This 5-star jungle valley resort is amazing for couples!

We spent two nights in the Aksari resort, located in a jungle valley roughly 30 minutes north of Ubud. With 30 rooms, the Aksari is not a massive resort, but it has all the amenities couples on a honeymoon could desire: A Japanese fine dining restaurant, a great spa, candlelight dinners, and villas with private infinity pools overlooking the jungle.

Enjoying a floating breakfast in the private infinity pool attached to our room.

You won’t get bored here. Most nights there are arts and music performances in the main restaurant. The morning yoga classes are complimentary and hosted on a rooftop with spectacular views, and the hotel features multiple infinity pools, a hottub and a gym. Both the famous Hindu Tirta Empul Temple and the rice terraces of Tegallalang are only a few minutes away from the resort, and within 30 minutes drive you can reach central Ubud.

We have yet to find a resort that makes it easier to shower your partner in love than the Aksari resort. With a range of offerings from a candlelight dinner, a flower bath, a custom message written in flower decorations or a refreshing morning floating breakfast in the pool, anything is possible here! The staff is extremely friendly and super keen to make your stay perfect. Check all the romantic packages here.

Our Grand Royal Villa

Our villa featured a private infinity pool with a view over the central Bali jungle forest. A river flows through the valley. Our villa featured a private infinity pool with a view over the central Bali jungle forest. A river flows through the valley.
The Aksari is great at making honeymooners feel at home, with floral decorations, flower baths, candlelight dinners and more! The Aksari is great at making honeymooners feel at home, with floral decorations, flower baths, candlelight dinners and more!
We enjoyed a floating breakfast in our pool. You can choose between a heart- or swan-shaped floating table. We went for the swan ;-). We enjoyed a floating breakfast in our pool. You can choose between a heart- or swan-shaped floating table. We went for the swan ;-).

The Aksari offers multiple rooms and villas. We stayed at a Grand Royal Villa, which featured a private infinity pool, a bathtub and a large king-size bed. In addition, we had a large outdoor area with pool beds and a gazebo to relax on. These villas get booked far in advance, so check the Aksari website for availability. Alternatively, there are other accomodation options too, including the more affordable but still very luxury Forest View Suites (which don’t feature a private pool).

When we visited the Aksari, most other visitors were couples too. It seems like the hotel really caters towards honeymooners. You can opt to be welcomed with a “Happy Honeymoon” flower decoration, a flower bath or a romantic floating breakfast. Some couples might find that too cheesy - don’t worry, it’s all optional!

We loved the Kojin Teppanyaki Restaurant

We really enjoyed our time at Kojin!

The best restaurant choice at Aksari is Kojin Teppanyaki Omakase. That’s quite a long name, lets unwrap it: Omekase means Chef’s Choice menu, meaning that they offer set tasting menus. Teppanyaki is the Japanese word for meet, fish or veggies that are prepared on a steel fire grill. The setup at Aksari is very cozy: guests are seated at a bar around the chef’s kitchen area, meaning you can see all food being prepared up close.

Olivia chose dishes from the a-la-carte menu, while Dirk enjoyed the 8-course Sushi Omakase. Olivia’s starter consisted of delicious grilled scallops with salmon roe and she enjoyed Wagyu Rib Eye skewers for her main. Both were grilled on the firegrill right in front of us, by friendly chefs that were keen to explain everything.

Dirk’s sushi tasting menu started with potato hokkaido. Interesting was that the sushi here was not only made with seafood: there was bacon pork enoki, asparagus nigiri and even some wagyu. We really enjoyed the Nigiri assortment, which we can only describe as a large “staircase” with different types of nigiri sushi (the blue fin tuna was the best!).

As dessert, Dirk had the strawberry coffee roll that was part of the Omakase menu. Olivia had the Yuzu Custard. We recommend both, don’t skip dessert if you’re staying here.

In summary, this is a very unique dining experience. Definitely worth going here if you are staying in the Aksari resort or elsewhere in the Tegellalang area. Check the Kojin website.

In Kojin, the chef will prepare all food right in front of your eyes. Omakase is a set 'Chefs Choice' menu, and Dirk had the Sushi Omakase. In Kojin, the chef will prepare all food right in front of your eyes. Omakase is a set 'Chefs Choice' menu, and Dirk had the Sushi Omakase.
The grilled scallop dish is a great starter. The scallop is grilled by the chef on a large grill and can be ordered separately (no need for a whole set menu). The grilled scallop dish is a great starter. The scallop is grilled by the chef on a large grill and can be ordered separately (no need for a whole set menu).
The grilling right in front of your eyes is a very spectacular sight, making the Kojin restaurant a unique addition to your stay at Aksari. The grilling right in front of your eyes is a very spectacular sight, making the Kojin restaurant a unique addition to your stay at Aksari.

