I stayed there for 3 nights as I was looking for a place to chill, relax, do some writing and reading and Santi Mandala was perfect.
I loved the villa I was in, built on stilts and surrounded by a lotus pond, the bed is super comfy, there is proper lighting for me to read when i feel like it and the balcony is spacious and there is just lots of greenery all around.

My only complaints : I wish the transfers to Ubud were more frequent and that the spa prices was a little more comparable to those in Ubud.

Other than that, Santi Mandala was an oasis of calm.

We stayed in the hotel for a few nights August 2007. Nice, not special but for the price OK. For this year 2009 we booked again. However before leaving and double checking the trip reservations we found out Santi Mandala booked our room later to a other couple for one night.
You could say because we had the first reservation and longest stay they would fix this with the other guest. Instead they told us due to the mistake they made we needed to take a lower category room. This is very disappointing especially with many choice in and around Ubud and nicer places to stay we decided to cancel on the spot.

SO WARNING THIS HOTEL DOES NOT LIVE UP TO RESERVATIONS MADE OR APPOINTMENTS MADE

The road to Santi Mandala was quite hard to find as there were no sign along the main road. In can be said that we accidentally stumbled upon it. Santi Mandala is the perfect honeymoon spot. Secluded, quiet, beautiful. We stayed for 2 nights last May. We were greeted by the sound of the waterfall and birds chirping when we entered the lobby area. As requested, our Garden Villa was the second from the last (102) which was perfect for us. To be honest, upon entering the villa it was not what I had pictured in mind. Also, I thought the scent of the wood material used to build the bedroom was too strong for me, maybe because the villa had not been occupied for quite some time. After letting the doors opened for some fresh air, this was not a problem anymore. The bedroom was a bit small and in my opinion, cramped, but the bed was very comfortable. Outdoor bathroom was very nice, but I prefer the outdoor shower since the water was colder and more refreshing..Loved it! The bathtub was of decent size but it would be better if it was bigger. And I love the smell of the bath foam, too..It's a pity that they replaced some of the lamps with white ones. I think the yellow ones would give more ambience and make the place even more romantic.

Breakfast was not a buffet, but they provide the best nasi goreng ever! So is the banana pancake. Very, very mouth-watering and delicious. On the 2nd morning, the waiter even remembered that I asked for sliced chili the morning before and he brought it to our table before I even asked. What an excellent service!

After we (regretfully) got back, we realized how much we missed Santi Mandala...

DOs:
- bring your favorite CDs to listen here, and VCDs too. We brought none with us, since we did not know that they provide CD and VCD player in the villa.
- come during the rainy season..we have a hunch that it'll be even more beautiful and charming ;)
- check the spa area, it's set in a very beautiful and romantic location.

This resort is set on the river banks of a beautiful river, the resort is on both sides of the river, it has rooms as well as villas, i took a one bedroom pool villa and was upgraded to a two bedroom padi field view pool villa. The villas are a pretty long walk off the river, up the hill. We arrived late at night, but the staff hapily greeted us by the nearby market and guided us to this resort. the resort is near the sukawati market, where you can buy any souvenirs for less than half the price compared to kuta. Its also about 10 mins drive to ubud, the cultural center of bali .....