Can you arrange airport pickup for us?
Absolutely! We’re happy to arrange airport pickup (or pickup from elsewhere in Bali) by one of our friendly English-speaking drivers who know the route to our house. They charge Rp 300,000 (about US$22 or 18 Euro) for the service, which is about 30% less than the official airport taxi rate. Just send us your flight arrival details (date, time, airline & flight number) 2 or 3 days before your arrival, and we'll get back to you with the name & mobile number of the driver who will be meeting you. You can pay the driver directly in cash upon arrival at the house.
Why can’t I book for less than 5 nights? Am I being held hostage?
We see Rumah Laplapan as an oasis of relaxation and truly a home, so we don’t want it becoming a revolving door for tourists just needing a place to stay for a few nights. Most of our guests actually stay for two weeks or longer, and frequently moan at the end that they aren’t ready to leave. A few of our regular guests now stay for a month or two each visit. They call Rumah Laplapan their home, and we agree. We hope you’ll settle in, truly relax, and feel at home here too.
Rumah Laplapan isn’t right in central Ubud. What’s the best way to get to town and back?
The house is an easy, scenic 3km drive from central Ubud, and takes about 10 minutes by car and 8 minutes by scooter. The most enjoyable & efficient way to get around is by automatic scooter. We can book these for you, and they cost about $5 per day. We also have a roster of freelance drivers you can hire for car trips into town and back for about $7 per hour, or you can have your own car for a full day about $50 with personal driver, or $30 self-drive. If you're a strong cyclist and don't mind a few steep hills, you can also rent a bicycle. Finally, you can use one of the popular location based ride-hailing apps like Go-Jek or Grab, to order scooter taxis or regular cars.
Are you set up to accommodate a baby?
We have a baby cot & high chair on site you are free to use, and a car seat you can borrow.
Is the house safe for babies or toddlers?
We’ve hosted dozens of families with babies or toddlers and they’ve all loved it - especially the babies! Please note, however, that the large swimming pool opens straight out from the house and deck, and has no guard rail. This means you must keep a close eye on your young ones at all times, and keep living room doors properly closed if you don’t want toddlers wandering out. The safety of babies, toddlers or children, including water safety, will always be the guest’s own responsibility.
What services & amenities are included?
Our friendly staff, Yuli & Wayan, will be on site to take care of your housekeeping needs, including daily house cleaning & dish washing. They’ll also do your laundry and ironing. They can help you book drivers or scooter rental or massage therapists, and can offer suggestions on places to visit. They are wonderful at solving most problems that come up. Treat them as you would a local friend, and they will be your most treasured holiday confidante. Your rent includes electricity, filtered drinking water, soaps, shampoos, bed linens & towels, routine pool maintenance and unlimited Wi-Fi.
Can you arrange a cook to prepare meals for us?
We’ve learned that people are very particular about their food, with differing tastes and budgets. We therefore prefer to leave food arrangements to you. Many of our guests prepare their own meals in our fully-equipped kitchens after shopping at one of Ubud’s large supermarkets, delis or public markets. Others love dining at Ubud’s many excellent restaurants, cafes & food stalls. And some prefer ordering food to the house via the popular Go-Food app or by directly phoning a restaurant. There’s also a charming Balinese cafe right across the road from us, serving many traditional local dishes, they’ll deliver to our place for free, and you can even order from them via text message. You’ll also receive a great list of some our favorite restaurants, cafes, supermarkets and specialty stores, so you’ll have all the tools you need to curate your own food experience during your stay.
Can we book directly with you rather than through Airbnb?
For now, Airbnb is our preferred platform, and the only one we use with first-time guests. It’s our favorite choice as travelers, too, because it’s reliable, easy, gives everyone the security they need, and allows you to review the experience at the end of your stay. With returning guests booking long-term stays, we’ll consider direct bookings and payment, so if you’ve stayed with us before, feel free to ask!
Can we host parties or events at your place?
The short answer is no. Given the serene nature of our property, and our lovely, considerate neighbors, we don’t allow parties here. Having friends over to swim or for meals or drinks on the deck is of course fine. So is playing music outside at reasonable volume during the day, as are things like family reunions, team meetings, group yoga classes, and so on. But we ask that guests always keep the volume down especially after 10PM, and not organize large gatherings without owner’s prior notification and approval. If you’re looking for a ‘party villa’, they’re all over Bali, but ours definitely isn’t one.
What’s the weather like in Ubud? When’s the best time to visit?
Bali is just 8 degrees south of the equator, so you can expect a tropical, warm & relatively humid climate all year around with two main seasons: Dry Season & Rainy Season. Temperatures are pretty steady all year round. Ubud sits on an elevated, mountainous part of the island, so temperatures are considerably cooler than in the coastal areas, and we get a bit more rainfall. Dry season is generally from April to September. Bali receives the most visitors during July & August. One can still expect occasional rainfall though, and sometimes even the locals are surprised how dry a week during rainy season can be, and the other way around. Wet season is normally from October to March, but there is no ‘bad time’ to visit Bali - you can do everything during wet season other than perhaps trek in the highlands. A lot of the time, it rains during the night, while days are mostly dry. Very rarely, you have a few days when it rains continuously. In 2014, it didn’t rain in Bali until December, and November was as dry as any July or August. Like in all parts of the world, the weather has become unpredictable. Luckily at Rumah Laplapan, rain can be part of the beauty and atmosphere. Some guests said their favorite moments were sitting on the huge deck sofa during a monsoon downpour, reading a book and sipping tea while watching the rain come down over the rice fields. And swimming underwater during a torrential rain can be an otherworldly experience.
Ok, if I stay at Rumah Laplapan, what is there to do in Ubud besides lounging all day long at the pool?
As a guest, you’ll also receive our personally curated Guide Book - a directory that not only explains the Rumah Laplapan experience, but is also packed with insider tips & recommendations on Ubud and its surroundings, including places to eat, drink, shop, learn, spoil yourself, and take in local Balinese culture. Besides Ubud’s many traditional culture and rituals, our town is also home to a number of world class contemporary festivals, all of which we highly recommend.
The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, founded in 2004, is held in October each year, and brings dozens of world class authors and thousands of book fans to town. It jam-packed program includes literary talks, book launches, music performances, poetry nights, writing workshops and much more, and it is one of the most celebrated literary festivals in the world.
The Ubud Food Festival began in 2015 and gets bigger and better every year. For a few days each April, top Asian chefs, food critics, innovators, media and of course enthusiastic eaters descend on Ubud to feast on a delectable array of culinary creations, with particular emphasis on the amazing food of the Indonesian archipelago.
The Bali Spirit Festival, founded in 2008 and held in Ubud in March each year, is one of the largest and most talked about spirituality festivals in the proverbial ‘universe’. Yoga masters, spiritual gurus, hula hoop goddesses, world music bands and thousands of adoring fans, students & disciples flock to our town for 6 days of wellness, chakra opening, plant-based food & bliss.
The excellent TEDxUbud has been held annually, usually in May, since 2011. It brings to stage a phenomenal range of fascinating speakers from Indonesia & the world, along with unique music & dance performances and a particularly engaged, enthusiastic audience of about 400 (Rumah Laplapan’s owner, Daniel, helped curate and host the first three editions of this, and remains a huge fan). Tickets sell out very quickly each year, so if you wish to attend, sign up early via their website.