Two peaceful boutique stays in Ubud and Tabanan, captured through slower mornings, tropical landscapes and film photography.

After living in Bali for almost ten years, I realised I wasn’t craving another weekend near the ocean or somewhere busy and overstimulating. I was craving green space. Rain on the windows. Quiet mornings. Somewhere that felt slower.

I wanted to leave behind the traffic for a few days and rediscover a different side of Bali again - one that felt softer, calmer and deeply connected to nature.

So, with my daughter packed into the car beside me, we headed inland.

Almost instantly, everything began to slow down. The roads opened into endless palms, rice paddies moving in the wind and stretches of green space that felt impossible to rush through. The air changed. The sounds changed. Even my nervous system softened.

There’s something about inland Bali that feels entirely different to the coast. The mornings arrive slower here. You hear birds instead of scooters. Rivers instead of traffic. Rain becomes part of the atmosphere rather than something to escape from.

Over a few days, I stayed between two completely different boutique stays in Bali - one a peaceful jungle retreat hidden among the rice terraces of Tabanan, the other a rustic mountain hideaway outside Ubud.

Both gave me something I didn’t realise I had been craving so deeply: space to slow down again.

Quick Guide to These Bali Jungle & Mountain Stays

Best for:

• Solo Travellers, Couples or Families
• Creatives
• Slower travel
• Nervous system resets
• Wellness-focused escapes

Locations:

• Tabanan
• Ubud

Best season:

• Rainy season & dry season

Best stay for nervous system resets:

• Puri Dajuma Terraces

Best stay for isolation:

• Zen Hideaway

Why Stay in Bali’s Jungle & Mountain Regions?

While most visitors head towards Bali’s coastline, some of the island’s most peaceful stays are hidden further inland among jungle landscapes, rice paddies and mountain views.

Areas like Ubud and Tabanan offer a completely different pace to places like Canggu or Seminyak. Days feel slower here. Mornings are quieter. The air feels cooler, especially during rainy season, and many boutique hotels in Bali’s inland region are designed to feel deeply connected to the surrounding landscape.

If you’re looking for:

• peaceful stays in Bali
• jungle and mountain views
• somewhere to read, write or create
• a nervous system reset
• slower mornings surrounded by nature
• wellness-focused travel
• a quieter side of Bali

then inland Bali might be exactly what you’re looking for.

Puri Dajuma Terraces: A Peaceful Jungle Stay in Tabanan

The drive to Puri Dajuma Terraces takes around two and a half hours from Ngurah Rai International Airport, but the final stretch of road is what stays with me most.

The closer we got, the quieter everything became. The roads narrowed into open green landscapes filled with rolling rice paddies, palm trees and huge stretches of space that felt untouched by the chaos Bali can sometimes become known for.

It felt like the version of Bali I had been missing.

Puri Dajuma Terraces is a boutique jungle stay in Tabanan made up of a small collection of beautifully designed Joglo-style bungalows surrounded by tropical gardens and rice fields. We stayed in Joglo #1, which felt incredibly private and overlooked both the rice paddies and the property’s three-tier pool.

The design immediately stood out to me. Everything felt thoughtful without trying too hard. The gardens were immaculate, the outdoor bathroom still felt deeply comfortable and every path between the villas felt intentionally designed to slow you down.

Even the check-in experience felt calming. We arrived to soft music, traditional details woven throughout the property and a cold herbal drink made from purple flowers and ginger that immediately set the tone for the stay.

There was something incredibly grounding about the atmosphere here.

The mornings became my favourite part of the day.

Rain would move softly through the rice paddies while the palms swayed in the distance. You could hear birds, flowing water and the sound of the wind moving through the fields. Everything felt quiet in a way that’s becoming increasingly hard to find in Bali.

I originally booked three nights, but extended our stay almost immediately after arriving.

That rarely happens for me.

But there was something about the feeling of this place that made me want to stay still for longer.

The pool area became where we spent most afternoons. The three-tier design overlooks nothing but palms, rice paddies and open green space. Water continuously overflows between the different levels, creating this constant soft sound that somehow makes everything feel even slower.

Because I travelled with my daughter, the shallow section of the pool was perfect for us during the afternoons, but I could equally imagine this being an incredible Bali stay for couples, solo travellers or anyone wanting to fully switch off for a few days.

One thing I wasn’t expecting was how magical shoulder season felt here.

When we first arrived, the weather was overcast and softly raining, and honestly, it made the stay feel even more beautiful. Sitting on the balcony with ginger tea while reading a book and listening to the rain moving across the rice terraces felt far more atmospheric than bright sunshine ever could.

If you’re deciding whether Bali’s rainy or shoulder season is worth travelling during, I would absolutely recommend experiencing inland Bali at this time of year.

The restaurant was another standout.

Breakfast is included with your stay, and everything on the menu felt fresh, thoughtful and wellness-focused without feeling restrictive. The coconut soup became one of my favourite meals of the entire trip - so much so that I ordered it twice - while the fresh juices and eggs florentine quickly became part of our morning routine.

