The Waka Namya was an amazing resort and our family had the best time during our 3 night stay in Ubud out of our weeklong Bali trip. We booked the Family Package ($425), which came with a 2 story villa (called the Bambu) with 2 queen beds and a very large, outdoor bathroom.

The resort itself is located in a very convenient location, far enough away from the center of Ubud (up an extremely steep hill) to not be smothered with the sounds of tourists during the day or night, but close enough that you could walk to the Ubud center if you wanted to. But why would you when the Waka Namya provides a free shuttle there? Everytime we wanted to go somewhere, we'd just tell the front desk and almost immediately the van was ready to go. And a ride back was only a phone call away, we were picked up within 5 minutes of our call. The resort is very beautifully landscaped. We were told it was in the style of a traditional Balinese village. Most of the villas are set inside their own individually walled compounds with a small garden, ours even had it's own outdoor lounge hut. The pool is medium sized and sometimes had leaves in it but overall very clean. There are numerous sun chairs situated around the pool and also a stage area where some musical instruments were set up, but they were never played while we were there.

The villa we stayed in was very nice. There is not much space inside for much than the 2 beds, a very large "mini" fridge, but the high ceiling made it spacious. The 2 storey villa isn't actually a villa with 2 rooms however, it is more like a 2 storey suite (one room with two stories). The bathroom is on the first floor and almost bigger than the bedroom itself. The large outdoor shower makes the whole bathroom outdoors, with a rather "tired" but completely satisfactory sunken bathtub and modern toilet. We did encounter a slight problem with the toilet having an unusually slow flush rate, but it was an extremely minor, picky point.

We mostly only had breakfast in the small restaurant, but were extremely pleased that everything was very delicious and freshly prepared. We had dinner one night (as it came with our package) and were equally pleased with the effort that was put into each beautifully presented and tasty dish. There is not much variety on the menu, but you can always just asked to be dropped in the Ubud center where there are plenty of restaurants.

As with all the other reviews, We have to say that the service is what makes Waka Namya so amazing. The staff are indeed the most genial and accommodating of any hotel/resort staff we've ever encountered. They were extremely friendly and enjoyed taking the time to talk to us whether it was during meals or before or after our trips out. We really appreciated their honesty as well as they informed us that their internet signal was not so good and suggested another internet shop (cheaper too).

The only downsides for this place may be that there are no TVs and as mentioned, the internet service is not very good. The lighting in the villas is also rather dim as well so best to bring a light if you want to do intense reading.

Overall, we were extremely pleased with this resort in every single way and definitely recommend it to everyone. While we were there we saw a whole mix of guests from a family with young kids, a young couple to an older couple. It's really a great place to stay while in Ubud.
Thank you Waka Namya staff for an unforgettable stay!

My mum and I stayed for three nights at Waka Namya in November 2006 on our way to visit family in Australia. Having not travelled further than Europe before we were keen to have some home comforts whilst being able to get a feel for the real Bali. At Waka Namya, we achieved everything and more that we wanted from our holiday. From the moment we arrived to the moment we stepped on the plane we were welcomed and looked after so well.

The hotel itself is set in beautiful surroundings and the buildings are all designed using locally sourced materials in a traditional Balinese style. We stayed in a deluxe bulagalow, which had two storeys with two double beds. The open-air bathroom was an experience - and felt like we were really getting back to nature.

All the rooms were kept very clean and the bottled drinking water was refreshed regularly. The swimming pool is quite large and very clean and is surrounding by comfortable sunbeds.

We ate in the restaurant a couple of times and the food was delicious and beautifully presented.

The spa was gorgeous and Minnie, my beautician, was very friendly and excellent at her job - it's definately worth a visit.

Although there is a range of excursions organised by the hotel, mum and I wanted something more bespoke which the staff were very happy to offer. We had a guide and a driver for a whole afternoon at a very reasonable price and with their knowledge of the area, we were shown the most breathtaking views of the Ayung River, rice paddy fields and a spectacular waterfall - along the way meeting local villagers and very cute children.

As the staff were so friendly, by talking to them we got to know about local customs, the Hindu traditions and the Balinese way of life and felt we really learnt something about the island. It was a delight and a pleasure to get to know some of the staff at Waka Namya and I will definately be visiting again.

Quiet boutique hotel in Penestanan, about a mile and a half from the centre of Ubud overlooking the rice paddies. Set out as individual villas each with its own enclosed private garden. Two small pools.
Free transport into Ubud and any of the art centres nearby. Recommended is the Rudana Art Museum which was founded by the father of the hotel owner. Very quiet, except for the sound of
cockerels crowing. Exemplary service and a great escape from the tourist hordes.

My husband and I stayed at the Waka Namya resort in Ubud for 2 nights in August 2005 as part of our honeymoon. It was in one word- spectacular! The resort is just out of Ubud, although a shuttle service is provided free of charge by Waka Namya, so transprt is not a problem. It is clean, private, and absolutely gorgeous.
We booked via direct contact with the resort on the internet, and because we were staying for our honeymoon, were upgraded from a Lanai to Deluxe Villa with a free Lingga and Yoni spa package and daily continental breakfast. All guests also recieve the free shuttle, use of the pool, a free rice paddy trek, free entry at a local gallery and 5 star service!
Our villa was just magic, situated inside a private walled garden, it was double storey, with the master bedroom upstairs (gorgeous king size bed with mosquito net, candles and roses on the pillows) and a sprawling bathroom downstairs (including a large sunken bath and cute, private outdoor shower) Also downstairs was the entry type room, with a day bed, small table (set with the menu, fresh fruit and flowers) and a stocked up fridge.
It was the little details though that really amazed me... the candles upstairs, the embroidered handmade sign about where to leave dirty towels, the little glass bottles full of shampoos, body lotions and bubble baths, with a cute rattan tie, and on our last night, a suprise honeymoon cake (tasted like heaven!)
The staff at the Waka Namya are great, so friendly and eager to help out in any way they can. The manager, Gede, is a really great guy who loves to meet his guests. And any of the staff are happy to help out with suggestions on where to eat and shop in Ubud (and no, they dont suggest their great uncles restaraunt or grandmothers craft stall, they recommend nice quality places.)
The massage/spa service is amazing, as mentioned, we got the Lingga and Yoni package which is a one hour massage/scrub/jacuzzi. It was honestly the best massage I have EVER had, the body scrub smelled great, and the milk bath jacuzzi was very relaxing.
Finally, a word on the food at Waka Namya. Again, 10/10, everything we ate was fantastic. As I mentioned, we had the continental breakfast, (however I think they may call it the American breakfast on their menu) which was a FEAST, neither of us ate all of it. Included was tea and coffee, fresh juices, a bread basket (with crossoints amongst other things), a fresh fruit platter, eggs any style, sausages, bacon and a variety of sauces and spreads. One word of advice though, the coffee is Balinese, and is quite strong and not as smooth as most Aussies would be used to.
Each day afternoon tea is provided free to all guests. This includes Javanese tea (very yummy) and Balinese cakes (VERY VERY yummy) and is served by the pool.
We ate in the restaraunt one night and found the food to be delicious and quite reasonably priced (on par with other up market resteraunts in Ubud) The staff have good English and were able to understand changes we wished to be made to our meals.
All up I was more than happy with our stay in Ubud. I would definitely recommend the Waka Namya to anyone visiting who is happy to pay that little bit more for absolute luxury. Our stay cost us about US $350 including taxes and everything I have mentioned except for the dinner.
10/10