An Unforgettable Stay at Cicada Resort

We spent five nights at the Cicada Resort (part of Marriott's Autograph Collection) and enjoyed every moment. We visited in November and booked a villa with a private pool. Starting with the highlights... the staff are fantastic: very friendly， welcoming， and polite. They do the resort owners proud! Our villa was almost perfect: beautifully designed， spacious， with lots of light and an open-air ambiance throughout the bedroom and spacious bathroom. It was tastefully furnished (plenty of wood， with a stunning carved wood ceiling) and featured a very comfortable bed. Other perks include abundant AC， fast Wifi， updated electrical outlets with USB ports， good shower temperature and pressure， heavenly-smelling toiletries， excellent tea and coffee facilities， a mini-fridge， daily snacks， and unlimited bottled water delivered to your room. The room becomes pitch dark when everything is closed at night， ensuring restful sleep. We would only recommend adding more hooks for towels and swimsuits， better bathroom lighting， and more privacy in the toilet area. The views from all the villas are excellent， with each offering plenty of privacy. The highlight， and the reason we chose this resort， was our private pool. It was amazing. We spent most of our time on the deck or in our heated pool， geared perfectly toward a relaxing vacation. We usually hesitate to stay in remote locations， fearing we might be limited to the resort's restaurants since we are food aficionados. However， we were very impressed with the meal selection and quality. Breakfasts were excellent， offering a wide variety (smoothie bowls， detox shots with fresh turmeric and ginger， fresh juices， diverse coffee options， delicious pastries， egg dish variations， local specialties， and very tasty bacon!); dinners were outstanding (we especially enjoyed the Balinese dinner one night)， and cocktails were excellent. We wished there was a broader selection of premium wines， but admittedly， we are also wine enthusiasts. :) Lunch at the Verdant Lounge was excellent， and room service is available. Afternoon teas and pre-dinner sundowner cocktails on the deck with jungle views were delightful. A surprising highlight of our dinners (and stay) was the entertainment – the musicians and dancers were incredible， offering a wonderful glimpse into Balinese culture through performance.We mostly wanted to relax for six days and unwind but joined a couple of activities: a guided village tour one morning was informative and pleasant. One of us tried the morning yoga class， which was superb. We had a couples massage， which was decent. One of us used the (very) small gym， offering some free weights and bench， a treadmill， a stationary bike， and limited cable equipment… this is one area where the resort could improve. Another couple at the resort recommended the early morning Mount Batur hike， which they loved. We visited Ubud one afternoon to explore art galleries and dine out; booking a Grab ride to and from the resort was straightforward. The resort is stunning， with beautiful， well-maintained landscaping， and felt very private and serene. We didn’t use the large guest pool or jacuzzi， but they looked lovely.A few tips for future guests: The resort’s website is unclear about which villa pools are heated. We wanted a heated pool and assumed all pools were heated when booking. Upon check-in， we learned only three villa pools are heated， so confirm this with the resort if it’s important to you. Reaching the villas requires numerous steps， so if you're not steady on your feet and/or staying during a potentially rainy season (as we did)， choose footwear accordingly! Our villa was at the hill's base with 118 steps to the main resort; we picked it for seclusion， but if steps aren’t for you， consider a villa closer uphill. The drive from the airport to the resort is long and hectic. Unless familiar with Indonesian road rules， we recommend not renting a car. We arranged a car through the resort to pick us up at the airport， which was easy， convenient， and much less stressful. Booking Grabs is also simple， as mentioned. The Cicada Resort Bali Ubud is a hidden gem in Bali and one of our favorite stays. Highly recommended!

Post by _TI***yv | Aug 21, 2025