Things were going smoothly for us in Bali. We loved the chill vibe of Canggu, and were excited to continue our Bali adventure in Ubud, the second stop on our itinerary.

We arrived in Ubud, checked into our hotel, and started making plans for our four days there. We walked casually around the Ubud Market, strolled past the Ubud Palace, and ducked into Watercress Restaurant to avoid a mid-afternoon downpour. It was a lovely start.

Later that same day, we took advantage of the abundance of spas in Ubud, and relaxed with 60 minute foot massages that set us back a ridiculous $5 each (love you, Bali!) before setting off for some happy hour cocktails and an early dinner at Spice.

We were excited for the next day’s snorkeling tour around Padang Bai and we happily discussed over dinner how to spend the rest of our weekend.

On our short walk home, we walked single file along the narrow street, scooting around the parked motorbikes and dodging the seemingly endless flow of traffic. Above the din, I heard a noise behind me, and thought that a bike or scooter had fallen over. I turned and looked, only to see Julie splayed out on the roadside behind me. Because of the darkness, and the heavy rain earlier in the day, Julie stepped in what she thought was a small puddle. Luck being what it is, the small puddle was actually about a foot deep, so she tumbled, badly spraining her ankle and scraping her other leg in the process.

We hobbled together slowly back to the hotel, and just like that, our time in Ubud was radically altered. Snorkeling tour cancelled. No treks to the rice patties. No walking at all, in fact, which isn’t the easiest thing to avoid in a place like Ubud, where many of the best things to do involve just that.

Staying at the Ayung Resort Ubud Instead

You may have heard about the concept of “throwing money at a problem.” It is not a tactic we use very often and we pride ourselves at being well-prepared to avoid such scenarios. I know we don’t want to get to a point in our adventures that at every little misstep we blindly throw money at an issue to get it resolved.

But hey, sometimes sh*t happens. We are fortunate enough to be able to throw money at a problem from time to time, and this, my friends, was one of those times.

While Julie was distracted rehashing the story with her family on Skype, I booked us a night at a luxury resort outside of Ubud, in the dense jungle. I splurged on a villa in a beautiful, remote setting. There were buggies (golf carts) to drive us around the property (no walking for Julie!) and our own private pool, so relief from the heat was a few steps away.

I let Julie in on my secret plan, and arranged for a taxi to take us to the Ayung Resort Ubud. Our driver dropped us off at the lobby, which was packed with towering marble statues. After relaxing with some fresh juice provided at reception, a buggy drove us down the stone paths from reception to our very own villa, snug on a hill in the jungle, the sounds of the roaring river below and the birds above. The villa itself was massive, with marble floors and intricate wood carvings covering every surface – walls, ceiling, furniture.

We joked that the only downside was that the villa at the Ayung Resort Ubud was so large that Julie had to walk quite a distance to go to the bathroom down the hallway.

Our afternoon of swimming and lounging was interrupted when one of the staff members arrived to bring us a bottle of champagne, afternoon snacks and even two chocolate truffles in the shape of dogs to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Dog (all part of the very last minute package I booked online that morning).

We spent the rest of the day in the villa, leaving only to take a buggy back up to the resort’s main building for afternoon tea. The scones didn’t quite rival our favorites in London, but they were awfully close and the view was epic.

The next morning, we took a buggy up to the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast. I ordered a bowl of pork soup recommended by the server, along with the Indonesian classic, nasi goreng. We added on tea, coffee, fresh fruit juice, and a tropical fruit platter. The restaurant was at one of the highest points on the property, and we were surrounded with beautiful views of the Bali countryside, or ‘jungleside’ if you will.

All around the property are extensive carvings and sculptures, done by local artisans. There is a small deer park with adorable local deer. White water rafting is a popular activity in Ubud, and we could see numerous groups floating down the river below, screaming at every little bump and drop. You can walk down a steep footpath to get a better view of the rafting action, which I did, though Julie thought it best to stay by the pool.

Yet Another Change of Plans

After our incredibly spontaneous and luxurious 24 hours in splendour at the Ayung Resort Ubud, we were waiting for the shuttle back to Ubud and the unthinkable happened: while gingerly getting out of a buggy, Julie rolled her ankle. Again. Her day of rest and healing was unraveled in one misstep. Her pain returned, the ankled swelled a bit more, and Julie was feeling helpless.

We made it back to our original hotel in Ubud center by late afternoon. Julie began icing her ankle, laying in bed so she could elevate her foot. We began talking about what to do with our last full day in Ubud. Her ankle was still painful, so even the idea of a private tour, which would inevitably involve some walking – around rice paddies, through temples -didn’t seem worth it.

At that moment, we got a text message from our friends from London who were on holiday in Bali at the same time as us. We had learned of this incredible coincidence a few weeks prior, and we were planning on spending our last night in Bali down in Seminyak, at a resort next door to theirs.

The text said, “Hey, we are having drinks at your resort. It’s beautiful. Looking forward to seeing you guys in a few days!”

Julie and I quickly looked at each other, a new plan forming in our minds. Before we could talk ourselves out of it, we booked an extra night at our final resort in Seminyak and checked out of our Ubud hotel the next morning. Julie could barely do anything, and our dear friends were sipping cocktails on the beach without us. Why wait a day to see them?

On our journey out of town, Ubud fading in the distance, we reflected that we had been more agile and quick to solve problems in the past few days than probably ever before. We joked that throwing money at the situation (if you’re counting, that’s 2 extra hotel nights we weren’t planning, plus the original hotel in Ubud that we had already paid for) was actually the real luxury in the scenario. We’re not keen to replicate those circumstances anytime soon, but it’s nice to know our problem-solving skills and a little cash really made a sad and painful situation a little less sad and painful.

A few hours later we relaxed poolside, ankle iced and elevated, with our friends in Seminyak and our inevitable return trip to Ubud not far from our minds.