancakes or waffles etc.
The Resort
After breakfast I went to explore the resort a bit more, and although I found one of the swimming pools, I never managed to find the second one. The resort is a bit of a maze, but weirdly they don’t provide a map. I even tried to look on Google maps to find the second pool, but had no luck as the trees meant the map wasn’t clear enough to make out the pools.
Anyway, in addition to the two pools, there’s also a spa, a boutique and bookshop, and of course the museum itself.
The hotel also runs regular cultural workshops and performances, which look incredible from the photos, but sadly there weren’t any on the one night I was there.
The resort itself is absolutely beautiful, the location is perfect, and I did love my villa. I thought it was very good value for money, but I do think the breakfast needs improving, and it would be really helpful to be given a map of the resort at check-in!
Watch the full room tour!
