The Suite at Murni’s Houses, Ubud, Bali is on the first floor of a two-storey building.
1 bedroom with a double bed.
Option of air conditioning in the bedroom or open windows.
A living room with a Chinese Wedding Bed.
En suite bathroom – shower, basin and WC.
Veranda with a view of the garden.
Electronic Safe.
Private entrance.
Fans throughout.
Fly screens.
Free Fiber Optik Wi-fi (Biznet) throughout.
Free parking.
Free coffee and tea facilities in the room.
Books.
Mini-bar.
Daily housekeeping.
Laundry.
Transport.
Tours, Activities and Classes.
Spa.
Swimming Pool.
Garden.
Dining area.
24 hour security.
Sleeps up to 3 people.
CHSE Certificate.
Contactless payment and check in.
All staff fully vaccinated.
There is a communicating door if The Room and The Suite are booked together.
Bathroom.
Living Room.
Veranda.
Tropical View.
Breakfast
Western, Vegetarian and Balinese options available..
Meals
Murni’s Warung, the first real restaurant in Ubud, which I founded in 1974, is only 5 minutes’ walk and we can deliver meals to your accommodation, if you wish.
Check in and Check Out
Check in: 2 pm.
Check-out: 12 noon.
Pick Up or Drop
You can get a pick up or drop back anywhere, please let me know.
Tours, Classes and Activities
There’s a lot to do in and around Ubud.
You can book tours, courses or activities (such as photography tours, helicopter tours, chocolate factory tours, cooking classes, Indonesian or Balinese language lessons, Balinese flute lessons, gamelan lessons, white water rafting, elephant safari park trip with a ride on an elephant, Bali Swing, Jungle Buggies, bicycle drive through the villages, climbing a volcano at sunrise, rice paddy trek, bird walks, herbal walk through rice paddies, Ubud walks, tarot reading, Balinese dance classes, batik painting classes, making Balinese offerings, snorkeling or scuba diving or a boat trip to a deserted island). I’ll be happy to do this for you.
The Room at Murni’s Houses, Ubud, Bali is on the first floor of a two-storey building.
1 bedroom with a double bed.
Option of air conditioning or open windows.
En suite bathroom – shower, basin and WC.
Veranda with a view of the garden.
Electronic Safe.
Private entrance.
Fans throughout.
Fly screens.
Free Fiber Optik Wi-fi (Biznet) throughout.
Free parking.
Free coffee and tea facilities in the room.
Books.
Mini-bar.
Daily housekeeping.
Laundry.
Transport.
Tours, Activities and Classes.
Spa.
Swimming Pool.
Garden.
Dining area.
24 hour security.
Sleeps up to 2 people.
CHSE Certificate.
Contactless payment and check in.
All staff fully vaccinated.
There is a communicating door if The Room and The Suite are booked together.
Bedroom.
Bathroom.
Veranda.
View.
Breakfast
Western, Vegetarian and Balinese options available.
Meals
Murni’s Warung, the first real restaurant in Ubud, which I founded in 1974, is only 5 minutes’ walk and we can deliver meals to your accommodation, if you wish.
Check in and Check Out
Check in: 2 pm.
Check-out: 12 noon.
Pick Up or Drop
You can get a pick up or drop back anywhere, please let me know.
Tours, Classes and Activities
There’s a lot to do in and around Ubud.
You can book any tours, courses or activities (such as photography tours, helicopter tours, chocolate factory tours, cooking classes, Indonesian or Balinese language lessons, Balinese flute lessons, gamelan lessons, white water rafting, elephant safari park trip with a ride on an elephant, Bali Swing, Jungle Buggies, bicycle drive through the villages, climbing a volcano at sunrise, rice paddy trek, bird walks, herbal walk through rice paddies, Ubud walks, tarot reading, Balinese dance classes, batik painting classes, making Balinese offerings, snorkeling or scuba diving or a boat trip to a deserted island). I’ll be happy to do this for you.
Located next to the old Campuhan Bridge, a five-minute ride from Ubud Central, Murni’s Warung sits peacefully on a river’s hillside, boasting the view of River Wos flowing water. Built from the ground up, the restaurant first opened in 1974 and has been serving food and hospitality for 47 years now.
