Artful lodger: Capella group opens an Ubud resort designed by Bill Bensley

Among Bali-philes, Ubud has long been a by-word for lush thickets of emerald jungle, reclusive artists and an indelible sense of exotic escapism. Though the main Ubud drag is, these days, choked with traffic and unbridled urban development, the interiors still evoke a halcyon nostalgia, a quality exploited in spades by the Capella.
Comprising 22 one-bedroom tents and a two-bedroom lodge in Keliki Village, the resort is the work of the prolific Bill Bensley, the Bangkok- and Bali-based architect taking care not to disturb any extant trees in the building forest and letting the setting of rainforest, paddy fields and the tumbling Wos River dominate the tableau. The creature comforts though are thoroughly Millennial amid a moodboard of timber floorboards, copper bathtubs, outdoor deck showers, and carved folding doors.
Each tent features saltwater Jacuzzi pools, while public facilities include a 30m pool, jungle boot-camps, and a spa menu that includes sound healing and medicinal culinary treats.
100: the number of man-hours it took to make each of the hand-hammered copper bathtubs that feature in the Capella Ubud’s tented retreats
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Jalan Raya Dalem Desa Keliki
Kecamatan Tegalalang
Ubud
Bali
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
Mercedes streamlines the CLA Shooting Brake to create an aerodynamic electric load lugger
The new CLA Shooting Brake is the first ever electric estate car from Mercedes-Benz, a tour-de-force of quiet technology and elegant lines
-
Willy Chavarria: ‘We’re still so stuck in fashion‘s old guard’
As part of the August 2025 ‘Made in America’ issue of Wallpaper*, we invited three creative powerhouses to comment on the state of the States. Here, award-winning American fashion designer Willy Chavarria speaks on creative resilience, uniting with activist groups, and shaking up fashion’s old guard
-
Six Indian artists reframe the ladies compartment of a Mumbai local train
An exhibition by Method (India) at Galerie Melike Bilir in Hamburg explores a gendered space
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
-
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland
-
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia
-
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
-
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
-
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China
-
Casa Santa Teresa — Corsica, France
-
Swedish studio Claesson Koivisto Rune designs K5, a new hotel in Tokyo
Step inside Claesson Koivisto Rune’s design as a 1920s bank turns hotel