Don't get me wrong, the hotel is beautifull. The rooms are amazing, and the pool and the divecenter (aswell as the diving) are great.
But when you've travelled all around Bali and you get here you will noticed the prices are extremly high. The location is quiet, wich is a choise. However you are more bound to the hotel and the restaurant on sight. Unfortunally they charge twice the prices for the food and drinks as anywhere else in Bali. This is such a pitty.
The other thing is that we had a room close to a tempel. And the week that we were there they had some sort of celebration going on. Unfotunally with a lot of enoying music from 6 am till 11 pm.... A shame....

West Bali National Park is a great area away from the crowds of south Bali. This resort is at it's doorstep. It is situated at the edge of a bay surrounded by mangrove forest. It is about 30- 40 minutes by boat to Menjangan Island for diving or snorkeling, where the reef remains in very good condition.
We stayed in the mangrove villa. It comes with a natural hot spring jacuzzi tub in the enclosed, extended outdoor bathroom, where we really enjoyed a soak daily.
There is a lanai which faces the mangrove forest, so the view is a bit close, but it was nice to have such a natural setting.
The staff were lovely.
We were able to sit on the jetty in the bay and watched the sunset behind the volcanoes of eastern Java Island, which was quite spectacular.
Disappointments were that there was no bidet or hand-held shower in the villa. Also, the room was very spacious and it would have been more evenly cooled if there were a ceiling fan as well as the one split airconditioning unit. The bed was really hard, though I must say the linens were very crisp and lovely.
The selection of breads at breakfast was only white bread and not very good pastries. If I were to go again I would take my own multi-grain. Otherwise the food was clean and not bad.

My husband & I spent 4 nights at the Novus Gawana in mid-May. Overall, our stay was wonderful.

We stayed in Mangrove Suite 2, which was stunning. The bed was comfortable, the AC was cold, the outdoor bathroom was beautiful. We absolutely loved the private hot tub, we used it multiple times a day. It was a great reprieve from the hot sun, and when it was raining, it was a great spot as well (it was covered). We did have multiple lizards & spiders living with us, but it was a fair tradeoff for the lack of mosquitos in the room.

The staff & property were wonderful. On our 3rd day, our hot tub broke - it was fixed within an hour. Whenever we asked for anything, it was immediately done with a smile. We used a driver everyday (through the hotel) & he was extremely accommodating, friendly & spoke decent english. Everyone wants to help, and everyone wants your stay to be wonderful - the people were fantastic.

We had a couples massage there on our 3rd day & I loved it so much I had a 2nd one the next day. During our trip in Bali we went to multiple spas, and I think the massage we had at Novus was the best. I would definitely make use of their spa while you are visiting!

Also, the pool was stunning. My husband & I are not "pool" people but we spent multiple hours in their beautiful, clean infinity pool overlooking the lagoon & forest. They recently put in a new hot tub, which was nice as well, although we preferred to use the private one in our room.

The restaurant was also quite good for a hotel restaurant. We ate all but one of our meals there (we took a car to the Matahari resort, which is very nice. I recommend going there to eat, as the restaurant was great as well). The restaurant had a great breakfast spread each morning and my husband loved eating the traditional Indonesian breakfast while I opted for the American. We loved the variety & the fresh fruit juices they served each morning.

Through the hotel we also went snorkeling at Menjangan island, which was a great excursion. They provided a nice lunch from a local warung & fresh fruit when we returned. We also did the jungle trek through the hotel. We didn't see any animals (except monkeys....always monkeys), but again it was a good trip they provided.

I would definitely recommend this hotel & was very pleased we stayed here. If you plan on visiting, there are just a few "warnings":
- You can't really leave the hotel without a driver - there is nothing within walking distance. Be prepared with this knowledge. By our last day we were both starting to get cabin fever & needed a change of pace.
- The hotel leaves fresh fruit in your room. While this is lovely, it is not lovely to be woken up in the middle of the night by critters stealing it, rolling it across your floor & then eating it in the corner. We have no idea what kind of critters were in our room & we don't want to know - We sat in the bed wide eyed & listened & in the morning checked out the eaten fruit on the floor. After that, we threw out the fruit. I would recommend asking them to not leave the fruit, or to leave it in your refrigerator.
- The towels & bed linens (white) were covered in stains. This didn't bother us terribly, but I know it is an issue for some. Just be prepared.
- The clothes we left in the wardrobe (which was outside, as previously mentioned) were not only damp & musty but filled with mosquitos. I would not leave anything out there.
- There was no internet connection (there is supposed to be one in the rec room but it was down the whole time)

With that said, Novus showed us a great time. If I ever went back to Banyuwedang, I would definitely stay here!

We stayed here for access to the West Bali National Park, and chose Gawana over the Menjangan Resort because the accommodation looked better and there was a spa. Having visited the Menjangan Resort for the birdwatching walks, I think the accommodation at Gawana is definitely more luxurious; the advantage Menjangan has is being actually in the jungle of the Park, so the wildlife/birdlife is right on your doorstep.

BUT I have no regrets about staying at Gawana. The Mangrove Suite was gorgeous: spacious, and beautifully decorated. The outdoor shower and hot-spring jacuzzi/plunge pool were just lovely. The food was excellent, and reasonably priced considering that they have pretty much a captive market - there's nowhere else you can go to very easily. The staff were superb: helpful, friendly and cheerful. When my husband was unwell, they were very good in getting hold of medicine for him, and then calling a doctor. They even said they were praying for him, as it was the Galungan festival!

A special mention for Made Adilasa, who was endlessly helpful in answering my emails before we booked, and who tailored the package for us with activities to suit our preferences. When we met in person, he was just as helpful; a really delightful person, and a great asset to the Novus group. Thank you, Made!

Snorkelling at Menjangan Island was one of my best ever snorkelling experiences; I just didn't want to get out of the water. Unbelievably special, and I'd go back like a shot. The birdwatching was very special, too, as we saw the rare Bali Starling in the wild, which we had never expected to happen. There were good birds in the gardens at Gawana, too, although the rain kept us inside more than we had expected.

The spa is wonderful, with views to the mountains of Java. My 2-hour treatment was bliss.

A wonderful experience overall. The only less-than-superlative comments I'd make are these:

1. There was no phone in our suite, and although we mentioned this several times, it was not put right until the third day we were there. Not necessarily a big deal, except that if there had been an emergency we were a fair walk from reception, and in the pouring rain or at night it would have been a pain to have to trek over there rather than call.

2. The designer obviously wanted to keep the interior design as clean and uncluttered as possible, so the wardrobe is in the bathroom - which means effectively it's outside. We found that by the time we left all our clothes were slightly damp, with a musty smell; I'd suggest for the two new Mangrove Suites currently being built that the hotel might consider putting the wardrobe inside.

3. There was more noise than we'd expected; we were right at the edge of the resort, so very close to the public jetty where boats go to Menjangan Island. The noise of scooter traffic, boats, music and loud talking started quite early in the morning. I'm a light sleeper, so this kept me awake; however, it didn't bother my husband at all!

I should stress that these are intended as constructive comments, and that this should not be seen as anything other than a rave review. I hope I'll be able to go back before too long.