KAKUL VILLA UBUD — Hotel in Pulau Bali

Sadly let down. |Overall I would say 2/5 stars. |It was a pretty decent stay until the last day. We ate at the site restaurant (Rasa) twice (as well as breakfast included). In the first visit we were asked if we wanted to pay now or to pay later. Pay later made sense to me so we opted for that. |Come the day of check out. Check out is 12 noon. We had arranged for a car to pick us up at 11. We had breakfast, went back to the villa to wait. At 1030 we got a knock on the door. They were asking me to settle my bill. I said sure but would pay at checkout. He said oh no need to check out, I bring card machine here. I said ok-I was a little surprised but ok. He turned up a moment later with the card machine. I paid but I told him I was a little unhappy to be chased for the bill. I said I would normally expect to settle the bill at check out. Again he said no need to check out. |Imagine our surprise when 20 minutes later at ELEVEN o’clock, a whole group of staff turned up and asked me to check out! I said our car had not arrived and checked that the checkout time was actually 12. They said yes 12 but wanted to ‘check the room’. I said yes we will check out shortly. He then told me to check out at reception!!! Just earlier he had explained the reason he had chased for the bill was to avoid me going back to reception ?|Anyway just a few minutes later the car arrived so we packed up and I headed to reception. I was intercepted by a staff member and he took the key from me… then demanded I stay while he ‘checked the room’. Three times they asked me to wait while they checked the room. I asked why and what for several times. He could not say why. I was pretty upset. I asked him if he thought we would leave without paying the bill and if he thought we had damaged the room. Eventually he signalled we could go. |I have been all over the world. Stayed in several classes of hotel. Never- never! - have I been treated with such suspicion. It was very upsetting. |Other failings - the breakfast had a checklist type menu- you selected what you wanted. On day one they explained we ticked I item in each box. We were allowed 4 items. The drink was also allowed but had a check box too. Everyday (THREE times) we ticked this box. Everyday (three!) they challenged us and WE had to explain to them it was the drink! |On our last brekkie, as we had eaten the night before we were asked to make our selection for breakfast so it would all be ready the next morning. Great except 1) they brought one completely wrong meal and 2) it was cold. Unbelievable. |For the evening meals we were surprised when they brought every course together. More so on the second day when we ordered a main and a dessert. The dessert (which included ice cream) came first!!! We waited for the main as the ice cream slowly melted. |Finally we used their own web app system to arrange transport for a day - they replied sporadically and left it so late I had to arrange alternative transport. ||On the plus side the villa is generous with three huge rooms, en suite (Al fresco), and decent furnishing. The staff WERE friendly (but totally incompetent). The setting is gorgeous with really nice sized plunge pool with statuesque fountain and rainforest surroundings (sounds of the forest!)|The rooms could do with some TLC with some wear and tear and stains here and there. ||In summary this place ‘could’ be brilliant. But frankly offensive behaviour come check out really really spoiled our visit. I would...

Highly mediocre. Improvements to restaurant and wifi would go a long way. Do NOT book the Kenanga room!

This hotel is a solid 3-stars for me. It was clean and passable. I didn’t hate it, but I definitely wouldn’t stay here again.

Pros: modern amenities All rooms have a kitchenette - which is handy if you like to heat up your own food (make sure to check your kitchenette has pots etc if you plan to use it - ours did not) Moderately comfortable bed with lots of pillows Cute layout of rooms with nice art on the walls Nice airy open concept for reservation desk and restaurant Decent sized pool Basic toiletries (toothbrush, shower cap) provided Lots of cute decor touches like carved wood near the stairs and over the beds

Cons: Most of the pictures on the Google posting are of the VILLAS, not the standard suites. They’re not an accurate representation of the property unless you book one of the most expensive rooms. “pool view rooms” only applies to some of the rooms. There are several “pool views” that have more a view of their neighbours or a wall than the pool. Make sure to check your view before you accept the room (if view is important to you) The Kenanga is particularly bad. The only view this room offers is of a solid wall less than 12” from the balcony, and then your neighbour to the right. I can’t imagine why anyone would even bother to use this balcony and quite frankly am shocked they even consider it to be a suitable “balcony” or “pool view” room. The Kenanga room should be discounted and labeled as no view, and no balcony. This wall should be turned into a plant wall or a mural for the sake of the poor souls who end up having to stay in the room. Pictures included for reference. Because of the open concept, morning noise was a huge issue. At 6 am someone was calling the front desk, but nobody was at the desk to answer the phone. It rang consistently for nearly 20 minutes, and because of the open concept anyone with their windows open was startled awake. So much for sleeping in! Either the phone needs to be put on “silent” or a staff member needs to be available 24/7 to answer it (or both!) Included internet / wifi is terrible and barely useable. I ended up using my mobile data instead as it was much more reliable. No space near the pool to spread out or enjoy the sun. You’re either in the pool, or you’re in the shade by the restaurant. There’s not much in-between. Restaurant food for dinner was rather disappointing. The spring rolls were okay, however the pizza was nearly cold and had a very funny taste. I recommend to eat elsewhere unless you’re REALLY in a pinch. We noticed a consistent high pitch electrical ringing sound in all areas of the hotel The sound of the fridge at night was so loud that we ended up unplugging it from the wall The location is a bit out of the way - some people will like being a short drive from cafes etc. we prefer to walk and in future will book something closer to the action.

Additional notes: We stayed only one night We did not have opportunity to view the “Villa” style suites which presumably may have better amenities and fewer...

I loved it here, my wife rated it slightly lower. We stayed in a villa with 2 bedrooms and a private pool. Staff are amazing. The same fella came to make us breakfast every morning and clean the room. He was great. Shuttle service to town is free, and you can rent a scooter from the office for 60k/day.

The place smells like a farm (there’s a cow right outside the back window.) it bothered my wife, but I’ve spent enough time in Abbotsford British Columbia that it didn’t bother me at all. Seemingly hundreds of roosters in the area will ensure you don’t sleep in last 5 or 6 am, and there’s a pig that screams occasionally as if he’s being slaughtered, but he’s probably just telling the roosters to quiet down.

The area is also pretty residential, so you’ll definitely smell burning garbage at times but whatever man. It’s Bali.

We did overhear another guest complaining at the front desk that a rat had eaten his bar of soap or something, but he was probably just trying to get a free night. We saw no rats. Lots of geckos tho, both inside and outside of the place. They’re harmless tho, and again, if you don’t like geckos, don’t come to Bali.

Also, bring bug repellant. The doors don’t close very well, so you’ll see lots of ants and flies of different varieties. The staff provide a bug net, however, so we had no problem sleeping at all. The place is a little run down. Not sure how old it is, but it the hotel rooms with the common pool are probably a bit better kept than the private villas. I didn’t mind however. The price was great for a two-room, two-storey pad with a private pool and a private cook. The only reason I rated it four instead of five stars is that my wife was a bit put off by the bugs and the smell of cow dung, but you know, she’s a city girl. I highly recommend Kakul Villa. It’s close enough to downtown and various attractions that you can easily get around by scooter, and yet you’re a comfortable distance from the noisy urban centre of Ubud.

I would definitely return. The villa’s are a great deal for two couples especially, and...