Owned and run by a Balinese woman, Ni Wayan Murni, the warung has expanded to four open-air levels, complete with shop and lounge bar. However the atmosphere remains the same. Each guest will be immersed in its traditional interior design carefully decorated with exquisite antiques and artworks.
Similarly, the menu has also been expanded to cater to both local and international tastes where guests can find pasta, steak and a hot dog, for example. But you cannot miss the time tested signature dishes, such as Bebek Betutu (Balinese Duck), Murni’s Tutu Ayam, and Nasi Campur.
I am very pleased that the Republic of Indonesia has become the first signatory of the UNWTO Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics (2 October 2020).
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
UNWTO’s membership includes 159 Member States, 6 Associate Members and over 500 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.
This landmark instrument was created to ensure global tourism is fair, inclusive, more transparent, and works for everyone.
Member States are looking to UNWTO for firm leadership.
The Convention was hailed as a “big step forward” towards introducing a universal, legally binding ethical code for tourism, one of the world’s most important socio-economic sectors.
Indonesia became the first country to sign, signalling its strong commitment to uphold the highest ethical principles as it expands its tourism sector. Indonesia played an important role in the drafting of the Convention as part of the Committee that converted the Global Code of Ethics in Tourism into an international legally binding instrument.
Villa with 5 Rooms and Yoga Space at Katik Lantang – Kemangi
Discover Villa Kemangi from the Sky
Katik Lantang, Penestanan, Ubud, Bali
Soar above the treetops and glide over emerald rice fields as our stunning drone video captures the true magic of Villa Kemangi — a tranquil retreat nestled in the heart of Bali’s spiritual and artistic hub.
✨ Highlights include:
Elegant Balinese architecture
Lush surrounding landscapes
Breathtaking sunrise views over the rice paddies
Sparkling private pool and garden oasis
Steps from Penestanan’s vibrant cafes, galleries and yoga studios
Watch now and experience why Villa Kemangi is your perfect long term escape to Ubud serenity.
A little outside Ubud (about 10 minutes) and Campuan, you’ll arrive at the rice-paddied village of Katik Lantang and a brand new big house known as Kemangi.
Katik Lantang is in south Penestanan. Penestanan is a lively village full of art, yoga and restaurants.
Murni was born there and nearly everyone is related to her.
The villa is a short distance from Murni’s other two houses in Katik Lantang.
Kemangi is now available for long term rent.
Long term means personal, residential occupation for at least a year.
Each floor (ground and upper floor) has 2 bedrooms, en suite shower, wash-hand basin and WC, with kitchen and veranda, conveniently opposite each other.
But, if required, bedrooms can be changed to living rooms, storage or offices.
And the large top floor yoga space is also a great living area with stupendous views.
A separate part of the building has 1 bedroom on the upper floor, en suite shower, wash-hand basin and WC, and a kitchen – it can also be used a spacious office.
Lots of storage and a large garage.
Staff available.
Balinese Gate.
The Balinese gate leads you into the property, which has a welcoming area with a wash-hand basin.
Outdoor Wash-hand Basin.
The architect-designed building has been built with the best quality materials and workmanship.
Kemangi Reception.
Murni has staff to keep the garden and pool clean.
Kemangi Reception.
Pool
Pool at Kemangi.
Pool at Kemangi.
Full Balinese Hindu ceremonies have been performed and daily offerings are presented to the deities. The pool is guarded by a large sitting Buddha.
Guarded by a Large Sitting Buddha.
The 5 spacious rooms are on two levels, bright and breezy, airy and comfortable, all totally fly-screened. Murni has hand-picked the furniture.
Treasures of Bali, A Guide to Museums in Bali written and edited by Richard Mann Gateway Books International, 2006
I witnessed this book’s strange birth. The quintessentially English publisher Richard Mann stayed at my Villa a couple of years ago, researching and writing ‘Bali off the Beaten Track’. He came up to me at breakfast one morning and said, ‘Murni, I’ve woken up with the idea of writing the first ever guide book to all the museums of Bali. It’s never been done before.’
Shortly afterwards Richard met Nyoman Gunarsa, probably Bali’s most famous living artist, who is also chairman of the Bali Museums Association. That evening Richard caught up with me in my restaurant and reported his evident excitement, ‘Murni, do you remember my museums guide book idea? You won’t believe it, but Nyoman Gunarsa supports it and wants me to publish it.’ It was a curious coincidence that that both men, from opposite sides of the world, had the same wish at the same time.
