Pramana Watu Kurung — Hotel in Pulau Bali

We recently stayed here for 2 days. Since we were reaching there early we emailed them in advance and got it 2 hrs before check-in. We booked a villa with pool and breakfast included, the room was clean and tidy however, the pool was dirty. They came and cleaned the pool within an hour. The room was nice and spacious but bare minimum lights. The bath and toilet was outside the room in open area. The room has 2 doors, however they'll give the key for the main door. The side door that leads to the bath is without key (Technically anyone can still enter the room). Next day we went for breakfast, they have a set menu with just 5 options and you could choose only 1 dish. Honestly, it's a small portion with tea or coffee and No juices or fruits included. We wanted to have floating breakfast for the 2nd day so we spoke to them over WhatsApp chat in advance a few days before reaching there and they informed us a price and after reaching there the staff at the reception changed (increased) the price to almost double of what they quoted before. When we still went ahead to book it through restaurant to add a few more things to our breakfast with the floating tray, they told me a different price. So basically in my point of view they are overcharging wherever they can. Another example, when I wanted to rent a bike they told me an amount to which I agreed and later they informed me they don't have that bike anymore and they have another one which will cost more (almost double). Eventually I spoke to another staff from the resort and she arranged a bike in the same price I was earlier promised. Another incident, our booking was through agoda and our package was 10% discount on f&b at the restaurant. This was communicated while check-in. however, at check-out they did not apply the discount. After showing them the booking email, they agreed but they said the discount will be applied on one order only which is no where mentioned. Conclusion: I would not recommend this property because of the above reasons and its frustrating for me. The staff is polite and helpful specially miss. Ayu. The property is beautiful and well maintained. Please note: There are a lot of insects, lizards, chameleons etc around specially from evening onwards and there is hardly any light in the private pool area so no chance of enjoying there...

I stayed at Pramana Watu Kurung at the start of April 2023 and it was my first time ever to visit Bali. I'm glad that I decided to stay in Ubud in all that time and this resort provided me with an authentic and yet refined experience of living in a traditional Balinese village. The hospitality and the genuine intention of all the resort staff was truly impressive. I really love the view over the communal pool, where I spent a couple of relaxed afternoons. I also enjoyed the little patch of paradise inside my villa Nakula where I was blessed with all the sounds of nature. The included daily breakfast is always generous in portion and very tasty. It is a very secluded location so while you are blessed with the views and quietness in the property overall it is harder to get around Ubud without relying on Grab service or the shuttle service and you could spend a lot of time on the road due to traffic.

Whilst I like the little villa I stayed in, it is one of the two villas closest to the restaurant and if you are a lighter sleeper you could be waken up by the clinks of cutlery and plates, the music and the chatters rather early in the morning. Their dinner service also runs rather late into the night so if you want to have an earlier night you might find it difficult to fall asleep. There's always a low machine grumbling sound in the background around my villa, possibly the pool filtering system or the outdoor kitchen, whilst it's not very loud I do find it harder to relax by the pool inside the villa. I would imagine if your villa is further away from the restaurant your experience would be much better. If possible ask for villas further away from the restaurant.

Overall I do think the team has gone above and beyond to make it a pleasant stay for everyone whilst committing to providing an authentic Balinese experience. It's a hard balance to strike between authenticity and finesse and in my opinion Pramana Watu Kurung is a great choice of accommodation in Ubud if you don't mind being a little intimate to the nature. If you are looking for a more polished and refined experience this might not be the place for you. Room is always kept clean. Daily make up and turn down service. Daily top up of mineral water. Bathtub looks nice but I didn't end...

Needs Upkeep!

This review is for the infinity Pool Villa(Krsna) specifically, in the property.

We paid 400$+ for this villa for a night and at that pricepoint I expect a great experience but it wasn't good enough.

The room had a damp smell when we walked in and it stayed there for the entire stay, the toilet seat was moving and was almost unhinged, the lighting in the room needs to be redone. Right now it only has one light setting and there are no option to change the ambience through lighting which is really poor. You need to have atleast 2-3 different types of options to setup the ambience with lights. There was a lot of noise on the room from the restaurant which shares a wooden wall with this room.

I am leaving this review specifically cos it would have helped me if I saw such a review before I booked. All I saw was mostly super positive reviews.

Apart from the negatives I stated, everything else about this property was fabulous. The service was top notch, they were super nice and always on hand to take care of anything we needed. The property itself is a stunner, easily one of the most beautiful properties I have ever seen. It's a beautiful combination of great landscaping, architecture and a stunning location overlooking a forest and a river. The infinity pool in the villa was an exotic location. It is a highly highly photogenic place! We got some amazing photos here!

I hope our feedback reaches the hotel manager/property owner and my review is only for the infinity pool villa(Krsna) as we haven't seen other rooms.

At this pricepoint the villa needs to be on point 100% and cannot have major flaws like the ones I stated. The staff of course knew about the damp smell but what they can do if the manager/owner don't feel like it's important enough to stop renting the villa to fix these issues and ensure a top experience for guests. Its a definite case of slacking and taking it for granted which am afraid won't work in a super competitive Bali market. There are lots of great properties in the vicinity which offer a similar sort of a view, so I suggest customers look at alternatives...