8 Best Private Pool Villas in Ubud, Bali
The best private pool villas in Ubud put your own pool at the edge of a river gorge. Nothing in front of you but jungle. Here are the 8 worth booking, ranked honestly, with the real pool story and the real view on each.
Ubud is where the Bali pool villa gets really good. No walled garden on a busy street. Instead, a pool cut into a hillside above a river valley. Mist on the trees at breakfast. Nothing man-made in the frame.
That’s the photo that sells Bali. The problem is that every property here promises it.
Scroll the listings and you’ll see the same three words over and over: jungle view, valley view, river view. Plenty of those villas look out at a garden wall. Or the roof next door. Or a row of trees planted to hide both. Two villas at one resort, nearly the same price, can face completely different things.
So in Ubud, the view is a room category too. Not just the pool.
This list covers both. Every resort here is properly staffed. Every one has a real private pool story, spelled out. And every entry tells you what you’re actually looking at from the water. Same standard as our Bali private pool villas ranking and our Seminyak guide, applied to the jungle.
Ubud sits inland in the hills. It’s about 90 minutes from the airport, and roughly the same to the nearest good beach. The roads get slower every year. Town itself crawls from late afternoon, so a map that says ten minutes often means forty. It’s wetter here than the coast, and more humid. Valley pools sit in shade part of the day, which is why heated ones matter more in Ubud than in Seminyak. None of this is a reason to skip it. It’s a reason to split your trip between the jungle and the coast, rather than trying to do beach days from here.
Why Choosing the Right Private Pool Villa Matters in Ubud
In Ubud you’re paying for a view as much as a room. And the pool is where you’ll sit looking at it. So two questions decide everything. Does your villa actually come with a private pool? And does that pool face the valley, or a hedge? At the same resort, the gap between a valley-edge villa and a garden villa can be a few hundred dollars a night. It’s also the entire reason you came. One more thing worth checking: whether the pool is heated. A shaded jungle pool up here runs a lot cooler than one in Seminyak.
How I Ranked the Best Private Pool Villas in Ubud
Pool availability came first. Resorts where every villa gets a real private pool ranked above the ones where it’s a category you have to hunt for. After that I looked at what the pool faces, how big it is, whether it’s heated, the resort itself and its setting, and real guest ratings. Every entry names its honest catch. That includes the villas where the view isn’t what the photos suggest.
The 8 Best Private Pool Villas in Ubud at a Glance
| # | Resort | Best for | The pool, honestly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanging Gardens of Bali | The jungle icon | Private infinity pool in every villa |
| 2 | Viceroy Bali | Valley views & romance | Heated private pool in all 40 rooms |
| 3 | Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve | Riverside luxury | Private pools in the villa categories |
| 4 | Kayumanis Ubud | Traditional villa privacy | Private pool in all 23 villas |
| 5 | Alila Ubud | Design & the valley pool | Private pools in the villa categories |
| 6 | Kamandalu Ubud | Rice terraces & space | Private pool villas by category |
| 7 | The Udaya Resorts & Spa | Rice-field views | Pool villas, with a privacy caveat |
| 8 | Adiwana Suweta | Value near town | Pool villas by category |
Honest pros and cons for each below, including which villas come with a pool and what that pool actually overlooks. The ranking counts down from #8 to our #1 pick in Ubud.
Adiwana Suweta: A Heated Private Pool Villa Close to Town
Adiwana Suweta opens the list as the value pick. It’s a proper resort, not a villa rental. Popo Danes designed it, there’s a 24-hour front desk, and the pool villas come with butler service. You also get something unusual for the price: a Signature Heated Pool Villa with Jungle View. Heated matters in Ubud. Valley pools sit in shade for stretches of the day and run cool.
It sits on Jalan Suweta, just north of Ubud Palace, with a rice field inside the grounds and jungle beyond the pool. Close enough to walk into town, far enough to be quiet. There’s a spa, an art gallery, a restaurant and a free shuttle, which guests mention constantly and clearly rely on.
