This review is specifically for the duplex at Tegal Sari. I cannot comment on other rooms at Tegal Sari but can say that apart from a small portion of this property, the majority of rooms are in newly renovated or built buildings and look a lot nicer than the older rooms.
We stayed in the duplex suite at Tegal Sari for 3 nights. We decided to stay with Tegal Sari based on TA reviews but unfortunately, all rooms were full for our dates except for the duplex which also happened to be their most expensive room other than the villas. After checking online and reading the description of the duplex, we decided to go ahead with the booking. We paid $89 (USD) per night. Here's the breakdown of our stay:
1. Room: The duplex is a 2-story building with the bed on the second floor and a jacuzzi tub and shower on the first floor. There is a sitting area on the first floor, as well as a terrace on the second floor overlooking the rice fields. Upon entering the duplex, we were immediately disappointed by how worn and outdated things looked. The mosquito net on the canopy bed was stained in various areas and it did not fully cover the bed so that there were 4 separate areas of the bed that were exposed so the mosquito net really did not help with keeping the mosquitos out. The jacuzzi tub and the shower are both partly outside so there were a lot of insects going in and out of the area. The jacuzzi tub had a dead cockroach and a few other dead insects in it, as well as rust stains around the fixtures indicating that the tub had not been cleaned properly. The night side table had tiny clear bugs that looked like termites going in and out of the table in droves. There is a sink and toilet on the second floor but the sink is old and there were tons of ants going in and out of the sink. One of the pillows on the bed was so badly stained and lumpy that it was quite disgusting. There were cobwebs in almost every corner of the room and there was a ton of black dust piled up on the sideboards on the floor. We were appalled and shocked at the state of the room. It looked as if the duplex had not been rented out in a long time. We complained next morning and they seemed apologetic but could not move us to a different room as they were fully booked. However, they did clean up the cobwebs, the black dust and the side table but the jacuzzi tub was never cleaned during our stay. On the second night, the clear tiny bugs returned to the side table so my husband had to place the side table outside. I was so appalled by the state of the room that I frequented spas to shower so that I could avoid using the outside shower. We asked to move 3 times during our stay and even offered to pay more to move to a different room but they were fully booked and could not accommodate our request. We are totally okay with geckos, mosquitos, flies, ants, and any other insects that are naturally found in this environment but have never stayed in a room that had dead insects, insect infestation and cobwebs as a result of uncleanliness of the room.
2. Food: Breakfast was not included in our rate. We ordered breakfast once and got it delivered to our room within 15 minutes of ordering. The breakfast menu had a lot of variety from freshly squeezed juices, banana pancake, sausages and eggs to traditional Balinese dishes. Most of the dishes ranged from $3 - $5 which was reasonably priced.
3. Amenities: No complimentary water bottles in the room. The swimming pool was small but seemed cozy. We were there during the rainy season so we did not use the pool. Only hand soap is provided in the bathroom so no shampoo, condition or body soap. There is no alarm clock in the room. There is no TV in the rooms so come prepared to entertain yourself. We used our iPads in the evenings but were pretty bored. They provide mosquito coils to light in the room on a daily basis but you definitely need insect repellent as there are a lot of mosquitos in the area.
4. Location: Excellent. We were able to walk to the Monkey Forest, the shopping area of Ubud and many restaurants in the area without any difficulties. The area is very quiet (apart from the frogs, birds and other insects that make a lot of noise) and quite relaxing. The Yoga Barn is within 5-minute walking distance which was really convenient as we took a lot of classes at the Yoga Barn during our stay in Ubud. We even walked to all the spas we frequented. To get around outside of the Ubud area such as the famous rice fields (forgot the name, sorry!), we hired a private driver and car who we highly recommend. His name is Kadek and my husband and his friends have all used him on their trips to Bali. He is honest, trustworthy and super kind. We cannot praise him enough. His mobile is: [--] and his email is: [--]. He specializes in tours all over Bali but can be hired as a driver only as well.
5. Wi-fi: Free but the signal was too weak for us to access wi-fi in our rooms so we had to walk out to the lobby area to check our emails.
6. Service: Excellent. The staff here are very friendly and eager to help. They offer a shuttle service but we did not feel the need to use the service as we walked everywhere. The hotel also offers very affordable massage on-site but outside which would've been nice if the weather was not as rainy.
Overall, we loved Ubud but hated the duplex. The other rooms such as the super deluxe room are much nicer and the villas looked heavenly. Try and book early to get one of their newer rooms and do not book the duplex. I think Tegal Sari should renovate the duplex or at least lower the cost of the room. I think a fair price for the duplex is $65 per night. It definitely should not be their most expensive room.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
