Parq Ubud apartments: who books in Ubud, and what that does to an owner’s return
Parq’s apartments in Ubud were sold in 2024 as a managed short-let product in Bali’s cultural centre, at a lower ticket than a villa. The case rests on the Ubud guest, who comes for retreats, yoga and remote work and stays for weeks where a beach tourist stays two or three nights.
Why Ubud and not the coast?
Ubud is the cultural and, as people like to say, spiritual heart of Bali. It draws travellers who are looking for nature, yoga and authenticity, which is a different trip from a beach holiday.
The demand here is wellness tourism and slow travel: rice terraces, jungle, retreats. That produces rental demand that is steadier and less seasonal than in locations that live purely off the beach.
I would not call Ubud better or worse than the coast for an investor. It is different: less competition among new complexes, a longer average stay and demand that depends less on beach fashion.
Talk to a licensed broker: WhatsApp +971 50 120 32 64 · Telegram
For anyone spreading money across the island, that makes it a strong alternative to the coast.
What was Parq selling in Ubud?
When I reviewed the project in April 2024, Parq was offering apartments built for letting in this location: a ready rental product that comes with management attached.
Three things define the format. The ticket is smaller than for a villa, so the entry is more accessible. The unit is designed to be let from the start. And professional management is there to make the income passive.
Short-term letting in Bali has traditionally produced a high gross yield, particularly in sought-after locations such as Ubud. The result still hangs on occupancy, on the quality of the management and on how well the property is marketed.
Who is the Ubud guest?
A different person from the guest in the beach districts of Canggu and Seminyak. People come to Ubud for retreats, yoga, nature and quiet remote work, so they stay longer: weeks, where a beach tourist stays two or three nights.
For an apartment owner that means lower guest turnover, lower cleaning and check-in costs per night, and occupancy that runs more evenly through the year.
The guest also sets the product. A stable internet connection, places to work, silence, greenery outside the window and yoga studios nearby are valued above a rooftop pool.
Apartments that meet those expectations collect the best reviews, and a rating on the booking platforms converts directly into occupancy and nightly rate. A complex rated below its competitors loses bookings even in a strong location.
How do you judge a location inside Ubud?
On four points: distance from the centre, the surroundings, the road to the property and what is nearby. Too close to the centre means noise and traffic; too far, and a guest without a scooter finds it inconvenient.
The best zone is a short ride from the centre. Around the building, a view of jungle or rice terraces earns a premium on the rate, while a construction site behind the fence is a risk to the reviews for years.
The road is the practical factor most often ignored. How passable it is in the rainy season rarely occurs to a buyer who views the property in the dry season.
Cafes, co-working spaces and studios within reach are part of the product here and not a backdrop to it.
What stands between the gross yield and the owner’s income?
A long list of deductions. The management company’s commission for nightly letting, cleaning and consumables, utilities, upkeep of the complex’s common areas and tax on a foreign owner’s rental income all come off the gross figure.
Add the wear on furniture in a humid climate and the unavoidable empty nights between bookings. The gross yield in a presentation and the net result for the owner are different quantities.
The conservative way to model it is to take a full year at realistic occupancy, low season included, and check whether the return is still attractive after every deduction.
If the project remains interesting in the pessimistic scenario, that is a good sign.
Leasehold in practice: what to fix in the contract
A foreign buyer in Bali generally holds an apartment as a long-term leasehold. Four parameters set the value of that asset, and all four belong in the contract.
They are the term of the lease and the conditions for extending it, with the mechanics and the price benchmarks agreed in advance; the right to resell the leasehold freely to a third party; the right to sublet; and what happens to the property when the term ends.
Normally the right of use returns to the landowner if no extension has been agreed. That is why the extension mechanism is the most important clause in the document.
The shorter the remaining term, the cheaper the asset on resale, so the lease length has to be part of the exit plan. The contract should be checked by an independent lawyer and not by the developer’s.
How the purchase runs, stage by stage
It starts with checks on the land and the developer: the status of the plot, the building permits and the record of completed projects. Then come the reservation and the contract, which fix the price, the payment schedule and the penalty terms.
The leasehold is then formalised before a notary, with correct wording on extension and resale. At handover, accept the unit against a written list of defects with deadlines for putting them right.
The last stage is the rental launch: a contract with the management company, photography and listings.
Settle the owner’s own nights at that point. Management contracts normally allow them, but in high season the companies restrict personal use so as not to lose the best dates.
Which mistakes do investors make in Ubud?
The most common is overestimating occupancy by looking at the peak months. The second is buying without regard to the guest: a beach product placed in Ubud, where the logic of the stay is different.
The third is saving on a lawyer when the leasehold is drawn up. The fourth is choosing a management company by its presentation and not by the actual reports from properties it already runs. Ask for the current ratings of those properties as well.
A separate mistake is ignoring competition. In 2024 new complexes were being built nearby, and a unit without a strong view and a thought-through product is the first to lose occupancy as supply grows.
Discipline at entry is the best protection the yield has.
Frequently asked
Is Ubud a better investment than Bali’s beach districts?
Neither better nor worse; it is different. There is less competition among new complexes, guests stay longer on average, and demand depends less on beach fashion, which makes Ubud a strong way to diversify within Bali.
Can an owner stay in the apartment?
As a rule, yes: management contracts provide for owner nights. Check the limits in advance, because in high season management companies restrict personal use to keep the best dates for paying guests.
What happens to the apartment when the leasehold ends?
The contract decides. Usually the right of use returns to the landowner if an extension has not been agreed, which is why the extension mechanism is the most important clause.
How much does the rating on booking platforms matter?
It is critical. A complex rated below its competitors loses occupancy even in a strong location, so ask the management company for the current scores of the properties it already operates.
✍️ Message me on WhatsApp for a free consultation — off-market stock, payment plans and honest numbers on any of the projects covered here.
✅ Subscribe on YouTube — investment, property, business and relocation in the UAE and beyond.
In the news
The same subject in writing — analysis and news related to this video.
Four deals with the full numbers: what Dubai property actually returned
Talk about Dubai yields is usually percentages without a denominator. Four transactions with every figure named, including costs — and one caveat that governs all of them.
A plot for $34m: how to think about the return on land in Dubai
A 2 277 m² plot on Jumeirah Bay sold for $34m; the previous owner had bought it at $9.9m — a 242% gain. Land behaves differently from an apartment, in four specific ways.
Why the payment schedule matters more than the price: 40% against 80% halves the return
Attention goes to renders, location and the headline price. For an investor a different line comes first — and the arithmetic on it is unforgiving.
What an apartment on Palm Jumeirah returns: studio 7.1%, one-bedroom 5.8%
Palm Jumeirah is the showcase of Dubai letting, and its numbers get quoted most often. Here is the calculation on two unit types with every cost deducted.
How to actually calculate the return on a Dubai apartment, with every cost included
Gross yield, net yield, cap rate and return on equity are four different numbers and get confused constantly. A worked structure that turns an advertised 9% into the figure your account will show.
Real Returns on Dubai Joint Venture Land Deals: Why Investors Earn More Than the Headline ROI
Working through real numbers: how JV land development economics actually work, and why an investor’s effective yield ends up higher than a return calculated at face value.