The Kayon Ubud Resort is a five-star boutique resort in the hills above the Petanu River, in the village of Kepitu, about five kilometres and ten minutes by car from the centre of Ubud. It is built for small weddings. The record lists a maximum of 30 guests, a wooden jetty over a waterfall as the main place to marry, and a thatched chapel among the rice fields as the second. Everything else, from the villas to the restaurant to the spa, sits on the same hillside, so a couple and their closest people can spend several days in one place without leaving it.
A resort named after the tree of life
Kayon is the Balinese word for the tree of life, and the shape of the tree comes back through the resort: in the architecture, in the pool and in the bathtubs. Scenes from the Ramayana run through the paintings and carvings, including a 50-metre stone relief of the love story of Rama and Shinta. The buildings are made of local stone, wood and bamboo and follow the contours of the valley rather than levelling it. The result is a place with a clear idea behind it, which matters at a wedding, because the setting does most of the decorating.
The resort is set up for couples. Its own rules do not admit children under fifteen, and they also list drones, durian and pets. That concept is stated plainly on the resort’s website, and it shapes who can come to a wedding here. We come back to it below, because it is the first thing to settle before a date is held.
Two places to marry
The Canyon Jetty is a wooden deck over the river, beside a waterfall and among stone cliffs, in the middle of the jungle. A ceremony here is set under a floral arch in white tones, with the sound of the water behind it. Three of the resort’s four wedding packages use the Canyon Jetty, and it is also where afternoon tea and some of the dinners are served, so the same deck can carry the ceremony, a toast and a table for dinner.
The Puspaka Chapel is the other option. It is a floating chapel joined to the rooftop yoga pavilion, with views over rice fields, jungle and the river, designed around an antique Balinese royal carriage and decorated with local flowers. It takes its name from the royal carriage in the Ramayana. The smallest package, the Elopement Gateway, is held here, with two white Tiffany chairs. Both places are led by an English-speaking celebrant.
One point is easy to miss. The celebrant’s ceremony is described as non-legal, and it comes with a ceremonial certificate. A couple who want to be legally married in Indonesia need to arrange that separately, and the resort is the first place to ask which route its past couples have used.
The packages, in rupiah
There are four wedding packages, all priced in Indonesian rupiah and marked nett. The record’s starting price is the Elopement Gateway Package at Rp 22,385,000 nett. It includes the English-speaking celebrant and a ceremonial certificate, a preparation room at the Lounge for up to four hours, a ring arch, two standing flower arrangements, a table centrepiece, two Balinese umbrellas, a flower-shower basket and two Tiffany chairs. It also includes the bridal bouquet and groom’s boutonniere, a sparkling wine toast, a one-tier cake, one six-course candlelight dinner with a bottle of wine, a sound system with a wireless microphone and a personal wedding assistant.
The Intimate Wedding Package moves to the Canyon Jetty. It is listed at Rp 51,425,000 nett, with Rp 45,000,000 nett also shown, so ask which figure applies. It adds an exclusive ceremony at the jetty, a ring arch, long white aisle flowers, two flower-shower baskets, a one-tier decorated cake, a bottle of sparkling wine, two nights in a River Edge Pool Villa, a 60-minute Traditional Balinese Massage, a one-time pick-up and a honeymoon room set-up with petals and a flower bath. Photography is not included.
The Enchanting Wedding Package is listed at Rp 58,685,000 nett, with Rp 52,000,000 nett also shown. It adds a U-shape arch, up to twelve white Tiffany chairs, glasses of wine for up to twelve, a one-hour canapé pass-around of four kinds, a two-tier cake, two Balinese flower girls in Balinese attire, live acoustic music during dinner and a 90-minute Exotic Bamboo Massage. The couple get return transport. Photography is again not included.
The Elegance Wedding Package is the largest: Rp 96,800,000 nett, with Rp 85,000,000 nett also shown. It seats up to thirty on white Tiffany chairs, with canapés for thirty (three hot, three cold, three sweet) and sparkling wine for thirty. It adds a three-tier cake, a choice of a U-shape or ring arch, reception decoration of table flowers, a welcome book table, tea lights and fairy lights or hanging lanterns, and live acoustic music, violin or a DJ during dinner. It is the only package with photography and video, for four hours from preparation through the dinner reception.
Two dates matter. These packages are for weddings between 1 January and 31 March 2027, booked up to 31 December 2026. Another figure, Rp 38,500,000 plus charges, appears for a wedding package on the resort’s home page, so the safest course is to ask for one written quote that names the package, the date, the ceremony place and whether the extras are nett.
