Villa Kunang Kunang, Nov 2014

We stayed at the traditional rice barn for 5 days there. We booked through Natan Villa Services. The stay included breakfast and return transfers to/from airport/Villa. 

It started with my wife & myself.  Then she wanted her eldest sister to join her & later they wanted their younger sister to join them.  So, it became 4 of us in total. 

The villa is located in Jalan Raya Andong.  There are 3 villas in total.  Ours is a 2 storey floor, the top has 2 twin beds and a big king size bed on the lower floor. It was an open concept as there were no doors but its not a problem for us. Its very big. There was one large bathroom with a lovely tub. The property was taken care by 3 beautiful people. 2 Mades (their name), manager and driver and a lady (to this date, we do not know how to pronounce her name). The property is about 10 mins drive to/from Ubud Market and 30 mins walk. But if you are too tired to walk back, just call them and they will pick you anytime of the day.

Every time when we leave or returned to the villa, the staff woulc sound 4 times the gong, a mark of their guests leaving or entering.  Really make us feltl like the royal family leaving our palace.

Every morning we woke up to a beautiful breakfast without fail. The open air balcony has a pond below it. My elder sister-in-law was so in love with fishes. Every time we sat there for breakfast the fishes would crowd around waiting patiently for us to feed them. There were quite a few of them but she recognised them individually to even gave them names. We did not see the fireflies as it was dry season but the view from the pond was still just so beautiful.

Service was impeccable. We always came back to a cleaned place. We really enjoyed our stay there.

 

Brown Feather Hotel, Batu Belig, Aug 2014

Located in the Seminyak/Kerobokan area, this is a boutique hotel.  It has a lobby, kitchen, a small garden with seating area and a swimming pool.  It is a two storey with 16 rooms with uniquely vintage & rustic ambiance.

We booked the Magena suite.  It is a 33 sq. m room with garden and pool view.  The suite was really spacious & clean.  Our suite is located at the end of the building facing a padi field so its very quiet.  The bathroom is also very spacious.  It has a unique bathtub made of copper but unfortunately the most uncomfortable.  The tap should be changed as we had difficulty in using it.  

The staff were extremely friendly.  Upon our arrival, check-in was very smooth. 

The whole place was actually manned solely by a lady.  She sweeps, cleans and also serve breakfast, with the help of other staff around.  Its always made our day seeing a pleasant smile at the start of our day although breakfast is limited.  Its either fried rice or eggs with sausage & egg.

The Hotel is walking distance to Pettitenget area where you can find great local warungs, great cafes to trendy restaurants.

Overall, the hotel offers good value for your money.  Really nice place to stay.

The Studio, Jln. Kunti, May 2014

This is a very nice budget private villa.  It is located along Jln. Kunti II in Seminyak.

The check-in was fast. We've been told that they provided transport to any destination within Seminyak at anytime, and they did. But it was nicer to have a walk out of the hotel and see the padi fields and the surrounding environment. They are good restaurants around.  But try not to go back to the villa too late.  If you do, take a taxi as the area is quite dark.

From reading through the Trip Advisor reviews, we booked villa room no. 206. Very clean, comfortable and quiet. The villa itself was very big.  There was the bedroom, separated from the living and dining room by a sliding door & also a kitchenette.  There are two balconies you can relax.  One located on the front of the villa overlooking a padi field & has gorgeous view.  The other balcony at the back overlooking a small river.  

The bed was really comfortable & the ceiling was very high with a slim ceiling fan hanging over it.  The villa is airconditioned too.  Since we only came back at the end of the day, the room was always cleaned and tidy.

The only thing I would like to see an improvement on the buffet breakfast. The portions served at the buffet for 2 or 3 people instead for the hotel guests there.


Overall, very pleasant stay.

 

 

Umadasa, Jl. Double Six, Mar 2014

Its not a hotel but a house. It is really a room in a house! It is located at Jl. Double Six, next to Tune Hotel in Legian.  If you are a newbie to Bali, actually a good place to stay (only for singles or couple but not for family with children) as it is nearby the famous Double Six Beach and a short stroll away from shops, good eating local warungs & restaurants. 

We arrived around 7 pm & there was a lady waiting for us at the door.  She asked for copy of our passports & disappear for awhile.  I believed she went to photocopy our passports.  There is no reception area so I guess that's why. There are 5 rooms in the bungalow house.  4 standard rooms & a family room on the upper floor.  The rooms are tightly packed that I can actually heard the neighbours talking especially at night. The first night we came, there was a power failure.  It was in total darkness.  Only when we asked the staff the following day did they mentioned there's actually a power failure & the bungalow does not have a generator. Also there was no telephone for you to contact the staff as they only worked there during the day.

The standard room comes with bed just enough space for a TV & a small fridge.  Our room was facing the swimming pool so there's not much privacy & its noisy if there were people using the pool.  The bathroom was small, very small. The tap water was always cold and everytime we called the staff, they will say it will take a few minutes but I noticed the water only gets warm if we called out to the staff, if not it will stay cold forever.

There was the daily menu for breakfast.  Its either eggs with sausage & fruits or pancakes & fruits with coffee or tea.  The dining table where we have the breakfast wast located just outside the bedroom, so you will have all the tenants/guests sitting at this area in the morning & its really very tight.  Its great if you have friendly tenants but if its otherwise, its just a bad start for the day.

As we are out all the time out during our stay, we always come back to a cleaned room.  We booked for drop off to the airport & the driver was way late on our day of departure.  No phone to call or make enquiry as it was a house the staff were all gone by 5pm. When the driver came, he did not even apologised but went straight to our room to check if everything was "intact".

The Haven, Seminyak, Dec 2-013

The hotel is perfectly located in Seminyak area, walking distance to good eatery & shopping areas.   

We arrived around 2:15 pm but was told to come back at 3pm. Instead of telling us that our room was not ready, we were told that the check-in is at 3pm. We came back around 3:30pm but got disappointed when we got our room.  We informed the staff but was told that they could not do anything. That was a letdown.  I believed it was a bit overprice when compared with other places that we have stayed.

Everything was good except our room, the place where we had to rest and supposed to get a good night sleep. The bathroom was old and needs a lot of fixing. It was too near the bed.  The tap needs replacement & there was a certain bad odour lingering. Our room has the worst view.

The location of the restaurant where we have our daily breakfast was good.  Since the restaurant is the frontage of the hotel which is on the main strip of Seminyak so you can sit & watch the world go by.  The breakfast spread was generous with local & international food.

The security people at the hotel are the most professional.  Anytime they see you wanting to cross the road or get a taxi, they will be ready to help you without asking.  They are the ones that make your day.

Pondok Sara, Jl. Double Six, Oct 2013

Pondok Sara is centrally located at Jl. Arjuna/Double Six in Seminyak, close to many eateries, good shopping, all within walking distance. You will be able to access taxis very easily. The villa layout was very good - inviting pool, open lounge dining area, closed bedroom (air-conditioned) & open air bathroom.

The breakfast menu is a pre-ordered where they will sent it to your villa.  The room service breakfast was always on time and the beautiful charming lady who brought us breakfast will set the table & make coffee/tea, simply made our day everyday.

The kitchenette comes complete with cups, glasses, cutlery, toaster and a medium size fridge. Overall it was quite good.  We loved the private pool especially for short dips in the late evening.  The open air shower area which is also very spacious

Service was great. Staff are all very pleasant. It surpassed all our expectation. The villa itself was just simply beautiful balinese touch.