Black Penny Villas Ubud — Hotel in Pulau Bali

Disappointing Experience - Not Worth the Price.

I recently stayed at this villa and unfortunately, it was nothing like what I expected. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with a extremely nice staff member whom overwelcomed his own jokes, personal preferences and shilling of their sister company and in-house massage services (after a long trip and travel to this villa from Kempinski). The photos online are misleading, as the villa is much more worn-down than advertised. The furniture appeared old and was not wiped down or cleaned on the surface as well as the the sofa materials having stains on them. In addition to this: We had bath robes that was stained (appeared unclean or unwashed). New towels was being delivered which smelt like they had not dried properly - the unpleasant smell lingered on my partner after she had used them. The shower, toilet and ensuite are all together within close proximity and constantly wet, humid and or moist. This is very unpleasant to prepare ourselves before our day as well as after a long day has come to an end. The photos fail to mention the access to and from the Villa is extremely difficult, all Grab drivers are too afraid to drive down the very narrow and steep road to the Villa lobby. Meaning we needed to walk up and down a steep road in the dark/day in open weather. No lifts or elevators, not kid friendly or disability accessible. Everything was up and down flights of stairs. What looked like animal faecal matter was on our bed. My partner had requested a special occasion request for my birthday which the villa had agreed to deliver, however upon arrival there was no such preparations (don't agree and say yes and not deliver).

The pool, which was one of the main reasons we chose this villa, was the only thing which was as close to the photo as it could get.

Lastly, the staff were extremely dismissive and handled the above concerns & issues inadequately. We were asked what were the concerns or issues and met with defensive responses; e.g., the uncleanliness of the towels, bath robes or furniture (Staff said we should or could have called the hotel staff to change). Yes, however with the expensive prices paid and the "lush resort-like" image they portray was not in line with what was delivered to us and we should not have to experience what was experienced.

We had offered constructive feedback and in return appeared we had to defend what we had experienced. We had addressed the above at early check-out to one staff member whom then esacalated and raised it to another staff member. When she had arrived she did not introduce herself or her position to me or my partner (worst of all she did not even acknowledge or pretended my wife did not exist until my wife had made an abrupt movement, despite the booking being under her name and all paid for by her). My wife had signed the no-refund paperwork in front of the staff member but was still not shown the attentive customer service as I did. She asked what was the issue at which this point I can see it was not properly handed over to her by her previous colleage, which I kindly asked her to refer to her previous colleague's notes of the issues she had written down earlier. The staff had mentioned several times that we will and could not receive a refund for the dismay (which me and my wife did not care about, we just wanted to offer constructive feedback to prevent re-occurance to other future tenants). The staff member offered her apology, meanwhile in the background there was two other female staff members staring over at us and giggling which appeared extremely unprofessional.

Overall, this villa was a huge letdown, and definitely not worth the price we paid. We will certainly not be returning to this...

Avoid the Black Penny at All Costs||||We chose the Black Penny for our honeymoon based on positive reviews and selected their honeymoon package, which included dinner, massages, and a floating breakfast. Unfortunately, our experience was disastrous and ruined what was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip.||||The Room: The villa is styled in an antique, rustic manner with squeaky floors and patchwork decor. The bathroom is located outside, which means you’ll be battling mosquitoes unless you burn incense.||||The Pool & View: The pool is the one redeeming feature, offering a serene and forested view with the sounds of nature at night—a genuinely calming experience.||||The Massage: The massage was terrible, the masseuse has no motivation to give massage. You will not feel anything more than just a rub, even after you ask them to do it a bit stronger, 5 minutes later they got back to same strength. ||||The Food: This is where everything went downhill. On our first night, we opted for the candlelight dinner. My wife ordered the Asian menu, including salad and salmon. Within an hour of eating, she began experiencing severe diarrhea, which lasted for two days and led to hospitalization for dehydration.||||The food safety standards are questionable at best, especially for a high-priced resort. While the management was very apologetic and covered our hospital expenses, it doesn’t compensate for the trauma we endured. My wife suffered sleepless nights, feeling faint and calling for help, while I was constantly worrying about her well-being.||||Honeymoon Plans Ruined: We traveled all the way from San Francisco with a carefully planned bucket list, but we had to cancel 80% of our activities due to the illness. The management assured us they would investigate and improve food safety, but the damage was done.||||While I appreciate the hospital costs being covered, I believe the resort should fully refund our stay which they refused to do. This incident not only caused physical harm but also destroyed our honeymoon—an experience we can never get back.||||I cannot, in good conscience, recommend staying here. The risks far outweigh the rewards, and I sincerely hope no other couple has to endure what we went through. I wish we can leave half star review based on our experience. Good luck if you still choose the...

Avoid the Black Penny at All Costs

We chose the Black Penny for our honeymoon based on positive reviews and selected their honeymoon package, which included dinner, massages, and a floating breakfast. Unfortunately, our experience was disastrous and ruined what was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

The Room: The villa is styled in an antique, rustic manner with squeaky floors and patchwork decor. The bathroom is located outside, which means you’ll be battling mosquitoes unless you burn incense.

The Pool & View: The pool is the one redeeming feature, offering a serene and forested view with the sounds of nature at night—a genuinely calming experience.

The Massage: The massage was terrible, the masseuse has no motivation to give massage. You will not feel anything more than just a rub, even after you ask them to do it a bit stronger, 5 minutes later they got back to same strength.

The Food: This is where everything went downhill. On our first night, we opted for the candlelight dinner. My wife ordered the Asian menu, including salad and salmon. Within an hour of eating, she began experiencing severe diarrhea, which lasted for two days and led to hospitalization for dehydration.

The food safety standards are questionable at best, especially for a high-priced resort. While the management was very apologetic and covered our hospital expenses, it doesn’t compensate for the trauma we endured. My wife suffered sleepless nights, feeling faint and calling for help, while I was constantly worrying about her well-being.

Honeymoon Plans Ruined: We traveled all the way from San Francisco with a carefully planned bucket list, but we had to cancel 80% of our activities due to the illness. The management assured us they would investigate and improve food safety, but the damage was done.

While I appreciate the hospital costs being covered, I believe the resort should fully refund our stay which they refused to do. This incident not only caused physical harm but also destroyed our honeymoon—an experience we can never get back.

I cannot, in good conscience, recommend staying here. The risks far outweigh the rewards, and I sincerely hope no other couple has to endure what we...