That was a year ago. It has been a lot of work, but the book has now appeared and is glorious. There are twenty-one museums in Bali, some are private, like the most popular one, Neka Art Museum in Ubud, which is encyclopaedic in its range of paintings, and others are government run, like the little known Museum Gedong Kirtya in Singaraja, which houses a collection of 6,753 traditional lontar palm leaf manuscripts. The museums are all over the island, although most are concentrated in the Ubud area, which is not surprising as Ubud is the cultural heart of Bali. The major museums have twelve pages each and the smaller ones have one page each.
I am not aware of any guide book that even mentions the wide range of museums that exist here. It is a great contribution. There is a helpful list of details for each one: address, telephone, fax, e-mail, web site, opening hours, facilities and how to get there. Every museum has a floor plan and there are useful maps at the end of the book showing how to find all the places featured. The cover is a beautiful painting from the Kerta Gosa Museum.
Richard has visited all of them several times and has composed a narrative describing their collections. Numerous stunning photographs illustrate examples from the collections. In some cases there are interviews with the museums’ owners, which outline their various philosophies, perspectives and aims.
Of course, most, if not all, of the museums do not sell their art works. With your appetites whetted by seeing all this beauty and wanting to own a piece of Balinese culture yourself, it is great that the book also contains details and descriptions of Bali’s leading galleries, which sell antiques, paintings, textiles, sculptures, masks and other treasures. I am very proud that this book features my own shop in Ubud among them.
This old map of Bali, made in 1760, is at first confusing. That’s because north is pointing downwards. Java is to the right and Lombok is to the left, the opposite way we normally think of them. There are two and a half compass roses.
The upper left corner has a banner cartouche, which says Das Eyland Baly oder Klein Java (The Island of Bali or Little Java). The top right hand corner has a drawing of a Balinese Royal Palace. It is unclear what the other drawing is – it does not look Balinese. The map shows detailed villages, mountains, rivers, and trees.
It was made by the celebrated French cartographer Jacques Nicolas Bellin (1703 – 1772).
At the age of 18, in 1721, he was appointed chief cartographer to the French Navy, and produced many important maps featuring Asia, Canada and the French territories in North America, which were known all over Europe, giving France a leading role in European cartography.
He was a member of the French intellectual group called the Philosophes and the Royal Society in London. He was one of the Encyclopédistes, who were part of the Philosophes, who compiled the 35 volume Encyclopédie which was edited by Denis Diderot. Bellin contributed 994 articles.
It’s thought that the map was prepared for the Dutch edition of L’Histoire Générale des Voyages (15 volumes, 1746–1759) initiated by Antoine François Prévost d’Exiles (1697 – 1763), better known as Abbé Prévost, the French author and novelist. He wrote the famous Manon Lescaut, published in 1731, which was immediately banned in France, and has been made into seven films, three operas, two ballets and a musical. Abbé Prévost died suddenly, walking in the woods, of a ruptured aneurysm.
How Bali looks now: Maps of Bali are available on Murni’s online Shop here.
Trip Advisor’s Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best, 2020
Last week Murni’s Houses & Spa, Ubud was awarded Trip Advisor’s Travellers’ Choice Winner putting us in the top 10% of hotels worldwide.
Today, after pulling together all the reviews, ratings, and saves that travellers share, Bali itself has been awarded the very best destination in Asia, making Bali Number 1, with Phuket 2nd and Goa 3rd.
They say,
Bali is a living postcard, an Indonesian paradise that feels like a fantasy. Soak up the sun on a stretch of fine white sand, or commune with the tropical creatures as you dive along coral ridges or the colorful wreck of a WWII war ship. On shore, the lush jungle shelters stone temples and mischievous monkeys. The “artistic capital” of Ubud is the perfect place to see a cultural dance performance, take a batik or silver-smithing workshop, or invigorate your mind and body in a yoga class.
Trip Advisor’s Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best, 2020
Ubud, Bali’s spiritual centre, has been awarded another honour.
Ubud was included among the 15 Best Cities in the World to Visit by TRAVEL+LEISURE.
I’m not sure that Ubud is a city, but that’s ok!
