Villa Awang Awang is situated in the traditional village of Melayang overlooking the verdant Petanu river valley five kilometres east of Ubud. The 10-minute drive from Ubud will transport you through a stunning landscape of rice terraces and jungle with Bali’s sacred volcano, Gunung Agung, towering in the distance. The villa is just over one hour’s drive from the international airport.

Ubud is Bali’s cultural hub, a conglomeration of villages positioned at the confluence of two rivers. The area has been a haven for local and foreign artists since the 1930s, and is now the island’s centre for fine arts and cultural performances, attracting art collectors, connoisseurs, writers, mystics, and people who are actively involved in anthropology, music, dance, architecture, environmentalism and alternative healing. Ubud is home to a treasure trove of art museums and galleries, featuring traditional and modern work including paintings, ceramics, carvings, sculpture, batik, weaving and photography. In the neighbouring villages, you can watch the island’s most accomplished painters, stonemasons, woodcarvers, mask makers and silversmiths at work. Ubud is also a great place for shopping; classic, contemporary and abstract paintings, plus a large range of crafts including gold and silver jewellery, woodcarvings, fabrics, clothing, pottery, batik, paintings, metalwork and antiques can all be found in the town’s numerous galleries and shops. The market is open every day selling handicrafts, garments, spices and foods, and Ubud even has its own sacred Monkey Forest. International restaurants are plentiful, although nightlife is limited with the majority of places closing around midnight. Ubud is the seat of the Sukawati Royal Family; the palace is centrally located and open to the public. There are many cultural performances staged here, in particular the famous Kecak dance, the fire dance, the monkey dance and the Legong dance.

The area is ideal for total relaxation or activities such as meditation, yoga, jungle trekking, mountain cycling and white water rafting. Numerous trails offer memorable walks, and the opportunity to witness time-honoured methods of agriculture.

The advent of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, which takes place every year in October, has made Ubud world-famous in literary circles, while the annual Bali Spirit Festival is a celebration of yoga, dance and music.