NB: Keith’s Villa is no longer on Airbnb, this property is under new ownership.
I never planned to write about this house and never could photograph it properly, I'm too close I think. I now find myself trying to write about it anyway.
I found Keith's Ubud Villa on Airbnb early last year. I knew I had to go to Bali, something was there for me. Trawling through the listings, I came across this haven in the rice fields.
This is the place where I've lived twice now in Ubud. Keith, a Brit-turned-Balinese guy with an online business has the lease on the open-air four bedroom villa. It's on Airbnb but he's built up a roster of regulars now; lots of people come here come back over and over again for a month or more. Life is good here, I know why they come back.
The house attracts interesting people, mostly those who work online - tech people, spiritual types, writers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, traders - and sometimes those taking a break from their regular life. If you stay here you're guaranteed instant friends to get around Ubud with.
It's a one kilometre walk or somewhat risky scooter drive through the rice paddies of a local village to get to this villa. The villa's local village is a five minute scooter drive out of Ubud so you'll need a scooter or taxis staying here.
The house is open-air, where the rice fields and garden envelope the whole thing in green. Every morning peering out my window at the rice paddy scene around me made me happy. The sound of insects and animals chirping and buzzing at night is deafening (see video at end) but somehow sent me off for the best sleeps of my life. There's a pool looking out over the rice fields, a projector for impromptu cinema nights and desks all over the house to set-up your laptop with Keith's very good internet.
This place is a temporary home in the world for all the travellers looking for one for a while.
Behind Naughty Nuri's,
Jalan Sangiggan,
Ubud, Bali
︎ Map
︎ Bali map