Ubud ranked 9th with a score of 88.16 between Luang Prabang in Laos and Istanbul in Turkey. They were 8th and 10th.
The survey for the World’s Best Awards ended in early March 2020 right before the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘The results reflect our readers’ experiences before the pandemic, but we hope this year’s honorees will inspire your trips to come – whenever they may be,’ they wrote.
Mexican city Oaxaca was top. San Miguel de Allende, also in Mexico, and Hoi An in Vietnam were 2nd and 3rd.
Ubud was also mentioned in TRAVEL+LEISURE’s Top 15 Cities lists in 2017 and 2018.
The roads of Ubud are known for being uneven, and some parts are difficult to explore on foot. After a day spent outside, head to Tamarind Spa to get some much-needed relief for your sore muscles. If you’re staying at Murni’s Houses, you can easily access it from the hotel. Spa treatments include a full-body Balinese massage, hot stone massage, reflexology, facials, nail treatments, scrubs, and more. See for yourself why this spa has a handful of awards to its name. An afternoon of treatments from experienced staff and you’ll leave feeling rejuvenated and ready for another round of tours.
Stay in comfort at the award-winning Murni’s Houses, a hotel just a short walk away from Ubud’s town center. With spotless guestrooms adorned with traditional Balinese art, shared amenities like swimming pool and garden, and a spectacular view of the mountain, this is an accommodation that won’t disappoint. Free Wi-Fi, coffee, breakfast, and parking are available for guests, and main attractions like Campuhan Ridge Walk and Saraswati Temple are just a stone’s throw away. This is a place you’ll love coming home to after a long day of activities.
Murni’s in Bali – Murni’s Houses & Spa – Trip101.com
The Best Countries in the World: 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards
November 2019
Condé Nast Traveller’s 32nd annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey, with 600,000 registered voters, voted Indonesia on their favourite country in the World.
They say:
Indonesia is fast becoming the new travel destination for nomads. People are catching on to its modern resorts, secluded beaches, and awe-inspiring temples. The semi-secluded trio of the Gili islands beckon with sleepy, sun-drenched beaches—alongside spas and vacation homes. Bali continues to lure aspiring yogis and partygoers alike, with healers and spa retreats coexisting peacefully with popular beach clubs. It’s no surprise Indonesia scored the highest among our readers. We have a feeling the mix of ancient temples, world-renowned surfing, and inviting spirituality have something to do with it.
Here are the top 10:
Indonesia
Thailand
Portugal
Sri Lanka
South Africa
Peru
Greece
Philippines
Italy
Vietnam
Condé Nast Traveller – The Best Countries in the World
Bali is The Top Destination in Asia – the Number 1 Travelers’ Choice by Trip Advisor 2018 – and the Number 4 Destination in the World after Paris, London and Rome.
Trip Advisor say “The artistic capital of Ubud is the perfect place to see a cultural dance performance, take a batik or silver-smithing workshop, or invigorate your mind and body in a yoga class.”
There’s actually a lot more than that. For example we arrange the following for our guests: photography tours, helicopter tours, chocolate factory tours, cooking classes, Indonesian or Balinese language lessons, white water rafting, elephant safari park trip with a ride on an elephant, Bali Swing, Jungle Buggies, bicycle drive through the villages, climbing a volcano at sunrise, rice paddy trek, bird walks, herbal walk through rice paddies, tarot reading, Balinese dance classes, batik painting classes, making Balinese offerings, snorkeling or scuba diving or a boat trip to a deserted island.
Murni’s Houses, my boutique hotel in Ubud, hosted a gaggle (is that the right word?) of excitable photographers from Austria, Australia and England last week, drawn by the prospect of huge, scary, colourful demons of Bali awaiting them on the streets in various stages of creation.
The ogoh-ogoh are inventive and frightening. There is always a black, hooded, faceless angel of death. There are usually dragon-like figures and mythical creatures. In the early days the artists were inspired by Balinese folklore but latterly Hollywood characters have come to the fore, some sporting Mohawk hairstyles.
The ogoh-ogoh are symbols of demonic spirits, made from wood and bamboo, covered with papier-mâché and Styrofoam, and painted with garish colours. They can reach 10 feet (3 metres) high and the same wide.
