I came from Canggu on the KURA-KURA shuttle. About 100,000 rupiah, two hours depending on traffic, drops you in the centre of Ubud. Easier than sorting a private driver.
Five nights. Long enough to slow down, which is the whole point of Ubud.
Where I stayed
The Wayan House. Traditional Balinese construction, pool in the garden, very quiet at night. The daily breakfast is the best thing about it. It's close to the Monkey Forest, which is useful.
The Monkey Forest
Go, but leave your sunglasses at the hostel and keep your phone in your pocket. The monkeys are completely used to tourists and they know exactly what to grab. One walked across my shoulders and went straight for my glasses. The person next to me lost their phone case. The official entrance is clearly signposted at the gate. Don't let anyone offer to walk you in.
Campuhan Ridge Walk
The highlight of the whole trip. Start just off Jalan Raya Campuhan, walk two kilometres along the ridge through the rice fields. Free, no entrance fee. I went at half six in the morning and there were barely ten other people on the path. By nine it would have been a completely different experience. Go early.
Yoga Barn
I'm not a yoga person but someone at the hostel said do it once, so I did. Hatha drop-in class, 100,000 rupiah. Open-air studio, overlooks a garden, genuinely quiet for an hour. I didn't convert. But I'd go again.
Eating
Naughty Nuri's for ribs and a margarita. It's a tourist place, it knows it's a tourist place, and the ribs are worth it. Warung Mek Juwel on the side streets for everything else. Better food, better prices, more locals.
Getting around
GoJek is reliable in Ubud. I tried to get to Uluwatu one evening for sunset and we sat in traffic for forty minutes before giving up. Some things just don't work out. Book rides earlier than you think you need to if you're trying to catch the light anywhere.
Safety
Ubud feels very safe to walk around. The one thing worth saying: don't walk back through unlit rice field paths late at night. There are enough of them around that it's easy to end up on one without planning to. Sort your GoJek before you leave wherever you're drinking.
Worth skipping
Kuta. If your flight lands late it's fine for a night, but as any kind of base for a solo trip it offers nothing. Loud, mediocre beach, entirely geared towards package tourists.