I chose this hotel because the price listed on Booking.com was quite affordable and yet it was rated highly on Tripadvisor. When I got there, I decided to fork over an extra $10 per night for what they said was a better room.
I ended up with a large ground-level room with a private porch and garden. The room was huge and comfortable, the garden green and peaceful.Two large windows afforded a good view of the garden. Some sculptures. It felt a little luxurious even though it's an older building with ordinary furnishings really. The bed was large and comfortable.
The air conditoning worked perfectly, despite the large space. Large standard bathroom.
The shower for this ground floor room was a rustic Balinese-style shower, but it wasn't really that nice. It's enclosed in a rather dark, damp room adjoining the bathroom. The floor of the shower area consisted of a brick and rock set-up that wasn't so comfortable to stand on. This shower area is damp and hot in the rainy season. I don't think it was properly ventilated and perhaps it coudn't dry out properly.
The breakfast was a la carte, not buffet. It was OK. Unusually, they provide the service of bringing it to your room if you want.
This is not a large property but they've done a good job with it. The garden-like grounds are very attractive.
The small, underused pool at the hotel has a soothing waterfall wall and is a good place to cool off on a hot day. There are about five or so older pool chairs.
The reception/breakfast area are quite small though. This is a small hotel without a large common area.
The staff are friendly and polite. Lots of smiling young people. Good service. From what I heard, they are very good with children. One family in particular were delighted with their stay.
If you stay here, you'll learn what a tokay gecko sounds like.
A woman handweaves beautiful Balinese cloth behind the shop at the front. You pass by her when you walk out of the hotel.
The hotel is located on the south side of town, about a 25 minute slow walk from the market/palace area in the centre. I explored Ubud on foot from here, but the hotel has a shuttle. The streets are lined with shops, restaurants and (of course) shrines, so walking here was interesting despite the narrow, delapidated sidewalks. Don't think Ubud is spared the intense traffic you see in the rest of Indonesia. It's not as oppressive maybe, but it is bad.
The monkey temple is an easy 10-minute walk away. Be Indiana Jones for a day. (I'm not kidding. At this place you see how shamelessly Hollywood has been ripping off the Balinese culture for decades.)
Some of the very best restaurants in Ubud are within walking distance (indeed, one or two are just across the road). There is a supermarket just up the road. A bakery with good coffee is just around the corner.
The Ubud Fitness Center is in the north part of the town. So about a 30 minute walk from this hotel.
This hotel has two issues (although I realise some people won't be bothered by this at all):
1. There's no free wifi in the room. They do have it, but it's accessible only in the lobby.
2. The TV has no English or other international stations. I asked about this. They're trying to remedy that situation but there is a problem of some kind. This is perhaps the hotel's biggest demerit. Fortunately I had a few books with me.
It's difficult to know how to rate the hotel. It's essentially 3/5, I suppose. This hotel is a nice place though and I enjoyed staying here. That should bump it up. However, these positive aspects are offset by the shower/television issues. I don't think you can rate a hotel as 4/5 when the television is unwatchable, can you?
Final word: If you find a price you like, this hotel is a good base for your short visit to Ubud.
