UBUD among Travelers’ Choice 2011 TOP 25 DESTINATIONS IN ASIA

The enchantingly tranquil town of Ubud has been chosen as one of the Top 25 Destinations in Asia in the TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards 2011. Ubud placed 17^th in the list, outranked Seoul in South Korea, Varanasi in India, Hoi Nam in Vietnam, Taipei in Taiwan, Baguio in the Philippines, Lijiang in China, and Pattaya in Thailand.

This year, 676 establishments were recognized in the ninth year of the competition. TripAdvisor used information submitted from 20 million reviewers to dish out the awards, which are presented in the form of top 10 and top 25 lists. Award categories include 'Best Romance,' 'Best Luxury' and 'Best Bargain,' which are first organized by the top hotels in the world and then further whittled down by region. The winners are determined by a combination of the highest Traveler Ratings and the TripAdvisor Popularity Index, a measurement of overall traveler satisfaction.

The village cluster of Ubud is the ideal place to try a famed Balinese massage and soak up the ambiance of one of Asia’s top spa destinations, cites TripAdvisor.  Acupressure, reflexology, stretching and aromatherapy are the best features of the island's distinctively firm massage treatments. Ubud is also the vivacious center of Bali’s arts scene, home to a small treasure trove of museums and galleries.

Situated 20 miles northeast of Bali’s airport, the relatively off-the-beaten-path town is surrounded by rice fields and small villages. A gentle destination, far from the mayhem of the coast, Ubud is actually a cluster of separate villages. In this quiet town, you can visit the temples and villages that have remained relatively unchanged through the years.

Ubud is also a perfect representation of harmony between human civilizations and nature. Located within the vicinity of the town, the Ubud Monkey forest is a natural reserve run by the village of Padangtegal that houses approximately 340 long-tailed Macaques monkey.

Ubud is also where famed Elizabeth Gilbert found peace and her love as written in her bestselling novel “ Eat, Pray, Love”, which had been interpreted  into a film featuring  popular actress , Julia Roberts.

Meanwhile, among TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice 2011, the Samaya Bali Villas at Seminyak was one of Travelers’ Top 25 Choice Hotels in the World for its “Fantastic Service + Fantastic Villa=Great Stay”. 

Additionally, the Gili Trawangan in Lombok, came in 7^th among Asia’s Top 10 Beaches.  “Gili Trawangan is the sort of island you fall in love with at first sight”.

To observe the magnificent images of the cremation ceremony in Ubud, you can visit our photo essay:  Pelebon of the 9th Raja of Puri Agung Peliatan

Source:  www.tripadvisor.com

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