Ubud is one of my favourite destinations in Bali so it was no surprise that I lately ended up here again. This time I wanted to stay a little longer and I searched for a house for rent in Ubud. It depends of course how picky you are, but don’t picture yourself coming into town in the early morning and the same evening you are chilling in your private villa in Ubud. It is all a little more complicated and remember you are in Indonesia; everything takes a little more time here!
I tried searching for Ubud hotel & villas on the internet but there is an overload of Ubud villas for rent and nothing is really clustered. Chasing down the perfect villa for the right price was a project that took days, but I can tell you it was great fun! To begin with I found myself a nice little guesthouse on my favourite street in Ubud, Jl. Tirta Tawar. Lotus Villa Ubud was a lovely place to crash while looking around for villas. Looking for a lovely boutique Resort? Blue Karma Ubud!
Set your budget and preferences
There are so many villas and after a while it will drive you crazy looking at all of them. Setting a budget helps you limit the options, plus preferences like AC, pool, private/shared, 1, 2 or 3 bedroom, kitchen, sofa. Prices are negotiable and I found out that you can haggle the price down to 80% of the asking price at all times. Ubud is a popular place and prices went up the last years. Expect to pay around 12 million ($900 USD) for a modern 2-bedroom villa per month.
Choose your area to rent a house in Ubud
I have never been staying in the South of Ubud as for me it is too crowded and totally lost the charm of Ubud if you ask me. Traffic is already a big issue and streets are packed, therefore I am not a fan of this area. The authentic rice field areas and deserted streets can be found North of the city. Jalan Tirta Tawar is my favourite street and the more North you go, the more authentic it gets. Read here more about my favourite places to see in Ubud.
Rent a scooter
Without a scooter you are going to have a hard time finding the perfect villa. I drove around on a scooter for 5 days looking for houses for rent in Ubud. Villas are scattered around town and you have to be mobile to make the most of your search. Rent a scooter through this lovely family: +6281246774696, very easy going and flexible rates for long term. Not comfortable driving a scooter? Take a lesson: +6287861210161. Read more about this in my blog: Renting A Scooter In Bali.
Buy a SIM card
Make sure you are at least online or are able to call. There are a ton of Ubud villas for rent but most of them are not listed anywhere. Good thing is there are little signs everywhere saying: house for rent in Ubud plus a cell phone number. Sometimes it is a long shot, but I also managed to find one which I really liked. Once you visit a villa it is easier to stay in touch with the owner if you have a local number as you most probably end up taking a look at many villas before you decide. Last time in Bali I did a little research about the best Indonesia tourist sim card.
Ubud villas for rent agencies
There are probably more agencies around but I only found two agencies that could really help me find a house for rent in Ubud. Within my budget there were not that many options I have to admit, but for sure it was helpful entering their offices. One is called Ubud Property and their office is located on the intersection of Jl. Hanoman and Jl. Monkey Forest. The other agency is Red Lotus and is located at Jl. Sukma Kesuma.
Search Facebook Groups
One of your best bids are the Facebook Groups specialized in houses for rent in Ubud Bali. Try ‘Ubud Rentals’, ‘Ubud House Shares, Monthly Rentals and Sitting’ or ‘Ubud, Bali – Housing & Rental’, these ones were the most active groups at the time of writing.
Other options
Of course it helps to go around and randomly stop at places where you might think they would rent out their villa. It was amazingly fun to stop at villas and to invite myself to have a look around. Other helpful tips come from local restaurant owners, everyone knows someone with a private villa in Ubud, simply ask around in warungs. The more popular yoga places and restaurants in town have notice boards; check them out! Or try the Ubud Fitness Center, they have a huge notice board with a lot of Ubud villas for rent as well.
Remember that finding a villa is not as easy as you might think especially if you are planning to stay just for a month. Most people that end up renting here stay for around three to six months. I ended up searching so long that I actually never found a place that really appealed to me or the ones I like where a minimum stay of 3 months. Unfortunately my visa was running out. I don’t regret looking around town for like a week, it was a great adventure. Of course I was also just interesting how difficult it was finding a place to live! I definitely found really nice places, but I was pretty picky as well!
If you like Ubud, you also like Canggu. Make sure you don’t miss the best place to stay in Bali and read my Canggu Bali Guide.
Bali is one of the most captivating islands I ever travelled to and I keep on coming back. I wrote more blogs about this little place, read them all in my Indonesia page. Or if you are interested in reading my story how I sailed around Raja Ampat then go to Sailing the Raja Ampat Islands with Mutiara Laut. If you travel to Bali on a budget I am sure this guide will help you.
For more Ubud accommodation options click on the following picture.
