Ubud is not close to the sea – you’d need to spend over an hour in a taxi to get to the coast and with temperatures still sitting consistently at 30degrees+ a pool is very welcome. Many hotels and guest houses do have pools, but if where you’re staying doesn’t, or you’re after a change of scene or a bit more going on, then here is our list of the best pools in Ubud you can access via a day pass – and all of these are family friendly and accept kids (there are several that are 18+ only!)!
TITI BATU
Adult: 187k RP (£9), including 75k RP (£3) food and beverage credit
Children: 134k RP (£6.50), including 50k RP (£2.50) food and beverage credit
Titi Batu is not just a pool for a day pass – it’s a full health club around 15 minutes from the very centre of Ubud. You can buy monthly, 3 monthly or even annual membership to access all their facilities including a gym, skate park, basketball, exercise classes, sauna, ice bath, co-working space and of course pools. There is a 25m lap pool and two kids pools surrounded by balinese beds and sun loungers. There’s a small bridge that can be jumped off into the kids pool (around 1m high) and the pool has a shallower area for small children to play, and a deeper section for more competent swimmers.
For the day pass option, pre-booking is not needed and the cost includes a towel and access to the pools only (or there is a pool + gym option). You do have to leave a credit card or ID card as a deposit for your towel as well. The food is delicious with a menu of 5 pages just for vegan and vegetarian options – the sunshine bowl was exquisite. There’s also sharing platters, cocktails, breakfasts, pizzas. Inevitably you of course spend more than you credit that the day pass gives you. Main meals are around 100k RP (£5), drinks around 50-60k RP for non-alcoholic ones, and 110k RP for cocktails. Kids meals a little less at around 70k RP (£3.50) but there is plenty of choice from indonesian to western food.
We visited on a Sunday which is very much recommended, as they have a Sunday funday between 11 and 3. There is a bouncy castle, ice cream station (35k RP/$1.50), crafts – we saw a tie die workshop which is extra ££ – and toys. The highlight of the day is their foam party which starts around 2.30pm for 30minutes of a LOT of foam being spewed into the kids pool. The kids have to wear yellow life jackets as a safety precaution as there really is a lot of bubbles.
The total cost for our day was around £50-£60 and we all had a great time. The only downside was that the pool water turned us all minion yellow when mixing with our P20 suncream! We can only assume this is due to the foam that must stay in the pool.
Pool fun: *****
Food and drink: *****
Value for money: ***
Trowberry rating: **** (dropped a star due to thin towels, yellow skin issue and very small changing rooms)
FOLK Gardens
Adults and Children: 50k RP (£2.50) for pool access and a towel.
Situated in the heart of Ubud, off one of the main streets, is a hidden gem of a pool at Folk Pool and Gardens. When you are inside, there is no traffic noise and it is a quiet peaceful setting, although the sound of children playing is very much welcome. The pool is a decent size, around 25m long but more for fun swimming than doing laps. There are stools and tables at either end IN the pool, including the swim up bar, and a couple of floating bean bags which the kids thoroughly enjoyed.
As well as entry to the pool, there is an option to purchase premium spots which means 150k (£6) for a sun lounger and 450k for a balinese bed for up to 4 people (this includes the 50k entrance). The Balinese bed is exceptional value for money as for the 450k you get pool access and towel, canapes for each person, fruit skewers for each person and a carafe of flavoured water (the sun lounger gets you just the water and fruit). We asked for vegetarian canapes and they were delicious – spring rolls, beetroot and feta on sourdough and a pakora-style snack.
Food is ok quality with main meals around 100-120k (£5-£6) but the kids meals really hit the spot with the chicken sliders coming as a plate of 3 + fries for 70k (£3.50). Whilst the pool is open 10am-10pm the beds and loungers can only be reserved for 4 hours at a time. Our total spend for the day was similar to Titi Batu for food, coffees and the balinese bed package coming in around 700k (£35).
There is also an outdoor cinema there for Tues and Fri evenings and other events are hosted in the gardens. There is moped parking off the road as well which is very handy given the location in the centre of town.
