Wapa di Ume

There’s a strange sort of bright light darting in and out of the rice fields. It’s as if someone has a particularly strong laser pointer and is waving it around mindlessly. Like a sparkler without the sparks.

It’s not a laser, it’s a firefly…and now there are more of them.

We’re sitting on the deck outside our room at Wapa di Ume, sipping at a gin and tonic, letting the warm air brush across us, listening to the sounds of the gamelan drifting through the valley, and watching the Full Moon rise. It’s magical.

The Rooms

We chose a Lanai Rice Terrace room, with a deck that reached out into the rice paddy.

Our room was quiet, with the only noise at night being the bugs and the frogs, with the mornings heralded by the neighbourhood roosters.

When I booked our stay, I advised the resort that we were celebrating our 20^th wedding anniversary, but even so, we were blown away to see the frangipani heart that had been left on our canopied bed, and the drawn bath filled with more of the flowers.

Cheesey, yes, but still very awwwwwww…..

As an aside, obviously I’m getting old, because after I’d finished saying “awwwwww” my next response was ‘well, now what do we do with them? Someone has to fish these out of the bath…’

Romantic, yes, but practical, no….but then, I’ll take romance over practical any day of the week.

The Food

We had plans for ducking into Ubud for meals- the resort has a shuttle that runs hourly into town- but I was too tempted by the Bebek Goreng (deep-fried marinated duck served with rice, sambal and a coconut and vegetable salad), and hubby was too relaxed to be faffed with the five minute trip when evening came.

Breakfasts were simply sublime.

I opted for nasi goring each morning (nothing like getting some chilli into your tum that early) and hubby chose the more traditional options.

The Pool

Happiness is an empty pool- and a resort where people don’t leave their towels on the best deckchairs to reserve them hours before they intend using them (family at the Padma- I’m looking at you!).

I wallowed (and yes, the term is appropriate) under the waterfall for ages…

The Service

This is a small resort- just 18 rooms, I think- but still it’s nice to be greeted by name by hotel staff.

Those who don’t know you, soon introduce themselves.

What to do?

We had things planned in Ubud (that’s a whole other post), but this is really a place for chilling out.

Sure there’s a spa and the pool, there’s also yoga classes and guided walks through the fields and into town, but there’s also a myriad of paths that run through the rice paddies.

As we sipped our drinks on the deck, I suggested that maybe we should saunter down one the next morning. Hubby sighed deeply, watched the fireflies some more and declared that it’s all just green and we can see that from here.

He had a point.

Note: This resort was formerly known as Waka Di Ume…some travel brochures (and older versions of the Lonely Planet Guide) still make reference to this name.