Romantic Candlelight Dinner

The Aksari resort makes it possible to enjoy a romantic private candle light dinner, either in your own villa, or at the bamboo yoga platform. We opted to have the experience in our room, and enjoyed three courses surrounded by candle lights.

The dinner started with a soup. We both ordered a different one, but the Broccoli cream soup was our favorite. For main Olivia had Salmon while Dirk went for the Wagyu steak, which both were very well prepared. The brownie and chocolate dessert was very enjoyable too.

Private dinner surrounded by candlelight in our private villa.

Rijsttafel at Ankhusa Restaurant

The Ankhusa is an a-la-carte restaurant with a wide variety of Indonesian and international dishes. This is where cultural performances are happening at night (we saw a traditional Balinese dance performance). For dinner, we tried the “Rijsttafel”, a tasting of many different traditional Indonesian dishes which is great for sharing. The Bebek Betutu (a Balinese dish with grilled duck) and Rendang Sapi (A coconut beef stew originating from Sumatra island) were our favorites.

You can check the full menu on the website.

Olivia and Dirk are ready to start enjoying the Rijsttafel tasting. Olivia and Dirk are ready to start enjoying the Rijsttafel tasting.
Rijsttafel is a great way to try a lot of different Indonesian dishes. Rijsttafel is a great way to try a lot of different Indonesian dishes.
A Balinese dance was performed in the restaurant after our dinner. A Balinese dance was performed in the restaurant after our dinner.

Svaha Spa

The view from our flower bath overlooking a Balinese temple, pond and river in the distance. You’ll hear swans in the background.

Svaha Spa is an absolutele bliss! We experienced the tropical package for couples, where we were being massaged next to each other with a beautiful setting of tropical lush forest and sounds of a river flowing in the distance. When we arrived in the Spa lobby we were handed an healthy ginger shot and a nice cold towel to clean our face which was so refreshing after a long drive from our home in Canggu. We were then given a sample of all the different oil scents to choose, something we had not experienced in a spa before. There are eight options, from soft floral to black pepper. Dirkjan chose floral oil and Olivia has her favourite rose oil. We were then escorted to the spa area passing through a beautifully decorated pond with three swans hanging peacefully.

The session started with a cleansing and foot bath where our feet were filled with warm water mixed with flowers, sea salt, and lemon. Massages were done very professionally and both masseuses were very attentive to our wishes yet very friendly. Afterwards, we had a flower bath to ourselves, Olivia’s favourite overlooking the jungle’s tranquil views! During the flower bath, we were offered a refreshing rosella tea with some addictive ginger candies. Showering in the private facilities afterwards is such a pleasant experience as the amenities are complete including shampoos, conditioner, shower gel, and body lotion, all with a very Balinese scent.

Definitely check out Svaha Spa if you’re staying at Aksari during your Ubud honeymoon. We felt so revived afterwards. See all available options at the official website.

Pick the scent of your massage oil! Pick the scent of your massage oil!
Massage room with flower bath in the distance. Massage room with flower bath in the distance.
Olivia and Dirk enjoying the flower bath. Olivia and Dirk enjoying the flower bath.

Conclusion

If you are a couple on a honeymoon in Bali, we believe staying a couple of days at the Aksari is a great choice. The resort is beautiful, the staff very friendly, and there’s plenty to explore nearby, like the Tirta Empul temple and Tegalallang Rice Terraces. It is a little bit further away from Ubud than some other resorts, but this means you are staying in a calm and authentic region a bit further away from the crowds - and that is probably what you want for a honeymoon anyway!

Even if you book a room without private pool, the resort has plenty of large infinity pools to hang out, relax and enjoy. Even if you book a room without private pool, the resort has plenty of large infinity pools to hang out, relax and enjoy.
We enjoyed a late afternoon coffee break around the pool area with some delicious treats. We enjoyed a late afternoon coffee break around the pool area with some delicious treats.
Flower signs seem to be the Aksari's specialty! After our candlelight dinner, we discovered these letters floating in our pool. Flower signs seem to be the Aksari's specialty! After our candlelight dinner, we discovered these letters floating in our pool.

Written by Olivia & Dirk

Hi! We have put together this guide with a lot of care, based on our own experiences. As a couple, we have lived in Bali for the past 5 years, and we fell in love with the island. We have visited every corner of Bali, especially the romantic places ;-). While our articles do contain affiliate links, you can trust us to recommend only the experiences that we love.

Read more about us or let us help you organize your honeymoon for you!