Pool fun: ****
Food and drink: ****
Value for money: ****
Trowberry rating: ****
Taroo paddy pool lounge
Adults: 50k RP (£2.50) including towel
Children: 25 RP (£1.25) including towel
5 and unders are free (but do not get a towel)
Set 4km south of the main Ubud strip, Taroo is a restaurant with pool next to a rice paddy. This place definitely has peace and tranquillity as it’s highlight with stunning views and white storks flying overhead. There are no beds or sun loungers here, but the bean bags with parasols offer somewhere to lounge and get shade, and there are tables and chairs as well if you prefer to eat at a proper table.
The food here is excellent with a very varied and very healthy menu – the kids enjoyed seeing macaroni cheese on there, a somewhat rare occurrence in Asia! There are also a full range of drinks and gelato ice cream lollies for 35k (<£2).
The pool has stools in for sitting and enjoying the views, and is surrounded by a garden with a small play area for small children – I would say our 5 and 8 year old were probably 2 big but enjoyed it for 5 minutes at the end of the day. This is definitely more off the tourist path and so we had the place to ourselves, or shared it with one other family on the day we were there. The only downside for us was that the pool was heated – why??!! I don’t mean bath temperature but it definitely didn’t offer that cool-down feeling you look for.
This place came in only marginally cheaper than Folk and Titi Batu, as the food was more expensive, but I would also say the best quality. Taroo also advertises live music and karaoke on Fri-Sun!
Pool fun: ****
Food and drink: *****
Value for money: *****
Trowberry rating: **** (due to the warm pool – why?!)
Kelupa Muda Pool and Gardens
Adults and children: FREE (no towel provided)
This is a real hidden gem of a pool, and the best thing about it is there is no ‘fee’ to get in. Just purchase something from the bar / restaurant and you can use the pool. There’s not even a minimum spend.
There are so many positives about this place; and the fact it was conveniently located 1km from our house was even better. There are two infinity pools with views across the rice paddies. The main pool has a swim up bar and a shallow section for smaller kids to play in, then a smaller circular kids pool next to it. On the other side of the garden is a kids pool with 2 small slides, which again looks over the rice fields so enjoy the views whilst the kids play. There’s an option to rent a towel but take your own and enjoy the beanbags around the pools (no loungers). There is a large restaurant as well if you prefer to sit down properly for a meal.
Food and drink is a little more expensive, but only marginally. Pizzas were around 100k, burgers the same, and indonesian food slightly cheaper, with juices, small beers and soft drinks being around 10% more than in other places we’ve been – but the pool is free! Our total spend was still 600k for 2 pizzas, 4 fries, several beers and juices.
There is also a large play area for the kids if you want them out the water for a bit, and a fish pond with some very large koi. The only warning we would issue is that if you leave after dark, as it is open until 10pm, the track to get here from the main road is pitch black. if you are taking a taxi then they will drop you off in the parking area (at the end of this track) and there is a shuttle buggy for the last 200m (or walk!).
Pool fun: ***** (the slides were a huge hit for our two)
Food and drink: ****
Value for money: *****
Trowberry rating: ****
GOOD DAY RESTO UBUD
We opted for another free entry pool one Sunday, and this was quite different to the others we had visited. Firstly, we were the only western family there but it was busy with a lot of local families enjoying themselves. Sundays seem to be a day of rest for families here and it was really lovely seeing so many of them together enjoying the pool!
The pool is large, although was not as relaxing for us parents as there is an island in the middle so we kept losing sight of the kids from our sunlounger. However, there are 3 different depths, knee deep, waist deep and then next deep and each area is large for kids to play in the shallow sections without falling off into a deeper bit. The only down side of the pool was we didn’t think it was as clean as some of the others we have been to.
There are around 10 days beds, and then a few loungers and we grabbed one straight away at 11 when we arrived but there was a waiting list when we left. There is also a small park for kids, but probably for under 5s rather than older kids.
Initially we thought we were onto a winner as the food and drink looked cheaper on the menu, but the drinks were expensive (fruit juice and milkshakes that is), and we racked up a 800k bill (£40) putting it up there as one of the most expensive pool days (tax and service of 16% wasn’t on the menu price as it often is). However, you can go and use the pool and just have a coffee – there’s no minimum spend!
Location-wise this place is out of Ubud a little and if going by taxi you’ll get dropped off and a shuttle will take you to pool. If going by moped you’ve got a few narrow paths to navigate (and potentially a steep hill too).
Pool fun: ***
Food and drink: ***
Value for money: ***
Trowberry rating: ***