Pool villas typically start around $250 a night. The rooms and suites cost noticeably less, but they don’t come with a pool. Confirm your exact category on Expedia before booking.
Check rates on Expedia →The Udaya Resorts & Spa: A Big Private Pool Villa and a Flower-Filled Pool
The Udaya moves ahead of Adiwana on two things. The pool villas are much bigger, roughly 1,600 square feet with a private terrace, a Balinese living space, semi-open showers and a terrazzo tub. And the resort scores 9.8 out of 10 on Expedia, which is exceptional for this price.
It sits at Tegallantang, between Tegallalang and central Ubud, about seven to ten minutes’ drive from town. Far enough out to feel secluded, close enough to pop in for dinner. An hourly shuttle handles that, and guests mention it constantly. The signature here is the flower-filled pool and the floating breakfast, which is why so many honeymooners book it.
Pool villas typically start around $300 a night. Suites cost less and have no pool. Confirm your exact category on Expedia before booking.
Check rates on Expedia →Kamandalu Ubud: A Private Pool Villa in a Balinese Village of 58
Kamandalu edges past The Udaya because there’s simply more of it. Fifty-eight thatched villas laid out like a Balinese village, with rice paddies, a lagoon and a suspension bridge on the grounds. Three resort pools, including one of the largest in Ubud with a swim-up bar, and an infinity pool that looks straight into the jungle. There’s a yoga temple in the trees and a spa guests rave about.
The pool villas come in a few styles. Garden Pool Villas overlook the rice terraces, while Valley Pool Villas face the jungle. If you’re coming for the views, the Valley Pool Villa is the one to book. Each villa has its own free-form pool surrounded by tropical gardens. You’ll also get a thatched roof, sunken bath, outdoor shower and shaded Balinese daybed. Ubud center is about a ten-minute drive away, and the resort offers a free shuttle.
Pool villas typically start around $300 a night, with the Valley Pool Villas costing more than the Garden ones. The non-pool villas are cheaper. Confirm your exact category on Expedia before booking.
Check rates on Expedia →Alila Ubud: One Pool Villa Category, and It’s a Beautiful One
Alila Ubud has fewer pool villas than Kamandalu. It ranks higher anyway, because the one it has is a genuinely special room. A large private pool runs along the front, behind a stone wall. Out the back there’s a lagoon with a sunken bathtub set in the middle of it, surrounded by lilies and koi. One guest’s advice was blunt: stop thinking, just book.
The resort itself is a landmark, perched high above the Ayung River valley in Payangan. Its famous infinity pool seems to float over the forest below and is often called one of Bali’s most beautiful hotel pools. The Plantation restaurant is another highlight, especially for its tasting menus. In the late afternoon, you may even spot monkeys coming up from the valley and playing around the balconies.
Pool Villas typically start around $500 a night. Rooms and non-pool villas cost considerably less. Confirm the exact category on Expedia before booking.
Check rates on Expedia →Kayumanis Ubud: Every Villa Has a Pool, and Nobody Can See In
Kayumanis Ubud is where this list stops being about categories. All 23 villas here have their own private pool. No hunting, no upgrade, no risk of booking the wrong room. Every villa is walled, thatched and entirely self-contained, with a separate sleeping pavilion, an open-air bathroom and 24-hour butler service.
It sits above the Ayung River near Sayan, about three kilometers from central Ubud. A free shuttle makes getting into town easy. The design is traditional and fits beautifully with the setting. High walls and a private garden give each villa genuine privacy. That sense of seclusion is a big reason to choose it over some of the flashier resorts nearby.
Villas typically start around $400 a night, and because every villa includes a pool, you don’t need a special category to get one. Confirm the current price on Expedia before booking.
Check rates on Expedia →Mandapa: A Private Pool Villa Beside the Ayung River
Mandapa takes third because the villas are as good as the pools. All 25 of them have their own large private pool, high ceilings, botanical panels and a separate master suite. Every room comes with a butler, called a Patih here. It’s a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and there are only three of those in the world.