In the evening of Balinese New Year’s Eve, these huge grotesque statues, with lights aglow, accompanied by loud gamelan music, are paraded by their makers on wide bamboo platforms around the village. They are remarkably life like.
After the parade they are usually burned at the village crossroads, but recently, as they are really works of art, some have been kept for display in community halls, temples, hotels, and private houses, admired as works of art. The ‘tradition’ became popular in the 1980s.
Roy Thompson said “Secrets of Bali is the best book about the island written and published since 1990 …”. That was our last book. This time we decided to concentrate just on Ubud, the cultural heart of Bali, which is a must for most visitors to Bali. I’ve lived all my life in Ubud and for most of it I have been involved in tourism: restaurant, shops, textiles, art, accommodation and spa, so it was right that I should share some of my knowledge. I’ve travelled the world, so I’ve also added some pitfalls and traps and a few warnings.
Ni Wayan Murni
Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud
Stephanie Brookes, Travel Writer wrote “This is all you need to experience the best of Ubud written by Murni, a legendary local insider and cultural expert.”
Published: 24 October 2011
44 Chapters
Bibliography
Words: 23,646
US$2.99
If you don’t have a Kindle, you can read it as a pdf file, and either way you can read the first 10% as a free sample on the Kindle Store on Amazon.
Start reading Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud in under a minute.
“This is all you need to experience the best of Ubud written by Murni, a legendary local insider and cultural expert.”
Stephanie Brookes, Travel Writer
“I loved this guide to Ubud by Ni Wayan Murni with photos by Jonathan Copeland. I have been to Ubud many times, but found new secrets in Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud. It’s true that she toots her own horn a bit, but she has every reason to do that since the places she owns are well worth checking out. And she doesn’t only give information about her own businesses – she also shares so much information about Ubud that it definitely gives travelers many reasons to go there. Well done..”
Kate Benzin
Author of HowTo Find The Heart Of Bali
A Little Gem
“Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud is to the point and for that reason I love it. Instead of having to wade through the more traditional guides, for those wanting to get to the heart of Ubud quickly, grab this one first.
If you do pop into Murni’s Warung, ask if she is about, or to their spa. She is one of the nicest people I’ve had the pleasure to meet and if it wasn’t for this book, I would never have known of her. However, she is famous in Ubud for her entrepreneurial life and the prosperity she has brought to her village.
I have read the previous review and must say I can’t agree that it is true for all people. If you want to read lots of information to try and work out what to do, and you want to spend hours doing it, sure, pick up the wordy Lonely Planet. To say that Murni has just plucked all of this from the Internet is absurd. She has lived in Ubud all her life!
I really value the information in this, it helped me immensely when I first went to Ubud to research it for my own book, there is likely no-one who knows Ubud as well as Murni and Jonathan. For $2.99, this is a little gem and if you want the easy and informative guide to get your head around a city that literally sprawls over mountains and vales, this guide is perfect.”
Clare McAlaney
Author of Things You Need to Know About Bali
Written with the simple traveler in mind
“When I travel, I try to find everything I can about the place in the internet. Sometimes, it gets too confusing when you have to browse through several web sites to get the basic information you need. Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud gave me most of the information I needed on Ubud. Sure, it is subjective but the writer did put a caveat from the start. I’m just a simple traveler who wants to know the mode of transport in Ubud, what are the places I can see in the area, should I activate my roaming or just get a local sim card, etc. The book is very helpful guide for travelers like me and you can’t go wrong with a price equivalent to a cup of coffee in your local coffee shop.”
Jay Rodriguez
Very Enriching
“Who else but Murni to write a guide about Ubud. Anyone who sees Ubud, indeed Bali without any depth of knowledge is missing out on a lot. I first went to Ubud in early 1980, and still go regularly. And I have tramped dusty paths in the evenings to eat at Murni’s over the years. The best places are the places I go on my FEET, and not in a car. Murni, over so many years has gone from being a girl with a simple food stall to writing an app about Ubud. She is all class.”
Janice Brown
Thank You, Murni
“Thank you Murni! You have certainly filled this Ubud guide with information and insights that I have not found revealed elsewhere. I just finished my 3rd visit and was still using your guide to explore this very special area.”
Bedroom.
Bathroom.
Living Room.
Veranda.
Tropical View.
