We recently stayed in the Padma Hotel just north of Ubud. Spoiler alert: It was amazing. The resort itself is north of Ubud, in a quiet corner of the jungle. You feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, which can be a nice change of pace from the bustle of Ubud itself.
The resort itself feels very “Bali” with gorgeous carved stone decor by the lobby and plenty of koi ponds surrounded by lush forest.
Our room had a lovely balcony, king size bed (which we pushed together) and we made beds for the kids with our trusty inflatable travel mattress for one kid and a bathtub/sofa cushion makeshift bed for the other.
What is there to do for kids?
-Kids Club. It is definitely not the flashest kids club we’ve ever been to, but our kids loved it. The kids club workers were super engaged and our kids loved them, Yanti especially. Activities in the morning take place in the middle of the garden (more on this later) and afternoon in the kids club next to the pool. Our kids learned how to make traditional balinese offerings, making crafts with recycled materials and participated in an ogoh ogoh parade while we were there since we stayed during the Balinese holiday of Nyepi.
-Animals. This hotel has an amazing animal garden that our kids were so delighted by. They could fish in the pond and feed their catch to the nearby otters. Ducks roamed around (which they could also feed) and up the way were bunnies, goats and even cows! It was so fun to get to interact so close and personal with all the animals.
-The Garden. This hotel has a massive garden filled with all kinds of fruit trees and other plants. There were so many different things growing it was hard to see it all. We were offered mulberries straight from the tree by a gardener and it was such a special experience to try something new (for us).
-The pool. The Padma has a massive infinity pool overlooking the jungle. And it is heated, which is necessary as it gets a little chilly at night. There is a swim up bar (obviously not for kids, but nice for parents). There are also rocks our kids enjoyed jumping off of into the pool. For kids who are small, there is a cute little pool by the kids club with a waterfall!
-Trail to river. For more adventurous families, there is a jogging trail that goes down to the river. It is so quiet and a great way to see more nature. Along the river is a bamboo bridge. We saw a sign for leeches which I laughed about until I got back to our room and into the shower and saw one inching away from me on the floor… be warned!
The food is delicious, especially the morning buffet. They have a kids section (mostly filled with donuts and sugary cereal), but that was memorable for the kids. The pastry case in the lobby is also worth a look as it is filled with truly beautiful snacks.
We didn’t leave the resort at all for our 2 night stay, so I’m not sure how the shuttles work to and from Ubud. This is a great place to stay if you don’t need to go into Ubud every day as it is a little bit out of town. But if you’re looking for a gorgeous property dripping with nature and plenty to do for kids, this is it.
This post is not sponsored in any way. We genuinely loved our time at the Padma and wanted to share. All views are our own.
