I’m a Travel Journalist Who’s Been to Countless High-End Resorts. This Is the One I’d Return to for an Adventurous Couples Getaway

I wake to the hoots of macaques and coos of spotted doves echoing through the trees, the horizon already burning red beyond the gauze curtains. For a second, it doesn’t feel real. Then the humidity hits. I’m in Bali at Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, just outside of Ubud, sleeping in a balé (an open-air villa) that feels more like a treehouse than a hotel room. It would be easy to stay buried in the feather bed, cooled by the air conditioning overhead, but I didn’t come here to lie still.

I lace up for a run. I’m training for a marathon, and I want to see as much of the area as possible in the limited time I have here. The sounds of the wildlife continue to beckon me outside my villa, one of just 16 on the property. 

I wind my way up the trails to the entrance of the resort, passing the spa, then the open-kitchen restaurant and lobby. As the sun comes up, I jog along the road outside the hotel. I’m surrounded by stunning traditional, open-air Balinese homes, which are designed around Hindu-Balinese cosmology to encourage harmony with nature, spirituality, and community. My run isn’t the most productive—I’m stopping every 10 feet to stare at the intricately carved towers, thatched roofs, gilded doorways, and gold-adorned family shrines (called sanggah). Scooters zoom by and people walk along the side of the road above the canals, carrying food in baskets. Brown-speckled ducks stir on the bright green rice paddies as I run by. I turn back for the resort after a few miles—I’m due for a day packed with activities—but I would have kept running along that road all day if I could.

What Makes Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, the Best Place to Stay in Bali

As a travel journalist, I’ve stayed in some of the most picturesque hotels across the globe, from wellness resorts in Santorini, Greece, to chic private cabins in Iceland’s interior. When it comes to combining luxury with nature, Buahan can’t be beat. The entire resort has a “no walls, no doors” ethos, so you’re truly communing with the jungle, though there are—miraculously—hardly any bugs. Each balé has a free-standing, brass soaking tub just begging to be broken in, and a refreshingly un-heated infinity plunge pool. Of course, you have the option to lower the bamboo shades around the room at any time, but you don’t have to. Perched on a hillside overlooking a mountain range, each villa is surrounded by lush forest, meaning you can easily enjoy your balé’s amenities fully nude, in complete privacy. It’s an adults-only resort, after all.

Buahan sits in a sweet spot—close enough to Ubud and a plethora of tours and day trips (more on that below) that you won’t feel like you’re missing out, yet far enough removed from the bustle of other tourists that you’ll actually get to relax. It provides an impeccable dining experience, with breakfast and a five-course dinner included in your stay. The menu changes daily, focusing on traditional Balinese dishes, zero-waste cooking, and hyper-local ingredients from the property’s garden and surrounding villages. The open-air Toja Spa is also top-notch, offering a couples treatment that features exfoliation with rice and nutmeg, a massage with aromatic ylang ylang oil, and a soak in a flower bath, complete with “Baligronis” to sip.  

If you’re looking for a home base for Balinese adventures where you can truly unwind and immerse yourself in nature, Buahan is the place. 

What to Do in Ubud

Buahan offers plenty of sightseeing expeditions and activities, like guided cycling tours, Jeep rides through the jungle, yoga, sound baths, and cooking classes. During my stay, I got to experience the Tri Hita Karana tour, which took me and my journalist group to Taro, one of the oldest villages in Bali. With a local guide, we explored the area where Maharsi Markandeya, a priest who introduced Hinduism to Bali, practiced meditation. We walked past the Sabahang Dehet temple, framed by thick vines and palm fronds, and farms and rice paddies, taking in the history of the town. The afternoon wrapped up at a local camp, where we shared an absurdly delicious but laid-back meal as two men played a rindik, a bamboo xylophone, nearby. The outdoor lunch began with jamu, a bright, turmeric ginger tonic, followed by moringa soup, braised banana stem, slow-baked duck, and pork skewers with peanut sauce and fiery sambal. We finished the meal sipping tuak, or palm wine, dipping our spoons into creamy kolak pisang, packed with plantains, and biting into fresh, fluffy laklak, a Balinese pancake made pistachio-green with sweet pandan extract. 

