Celebrated hotel architect Bill Bensley has redefined the Bali jungle experience with the newly opened Capella Ubud — an ultra-luxurious tented camp and wellness retreat nestled within forested terrain and sloping rice terraces.

Travel Weekly was lucky to be the first Australian travel publication to visit this unique property that recently opened in July.

The Retreat

Set on four hectares — 20 minutes north of Ubud, in the village of Keliki, the camp has been spectacularly built on sloping rice terraces and the verdant rainforest terrain of the sacred Wos River.

Amazingly, not a single tree was cut down during the construction of the camp, keeping it a hidden sanctuary for guests looking for a truly unique jungle immersion experience.

The hotel features 22 one-bedroom tented retreats as well as a two-bedroom lodge that pays tribute to the spirit of adventure of Bali’s first European settlers from the early 1800s, with Bensley’s design scheme taking its inspiration from the colonial décor they brought to Bali.

The orientation of the retreats and the lodge maximises the views of the jungle, river and rice terrace settings, encouraging natural light and cooling air circulation.

The spacious one-bedroom tented retreats are 173 square-metres, and are available in four different retreat categories.

Interiors come in four colour schemes and bring Bali’s elegance of a bygone era back to life through its bespoke design theme based on the professions of the early explorers, such as Captain, Naturalist, Cartographer, and Toy Maker.

Bensley carefully considered the finishing touches to each tented camp, integrating traditional Balinese architectural elements including antique local style bed frames, carved wooden doors and entrance gates, suspension bridges and Balinese linens.

The Rooms

Each of the 22 one-bedroom tented retreats and the two-bedroom lodge features private saltwater pools, large outdoor decks, hammered-copper bathtubs adorn the bathrooms that are generously stocked with organic toiletries and a soap menu.

Guests will find their rooms kitted out with a welcome backpack containing a few luxurious camp essentials, an Illy espresso machine, a tea station, daily seasonal fruit and infused spring water.

The minibar takes the form of an in-retreat trunk containing soft drinks, water, a variety of local alcoholic beverages, beers and snacks that are replenished daily.

High-speed Wi-Fi is available throughout the camp, and each room has a smartphone inclusive of data and credit for international and local calls for use during stay.

Hotel features

Guests have 24-hour access to the Armory, the camp’s tented gym, which is home to the state-of-the-art workout equipment, free weights, TRX strength stations and barre-based classes.

The camp’s main swimming pool, the Cistern, is a 30-metre long outdoor saltwater rainforest pool in the shape of a rainwater reservoir and offers a magnificent 360-degree panoramic view of the Keliki Valley.

The pool is perfect for laps or an early morning aqua yoga session, while Capella’s camp rangers offer a series of low and high impact guided adventure wellness activities. For the more adventurous, jungle boot camps, mountain bike ridge tours and high and low impact workouts in the rice paddies are available.

Drinking & Dining

For the more epicurean-minded, curated culinary journeys through the working farms of Keliki village as well as the resort’s own honey farms, coffee, tea and cocoa plantations can be swiftly arranged.

Capella’s dining options are guaranteed to impress with award-winning Gault and Millau’s three hats culinary director, Matthew McCool, overseeing output from the culinary tent.

The camp’s flagship restaurant, Mads Lange, named after the famous Danish spice trader, serves contemporary Balinese fusion cuisine driven by seasonally-foraged local produce.

Expect dishes such as Jimbaran crabmeat taco with house-made fermented chilli sauce and Hamachi with shaved fennel, bee pollen, lime and coriander.

Guests wanting more laid-back dining options can find it at the Asian street food barbecue restaurant Api Jiwa, or retreat to the Officer’s Tent — the camp’s shared living room and library — for morning coffee, afternoon tea, cocktails and canapés and after dinner drinks.

The retreat’s convivial community spirit continues into the night at the campfire for hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows under the stars with a local storyteller. Both teetotallers and guests requiring hard liquor will be well catered for at the Mortar and Pestle bar, which offers light poolside snacks, a wide range of handcrafted cocktails, and health-conscious beverage options.

Spa & Wellness

Capella Ubud’s signature spa, Auriga wellness, bases its approach on the different lunar cycles in line with the local Balinese and Hindu traditions.

Housed in three tents with stunning views of surrounding jungle, it offers guests a diverse choice of pampering and medicinal treatments using 100 per cent organic products that have been exclusively blended for the property.

Spa lovers can indulge in bespoke rituals such as a lymphatic facial with acupressure point massage using rose crystals and traditional Balinese herbal body wraps.

Getting There

Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport is located 1 hour and 45 minutes from Capella Ubud, by car. Ubud centre is a mere 20 minutes’ drive away.

Capella has a team of multi-lingual personal assistants on hand around the clock to provide bespoke experiences for guests throughout their stay.

Engaging with guests from pre-arrival, while in-residence and after departure; the personal assistants will arrange a camp navigator to meet guests at their requested pick up point to swiftly chauffeur them to Capella’s tented jungle retreat.