Heading to Ubud to fulfill your Eat, Pray, Love odyssey? Well believe us, staying in a hotel (however fabulous) just won’t do. You need a chic Bali villa set in electric green rice fields and dramatic river gorges of the Ayung River – far, far away from the tourist track.

We were in Ubud recently and *a popular discount hotel website* mucked up our booking. So we took to AirBnB.com for a last-minute find. The villas we stumbled upon were so spectacular that we simply had to show you.

Don’t know about AirBnB? It’s really simple. If you have a fabulous house (anywhere in the world) that you don’t use very often (lucky you!), you can list it on AirBnB. Travellers then book rooms in an awesome house, or an entire estate, just like a hotel. You’ll be blown away at what you can find. There’s even the odd futuristic caravan and fairytale treehouse to keep you entertained.

Check out these 7 heavenly AirBnB villas in Ubud that have us swooning.

#1 Remarkable Bamboo House on Ayung River

bamboo houseubud villas
bamboo houseubud villas

This unique bamboo house is a living work of art and has been featured in New York Magazine and CBS Morning. It’s set in the river valley landscape along Bali’s sacred Ayung River. You enter the house through a giant bamboo tube and follow the network of spacey corridors and staircases into a surreal collection of luxurious floors and rooms.

The jaw dropping architecture of this house doesn’t just wow the adults,  we can imagine kids tripping out in this groovy space.

Nightly rate: IDR 7,691,373
Minimum stay: 2 nights
Book this Remarkable Bamboo House on AirBnB.

#2 Africa Themed House

african house ubud villas
african house ubud villas

Can’t afford to holiday in Africa? Just a few minutes away from the centre of Ubud, this African themed house in Sayan Valley brings Africa to you. Inspired by antique teak bridal houses in Java and luxe African safari interiors, the estate is designed to cocoon guests in a sense of comfort and intimacy with nature.

Fancy a refreshing dip? The natural pool is filled with natural river water and uses local lava stones to filter the water naturally. What a way to reduce your holiday carbon footprint.

Nightly rate: IDR 5,442,574
Minimum stay: 2 nights
Book the Africa Themed House on AirBnB.

#3 Old Wooden Rice House

rice house ubud villas
rice house ubud villas

Also located on the same estate as the Africa Themed House in the Sayan Valley, the Old Wooden Rice House is a touch more affordable. The house is decorated with the owner’s private collection of lavish rugs from Morocco (yum!), fabrics from Indonesia and lacquerware from Burma. Just like a five star hotel, but with a personal touch.

This estate is super hot on AirBnB, so you’ll have to plan your stay well ahead in advance to stay here.

Nightly rate: IDR 4,700,948
Minimum stay: 1 night
Book the Old Wooden Rice House on AirBnB.

#4 Sakovabali villa

sakobavali villa ubud villas
sakobavali villa ubud villas

Sakovabali Villa is a stylish modern villa that combines traditional architecture and a tropical landscape of jungles and ravines in the outskirts of Ubud, near the wood carvers village of Tengkulak. Fully staffed, with a fabulous in-house chef and onsite spa, you won’t have any reason to leave. With four bedrooms and contemporary indoor and outdoor living, this would be a fantastic spot for intimate group gatherings.

Nightly rate: IDR 7,392,331
Minimum stay: 2 nights
Book Sakovabali Villa on AirBnb.

#5 Pelangi Estate

pelangi estateubud villas
pelangi estateubud villas

This sprawling estate accommodates up to 16 people in 7 bedrooms and bathrooms (hence the price tag). If you’re planning a big group holiday with the extended family, this is the perfect luxury villa estate for it. Built in 2011, the estate consists of 4 main bedroom houses, a sleeping loft and a one-bedroom cottage. Overlooking the Wos river gorge, there’ll be plenty of opportunities for picture perfect moments with the family.

Nightly rate: IDR 14,928,202
Minimum stay: 2 nights
Book Pelangi Estate on AirBnB.

#6 Villa Kelusa

villa kelusa ubud villas
villa kelusa ubud villas

A hauntingly beautiful four bedroom compound, isolated on 3 hectares of land at the jungle’s edge awaits you. Set atop a vast amphitheater of rice paddies and river gorges of the holy Pakuseba River you’ll feel a million miles away from the world, and perhaps on another planet altogether.

Nightly rate: IDR 7,906,684
Minimum stay: 2 nights
Book Villa Kelusa on AirBnb.

#7 Private pool villa

pool villa ubud
pool villa ubud

Looking for something completely new and modern? This private pool villa was built in 2013, with pretty slate pathways that run through the property and peak through the foliage to reveal verdant rice fields and tropical forest. It’s the sort of place where you lounge by the pool sipping champagne at noon and take long siestas in a Balinese gazebo.

Nightly rate: IDR 4,784,680
Minimum stay: 1 night
Book Private Pool Villa on AirBnb.

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Not satisfied yet? Check out our 6 phenomenal surf villas in Bali from AirBnB

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