Where guests stay
The resort has a small number of rooms, in four kinds. The Kayon Garden Suites are six suites in the two-storey North Wing, surrounded by jungle and gardens along the valley. The Kayon River Suites are twelve suites in the three-storey South Wing, on the river cliff. The River Edge Pool Villas are five luxury villas along the river edge, near a ravine and waterfalls, and each has a private pool. The Premier Pool Villa has a private infinity pool and refined living spaces, and the Royal Jacuzzi Pool Villa adds an outdoor jacuzzi and more privacy still.
The practical consequence is simple. With six garden suites, twelve river suites and five River Edge villas listed, plus the Premier and Royal villas, a party of thirty is likely to need most of the resort. Ask whether the resort can be reserved for the wedding, whether guests can be placed in suites and villas that suit couples and friends, and what the room rates are for the nights either side of the date. Room sizes and guest capacities for each room type are questions for the resort.
Eating and drinking
Kepitu at The Kayon is the main restaurant, set in the middle of the resort under a thatched roof with a 180-degree view over the pool and the jungle. It holds a Balinese culture dinner every Thursday, and a Megibung Balinese rijsttafel every Monday and Saturday, both from 7pm to 10pm. Those evenings are worth knowing about when you plan arrival dates, because a guest list that lands on one of them gets a Balinese table before the wedding dinner itself.
The packages use the places the resort already has. The six-course candlelight dinner is served using the existing decoration, and the resort’s own photographs show tables on the Canyon Jetty deck, afternoon tea on the jetty, breakfast at Kepitu and a candlelit table for two on the sky roof deck. Catering is in-house. Menus, a tasting and the policy on outside caterers are questions for the first conversation.
The spa, the pool and the yoga pavilion
Serayu Spa at The Kayon is a relaxation-focused spa on site, and it is the natural place for a morning-of treatment for the couple. The pool sits on a mound ten metres high in front of the restaurant, looking over rice fields and jungle. Morning yoga is held at the rooftop yoga pavilion, which is the same pavilion the Puspaka Chapel is joined to. The resort also offers packages for honeymoons, healing journeys and wellbeing stays, so couples who want to stay on after the wedding have choices.
The rules that shape a guest list
Children under fifteen, senior citizens and people with mobility issues are not permitted, along with drones, durian and pets. The reason given is the concept of the resort: romance, healing, relaxation and safety. For a wedding this matters in three ways. A couple with nieces, nephews or their own children cannot bring them. A couple with older relatives or guests who find steps and slopes difficult should ask the resort directly what it means in practice, because the site follows the valley. And a photographer who normally flies a drone needs to know before the contract is signed.
It is a firm position, and some couples will find it exactly right: a wedding of thirty adults in a place that has chosen to be quiet. Others will find it rules the place out. Better to know before the date is held than after.
Season, weather and photography
The packages are offered for January to March, which falls within the wet season in Bali. There is no rain plan to rely on yet, so ask what happens to a ceremony on the Canyon Jetty or in the chapel if it rains, whether there is covered space for the toast and dinner, and how the timing flexes. The jetty and the chapel are open to the weather, and the chapel is a floating pavilion, so the answer decides how the day is planned.
Photography is included only in the Elegance Wedding Package, for four hours. In the other packages the couple bring their own photographer, and the rules for outside suppliers are not known, so ask about arrival times, access to the jetty and the chapel, the preparation room and any fee. With drones not permitted, the aerial views in the resort’s own photographs are not something an outside photographer can repeat.
Who it suits
The Kayon suits a couple who want a wedding of up to thirty adults in a setting that does the work of decoration, who are happy to spend several days at the resort, and who like the idea of a ceremony beside a waterfall or in a floating chapel. It suits an elopement or a very small celebration particularly well, because the Elopement Gateway Package is written for exactly that.
It is a harder fit for a large family wedding, for a guest list with children or elderly relatives, for a couple who need a published capacity and a rain plan before they begin, or for anyone who wants a package with photography at the entry price. For those couples, the question is whether the resort will make an exception, and it is best answered in writing.
What to ask before a date is held
Ask for one written quote naming the package, the ceremony place, the date and the guest numbers, and ask which of the two prices listed for each package applies. Ask whether the resort can be taken in full for the wedding, and what the room rates are for the nights around it. Ask about the legal paperwork and which route past couples have used. Ask about a rain plan, the finish time of music and the arrangements for outside photographers, florists and musicians. Ask what the rules on children, older guests and mobility mean in practice, and whether any exceptions have been made.
Then ask for the quote in rupiah and the conversion on the day of booking, because every price is listed in Indonesian rupiah and the exchange rate will move between the first email and the final payment.
See more
The The Kayon Ubud Resort listing carries the full record, and the magazine issue shows the resort across eight pages. Its sister resorts have their own pieces: The Kayon Jungle Resort and The Kayon Valley Resort Ubud. For the wider picture of marrying on the island, read Marrying in Bali.
