#5 in Top 20 Hotels in Bali · ★★★★★
Capella Ubud, Bali
Bill Bensley-designed explorer-tent suites, wellness as theatrical retreat.
Bill Bensley-designed explorer-tent suites, wellness as theatrical retreat.
"Bill Bensley's all-tent Ubud property, one of Asia's most design-led jungle retreats."
Why this rank: Capella Ubud opened in 2018 in the Ubud rainforest at Keliki, designed by Bill Bensley as a tented camp drawn from the 19th-century European explorer tradition. 23 tents, mostly one-bedroom plus a two-bedroom lodge, each themed around an explorer-era profession and fitted with a copper bath and private plunge pool. Auriga Wellness runs the spa, scheduling treatments against the lunar cycle. Dining splits between Api Jiwa, the open-fire Asian barbecue counter, and Mads Lange, the tented room serving Indonesian rijsttafel. The Bensley design is the property's difference from the more traditionally Balinese Mandapa or Como Shambhala. Best for the design-led Bali stay where the tented architecture is the point.
Best room: a one-bedroom themed tent for the design; the two-bedroom lodge for groups
"Bill Bensley-designed explorer-tent suites, wellness as theatrical retreat."
Capella Ubud is the most theatrical resort on this list. Bill Bensley, the Bangkok-based designer behind the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, built it as a 19th-century explorer's camp in the Bali jungle. 23 tents, mostly one-bedroom plus a two-bedroom lodge, each themed around an explorer-era profession, with a freestanding copper bath, a private plunge pool and full air-conditioning under the canvas. Auriga Wellness runs Indonesian treatment programmes scheduled against the lunar cycle, and sound healing with a Balinese practitioner is the signature session. Api Jiwa is the open-fire Asian barbecue counter; Mads Lange serves Indonesian rijsttafel in a tented dining room. The result is the most imaginatively designed setting on the island, which is exactly why it places ahead of more conventional Ubud pavilions.
Any one-bedroom themed tent for the full design experience; the two-bedroom lodge if you are travelling as a small group.
Book the Auriga Wellness lunar consultation on arrival so the rest of the trip's treatments align with the moon cycle, and reserve the sound-healing session for your second night, once you have settled in.
Capella Ubud sits at #5 on our Top 20 Hotels in Bali list, scoring an aggregate 9.7/10 across our three editorial criteria. It is the design-led pick rather than the most classically Balinese; for that, the Ubud pavilion resorts ranked alongside it may suit better. For the alternatives nearby see Keliki and central Ubud, and for other destinations see the related lists below.
If you have already chosen the dates, our editor recommends booking the room twelve weeks ahead. The best suites with the right view orientation go first, and inventory for the popular months is quoted in months, not weeks. Suites with a private plunge pool or terrace, the very rooms behind this rank, usually vanish first.
Editorial · #5 on the Top 20 Hotels in Bali 2026 list
Capella Ubud's case for the Bali stay is the Bensley-designed tented architecture. Bill Bensley built the property as an explorer's camp in the Ubud rainforest at Keliki; its 23 tents are mostly one-bedroom, plus a two-bedroom lodge, each themed around an explorer-era profession and fitted with a copper bath and private plunge pool.
Auriga Wellness runs the spa, with treatments scheduled against the lunar cycle and a sound-healing session as the signature programme.
Dining splits between Api Jiwa, the open-fire Asian barbecue counter, and Mads Lange, the tented room serving Indonesian rijsttafel. The Bensley design is the property's difference from the more traditionally Balinese Mandapa or Como Shambhala, a different sensory register that some guests prefer to pavilion resorts. Keliki is about 20 minutes from central Ubud and an hour from the airport, so it rewards staying put. Best for the design-led Bali stay where the tented architecture is the point.
Off peak pricing, suite upgrades, and subscriber only offers, flagged only when the value is real.