Buahan also facilitates adventurous outings, like a sunrise hike to the summit of Mount Batur, the second highest peak in Bali, followed by a dip in the hot springs at the base. The day trip to Dukuh Asri Organic Farm is also a treat—there, you can fish, forage, and then cook your bounty over an open flame in a traditional Balinese kitchen. Outside of resort-organized excursions, you should visit the abundant waterfalls in the area, including Ulu Petanu, Tukad Cepung, Kanto Lampo, Tegenungan, and Tibumana.

Thrill seekers should look into whitewater rafting in the Ayung River and canyoneering in Gitgit Canyon. For something more rejuvenating, walk along the two-mile Sidemen Rice Inner Circle or the 1.2-mile Champuhan Ridge, and visit the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, the Kemenuh Butterfly Park, and Goa Gajah, a Hindu/Balinese place of worship built between the 10th and 15th centuries.  

One of the most rewarding aspects of staying at Buahan was learning how to make canang sari, and taking part in a cleansing ritual in the jungle surrounding the property. Canang sari is a daily offering put together by Balinese Hindus to thank Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa (the divine oneness or supreme god of Indonesian Hinduism) for peace. My class started in the Buahan restaurant overlooking the main infinity pool. In front of us were containers made from woven palm leaves and a selection of fragrant flowers and fruits to place inside.

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I recognized the high-saturation red of the hibiscus from the offerings I’d seen on the stoops of homes on my run, which also contained tiny trinkets and coins. We learned that each flower color, and the direction it’s facing in the container, represents a Hindu god: white/east for Iswara, red/south for Brahma, yellow/west for Mahadeva, and blue/green/north for Vishnu. I gently tucked yellow frangipani, orange marigolds, and fuchsia bougainvillea into my palm basket, topping it with a bursting hibiscus bloom.  

With our canang sari in hand, we snaked down a steep staircase to Tjampuhan Waterfall, which marks the sacred confluence of two rivers. There, we met two Balinese priests who led us in a spiritual purification ceremony. Kneeling in the sand at the river’s bank, we meditated, chanted, and prayed for what we hoped to bring into our lives and what we wanted to be washed away by the water. When it was my turn to step under the flow, one of the priests led me into the shallow river and over to the front of the waterfall. The roaring cascade was intimidating and he warned me that it would be hard to stand under it; I'd need to brace my hands against the rock behind the falls to hold myself in place.

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As I thrust my body through the wall of water, the cold took my breath away. I looked up at my hands on the slick stone, and the spray from below sent droplets upwards. Some were seemingly suspended in the air, defying gravity. I screwed up my eyes trying to make sense of the physics, but the drops were still floating in front of me. I decided I didn’t need to understand what was happening to enjoy it. High with adrenaline, I let the water run down my back, stumbling out from the little cove behind the fall only when I was ready. Cleansed in more ways than one, we released our canang sari into the river, watching the baskets float along until they were whisked around a bend by the current, our offerings returned to the jungle.

Final Verdict

The list of places I’ve visited on a press trip and want to return to—on my own dime—is very short. Buahan is at the top of that list. During my stay, I couldn’t stop thinking about how unbelievably perfect it was for a honeymoon retreat or anniversary getaway. I’m an outdoorsy person, and while I’ll never turn down a luxe massage in a beautiful spa, I’m much more likely to plan a vacation that involves camping and hiking than relaxing at a resort. Buahan feels like the best of both worlds: a place where you can soak in the calm and comfort of a high-end accommodation while connecting with nature at the same time. And the way you can lounge naked at your villa all day, no barriers between you and the jungle, the breeze tickling your bare skin…it’s beyond sexy. Every time I saw a couple together at dinner, stars and fireflies mingling above the volcanic view behind them, I couldn’t help but think, They’re really doing it right.

Beyond the serene atmosphere of the resort, Ubud offers ample opportunities for adventure and cultural immersion, and Buahan can help you access it with knowledgeable local guides. If you’re looking for an adults-only sanctuary that offers leisure and exploration in equal measure, then Buahan is worth the splurge. Balés start at $750 and go up to $2,220 per night. You can expect to spend roughly $1,100 to $1,300 a night. 

I only got a taste of Bali on my trip, but it was enough to have me hooked. Years later, the desire to go back hasn’t waned, despite plenty of other stunning travels. That’s the true staying power of this island’s magic.

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