Dear all, thank you for your fantastic input and advice as always. Wanted to share a trip report on our stay at Como Shambhala Estate:
To give you the headline, we loved Como Shambhala Estate and cannot wait to be back.
Grounds: stunning. It took me a while to appreciate the full beauty of the multi-layered estate, which lacks a prominent central area (compared to say Amanpuri or Amanusa). After a day or 2, I began to familiarize myself with the sprawling grounds and loved seeing the resort from so many different angles. There is endless magic to this location, from fresh water rock pools to small waterfalls to terraced grounds reminiscent of rice terraces, not to speak of the elegant residences. At night you hear frogs, cicadas, birds and running water. It was very therapeutic. Note: I do not recommend Como Shambhala for people who would have difficulty going up and down many stairs. It did not seem to be a very disability-friendly resort.
Service: the warmest, friendliest service everywhere we went. The smiles we received, the enquiries into how our breakfast / dinner / day was going, knowing and addressing us by name wherever we went, willingness to stay and chat were all examples of warm service second to none. There are many places with smiling staff but here the smiles seemed to come from the heart, and when we said thank you and staff replied "my pleasure," it felt like they truly meant it. Service was not prescient per se but I loved it just as it was. All guests are assigned a personal assistant (like a butler), who is a nice contact point for all bookings and needs. Our personal assistant was lovely and I enjoyed chatting with him, although he seemed a tad stretched at times.
Rooms: we stayed in a terrace suite. The assigned room in Bayugita we didn't love. We ended up moving to Tirta Enning and loved the near 360 degree windows and the beautiful infinity pool (albeit with water too cold to swim in - in fact it felt too cold to swim in any pool for most of the 3 days we were there). Having taken a quick peek at most of the residences I think they'd all be lovely (Bayugita would be very nice in the Como Shambhala suite category I'd imagine, as they have exclusive use of the living room area that's communal in other residences). We just loved seeing jungle all around us from our room. The bathroom was magical - it probably had a 16' ceiling and a 10' bathtub.
Massages: We're not picky about massages. They were very relaxing and done in gorgeous rooms with lush enclosed outdoor gardens where you can take a shower after. I enjoyed them very much. I think I enjoyed the shower in the jungle-y gardens almost as much as the massages. We enjoyed the massages as part of the Discover Daily rate.
Activities: We loved that various activities were included in our Discover Daily rate. Morning estate walks, Balinese craft making, yoga classes group and private ... these were lots of fun. On a Wellness Program, even more activities are included and they looked great. The guides were very friendly and exuded great energy for the work they did. The activities were definitely a highlight of the stay. I felt like I was getting great exercise during my stay while relaxing and enjoying myself thoroughly. Next time we might combine a Wellness Program with a few nights of Discover Daily rate to have a balance between relaxing and being active. After visiting Amandari briefly, it struck us as a great deal to stay at Como Shambhala and have so many activities included, as compared to paying for each separately (recognizing it's not a fair comparison not having stayed at Amandari).
Food: The fresh fruit and vegetable smoothies were my favorite part. Delicious! We tried a different juice at almost every meal. The food was tasty and also felt good for you, for the most part without being too Puritan (Como Shambhala is a wellness retreat after all). Breakfast was fantastic. I loved the Wagyu beef sirloin I ordered one night. Not the best food I'd had at a resort, but it was quite good and varied.
The downsides: not disability friendly or for the infirm of knee, as previously mentioned. The estate seems cooler than other parts of Ubud - it felt much warmer and more swimmable at Amandari than Como Shambhala. The Ubud chauffeured tour was not as informative as I'd hoped, as the guide did not speak great English and we don't speak Bahasa or Balinese ... They serviced our room twice a day as at a normal hotel, not every time we ventured out, in case that matters. Whitewater rafting takes place in the Ayung river right along the estate, so you hear rafters hollering as they go by during the day. They are probably quite loud at the residences closer to the Ayung. Not quite a downside, but I think they could have live gamelan music every evening.