One thing I particularly appreciated travelling alone with my daughter was how comfortable and safe the property felt. Staff were always nearby, the grounds were beautifully lit at night and room service made evenings feel incredibly easy after long slow days by the pool.

For solo female travellers especially, I think this peaceful Bali stay offers the perfect balance between feeling immersed in nature while still feeling cared for.

What Your Days Could Look Like Here

Puri Dajuma feels best suited to slower days and quieter routines - the kind of place where mornings naturally begin later and entire afternoons disappear between the pool, long lunches and the sound of rain moving through the rice terraces below.

While the property itself feels deeply peaceful and secluded, there’s actually a beautiful mix of experiences woven into the stay if you want to explore more of inland Bali. You can spend mornings walking through the surrounding rice paddies, book traditional Balinese spa treatments overlooking the valley, join yoga sessions surrounded by jungle or take guided waterfall trekking tours through the mountains of Tabanan.

The property also offers cooking classes and traditional massage experiences, which honestly felt very aligned with the slower and more grounded atmosphere of the stay itself.

We travelled during that quieter period between Bali’s rainy and dry seasons, and the softer weather somehow made everything feel even more cinematic - low clouds moving through the palms, cooler mornings and the rice terraces glowing deep green after the rain.

I travelled here alone with my daughter and found it incredibly calming and easy, but I could equally imagine this being a beautiful stay for families, solo travellers or anyone needing a genuine reset away from faster-paced travel.

Zen Hideaway: A Rustic Mountain Stay Near Ubud

Zen Hideaway felt completely different.

Where Puri Dajuma felt refined and deeply calming, Zen Hideaway felt raw, open and stripped back in the most beautiful way.

Located near the Tegallalang rice terraces outside Ubud, the property is made up of rustic wooden hideaways suspended above the jungle and river below. We stayed in Zen Hideaway One, and from the moment we arrived, it felt like stepping into another world entirely.

The structure itself is almost entirely open.

There are no polished luxury finishes or enclosed resort-style comforts here. Instead, it feels more like Robinson Crusoe hidden somewhere deep in Bali’s mountains.

And somehow, that simplicity is exactly what makes it feel luxurious.

Places like this are becoming increasingly rare.

The mornings here were unlike anything I’ve experienced before in Bali.

I would wake up to golden light pouring through the palm trees while clouds slowly moved across the ridgeline in front of us. Below, you could hear the river flowing through the jungle while everything else remained completely still.

There were moments sitting on the deck with coffee where it genuinely felt like time had slowed down.

The entire stay encourages you to do very little.

Read a book. Write. Sit quietly. Watch the light change throughout the afternoon.

It’s the kind of place that gently forces you back into yourself again.

Breakfast here is simple and home-style, with fresh fruit, omelettes and Bali coffee prepared each morning. Unlike Puri Dajuma, there’s no restaurant on-site for lunch or dinner, so this stay requires a little more planning and works best if you’re comfortable exploring Bali by scooter or driving into nearby cafés and restaurants.

That being said, the simplicity became part of the experience for me.

Zen Hideaway isn’t about convenience. It’s about atmosphere.

It’s about waking up to river sounds below the jungle, sitting barefoot on the wooden deck and remembering how little you actually need to feel calm again.

I would absolutely recommend this mountain stay near Ubud for:

• couples
• creatives
• solo travellers
• writers
• photographers
• anyone craving complete disconnection

But I probably wouldn’t recommend it for families with toddlers, simply because of how open the property is and how remote it feels at night. For the right person though, it’s incredibly special.

What Your Days Could Look Like Here

Zen Hideaway feels best suited to slower days and complete disconnection - the kind of stay where mornings begin with sunrise over the jungle and afternoons are spent exploring inland Bali at a much gentler pace.

Because the property doesn’t offer lunch or dinner service, most days naturally revolve around heading out to nearby cafés, waterfalls or rice terrace walks before returning back to the mountains by sunset.

If you’re exploring the surrounding area, I’d highly recommend visiting Tegallalang Rice Terraces, stopping for lunch at The Sayan House overlooking the jungle near Ubud or slowly driving further into the mountains towards Leke Leke Waterfall, which sits around an hour north through some of Bali’s most beautiful inland landscapes.

The stay itself is incredibly open-air and deeply connected to nature, which is part of what makes it feel so special. During Bali’s rainy season though, that also means cooler evenings, insects and a much more raw mountain experience compared to a traditional resort stay.

I’d especially recommend Zen Hideaway for couples, solo travellers, creatives or anyone craving complete stillness for a few days. It feels much less suited to toddlers or travellers looking for convenience, nightlife or fast-paced travel.

Which Bali Stay is Better For You?

Both stays offered something completely different, but equally memorable.

Puri Dajuma felt nurturing, calming and deeply restorative, while Zen Hideaway felt more raw, emotional and disconnected from everyday life.

If I were travelling solo, with family or wanting a longer wellness-focused stay in Bali, I would return to Puri Dajuma immediately.

If I wanted complete stillness, creative space and a few days hidden away in nature, Zen Hideaway would be the place I’d choose.

FAQs About Jungle & Mountain Stays in Bali