The setting is just as impressive. The resort covers 24 acres in Kedewatan, including three acres of working rice paddies and a village temple where locals still leave daily offerings. The lobby sits 300 feet above the Ayung River valley. Suites line the hillside, while the villas sit closer to the river, where you can hear the water below. Dining is another highlight. Kubu offers fine dining in private riverside cocoons, while Dining Beyond can arrange a private meal in the rice terraces or at your villa.
Pool villas typically start around $1,000 a night and climb from there. The suites cost considerably less, and have no pool. Confirm the exact category on Expedia before booking.
Check rates on Expedia →Viceroy Bali: Every Villa Gets a Heated Private Pool Over the Valley of the Kings
Viceroy Bali beats Mandapa on the thing this list measures. All 40 villas have a private pool, and every one is heated. Not some categories. All of them. In a valley where pools sit in shade for stretches of the day, that’s the difference between a pool you look at and a pool you use.
The resort sits on a ridge above the Petanu Valley, known locally as the Valley of the Kings. Every villa category looks out over the jungle. Terrace Pool Villas have a traditional balé perched over the water. Deluxe Terrace Villas come with a heated infinity pool and face east, making them perfect for sunrise views. Garden Pool Villas sit lower in the Petanu River gorge.
It’s family owned and run by the Syrowatka family, which is rare at this level in Bali, and Condé Nast Traveler readers once voted it the best resort in the world. Apéritif is one of the island’s most celebrated restaurants, and Ubud center is five minutes away with a free shuttle running.
Villas typically start around $700 a night and rise for the Deluxe Terrace category. Because every villa includes a heated pool, you don’t need a special category to get one, though the pool gets bigger as you go up. Confirm the current price on Expedia before booking.
Check rates on Expedia →Hanging Gardens of Bali: A Private Infinity Pool Hanging Over the Jungle
Viceroy gives every villa a heated pool. Hanging Gardens gives every villa an infinity pool that hangs over the canopy. All 44 of them, each with an open-air living pavilion and a Balinese pool balé beside the water. Nothing else in Ubud does this at every single villa, and that’s why it takes the top spot.
You arrive by funicular, a small cable car that takes you from reception down through the rainforest to the villas. It’s a memorable start to the stay. The centerpiece of the resort is its famous two-tier infinity pool overlooking the Ayung gorge. Designed by architect Gordon Shaw, it has become one of Bali’s most photographed hotel pools. Even 20 years later, the pool is still a major reason people come here.
The rest lives up to it. Three Elements restaurant and a serious wine cellar, a riverside spa on the Ayung, and a floating boat dinner served in your own villa pool. Bathrooms have deep terrazzo tubs and open rainfall showers with greenery on all sides.
Villas typically start around $800 a night and climb steeply for the panoramic categories. Because every villa includes a private infinity pool, you don’t need a special category to get one, though you may want a higher position on the slope. Confirm the current price on Expedia before booking.
Check rates on Expedia →The 8 Best Private Pool Villas in Ubud: Quick Recap
Every resort below is properly staffed and bookable on Expedia. Two things to check in Ubud: whether your villa comes with a pool, and what that pool faces.
| # | Resort | The pool, honestly | To Ubud center | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanging Gardens of BaliPayangan gorge | Private infinity pool in all 44 villas | 30 to 40 min | Check rates |
| 2 | Viceroy BaliPetanu Valley | Heated private pool in all 40 villas | 5 min | Check rates |
| 3 | MandapaRitz-Carlton Reserve, Kedewatan | Pool in all 25 villas; the 35 suites have none | 10 min | Check rates |
| 4 | Kayumanis UbudSayan | Private pool in all 23 villas | Short drive | Check rates |
| 5 | Alila UbudPayangan | Only the Pool Villa category has one | 15 to 20 min | Check rates |
| 6 | Kamandalu UbudJalan Andong | Pool in the villa categories only | 10 min | Check rates |
| 7 | The Udaya Resorts & SpaTegallantang | Villas only; some pools run cold | 7 to 10 min | Check rates |
| 8 | Adiwana SuwetaJalan Suweta | Villas only; heated jungle-view option | Walk or short drive | Check rates |