Kamafari — Hotel in Kuta Selatan

It was once a good place, but it’s finished now, run down, a ghost “camp”, and the owners don’t care about guests, just taking money. Almost ruined the rest of my time in Bali, but found a lovely hotel and escaped there after only 2 nights at Kamafari.||Dirty, unkept, full of crawling insects, run down, not even a bedsheets/cover was provided. 180 degrees south to what it was and my first experience there 5 years ago. And the “pleasure” of staying there again cost me €380, down the drain, as it’s what I paid and escaped it after 2 nights, couldn’t stay there any longer and also didn’t feel safe.||Let me start by saying that I spent a week at Kamafari in 2018 and had the most amazing time. I stayed at deluxe bungalow, which was a private room with ensuite bathroom. So much so, that I rebooked it for 2020, but as Covid hit and Bali closed, was unable to travel. Back then, I received refunds from all hospitality venues (airlines, hotels, etc.), except Kamafari (I had to pay a full price in advance to secure booking). The response from Simon, the co-owner, was that he cannot refund me money, as this will be “the end of Kamafari”, and I can turn my booking into a voucher and use it at a later date. So, with that in mind, after 3 years waiting and the most meticulous planning for my 2023 Bali trip, I contacted Simon in January 2023, to secure the booking and use my “voucher”. And this is where the “fun” started. For 3 months and countless e-mails, I only received one response from Simon, stating that they do not plan to run a surf camp this year, but I can still use my voucher on a “room only” basis, which I said I was fine to do. Yet, despite multiple requests to send me a booking confirmation for deluxe room I paid for and requested (and for the dates I have given over 3 months in advance), I have been totally ignored and never received a confirmation or another response. We are talking about three months attempting to contact a business with no response! The attitude is not only unethical but also extremely unprofessional. They took my money, and remained radio silenced, when I tried to contact them countless times. So, if you offered the voucher, why couldn’t I use this “voucher”? And if you can’t facilitate my stay, why haven’t you returned my money? I asked for that in my emails too!||So, during the 3 months between January and April, I have also contacted another co-owner, who lives there and whom I met during my last trip. The owner- Sonder, said he will have the room for me (I even sent him a photo of deluxe room, to make sure I get the same type of accommodation). I never received any formal confirmation, just laid back reassurance that I will have the room. Then, when in Bali and contacting the owner multiple times, I was completely ignored, when eventually he responded that yes, he has the room and “don’t worry be happy”. |Not to mention that I also arranged a pickup which never happened and arrived with my own transport. Only to find a ghost premises, with no owner in sight and nobody to check me in. After a while a housekeeper appeared, surprised to see me, as apparently she thought I wasn’t arriving until the day after and the room I requested was rented out to someone else. And, so I could only choose from a room with shared bathroom or another room, but nowhere near to what I expected. Both were way below any bar, nowhere near in the €380 range I paid! I didn’t even get a duvet, so grabbed something that was left on the veranda… the facilities were unclean, there was nothing provided (except toilet paper and a hand soap), the whole camp is a “ghost town” with a bunch of people who leave there as long term lodgers.||Extremely dishonest and unprofessional to take money, make unkept promises, unable to reach, and unable to fulfil their obligation and provide the service (appropriate accommodation to the price paid ), for which they have taken money. ||Dear Simon/Sonder, people don’t just hop on a plane to spontaneously arrive in Bali. From Europe it’s a 20 hr trip, lots of planning and arranging, taking time off from work, and for many, it’s the ONLY holiday one will take during the year. It’s something that costs time, money and energy to plan. And you couldn’t care less about that, right? If you had any integrity you would have offered me a refund! But you couldn’t even be bothered to respond.||Do not recommend this place and...

I spent 7 days at Kamafari (6 days of surf lessons) and can only recommend it! The property is beautiful and I thought the price of accommodation is just right, as it includes breakfast and dinner. The local staff makes you feel at home - they are extremely nice and always ready to help. ||||Surf lessons: I'm if you're a beginner, picking a surf camp instead of trying out a random teacher on the beach (or renting a board and trying on your own) is a good decision. I enjoyed the instructors and their tips. And surfing with a group of international travelers is fun!||||Location: the house has a great view over its surrounding and the ocean. Other review say it's kind of isolated and that's true if you imagined you would walk around. However, everything is easily accessible with a scooter (you can rent one at Kamafari) or taxi. Places you can visit as a day/afternoon trip: Padang Padang beach, Dreamland beach, Uluwalu temple, Kuta, Nusa Penida. ||||People staying at the camp: my impression was that 90% of the visitors of the camp come from Germany :D so if you're not a German speaker, you may feel like a minority.||||Other impressions: good internet, nice areas where you can chill/read/take a nap, beautiful garden, very affordable drinks and...

I spent one week here and had the best time! The staff is really lovely, everybody is friendly and helpful. You normally have breakfast and dinner together with the other guests (if you wish) which gives the whole camp this Kamafari family feeling ❤

Getting vegetarian meals at the camp is not a problem, even vegan is mostly feasible. There's also plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants close by that you reach best with a scooter (can be rented at the camp, about 3€/day).

I had never surfed before and took only 3 lessons but thanks to the instructors and the good conditions for beginners I stood on the board on day one and was able to catch some waves. Even though I'm not the sportiest it was really fun!

We stayed at one of the Ocean View Rooms with AC and a separate bathroom. All was very clean and tidy and in good condition.

Thanks for the great holiday, I'll definitely...