Puri Garden Hotel & Hostel — Hotel in Pulau Bali

An honest review - we stayed here for 5 nights and really looked forward to staying in this hostel.

The hostel is nice, beds are comfy and the staff working there throughout the day are really lovely. However, there is a few things I feel worth mentioning to be aware about before staying.

Firstly, Ubud is not really a party place - there’s a reason there isn’t any Mad Monkeys here - and this isn’t a party hostel (there are events but the music is off by 10pm). However, that does seem to be changing and whilst the majority of people staying here were nice and respectful, it does seem to have attracted people that aren’t respectful of others and don’t know how to be quiet after a night out.

When you arrive you’re given a green wristband, assuming for security purposes, but of a night time the front of the hostel is open and there’s nobody checking these so anyone can freely walk in and the rooms also don’t lock. Perhaps if security was a bit tighter I wouldn’t have been woken up at 4am by a girl in the dorm bringing a lad (not staying in the hostel) back to shag in the room.

There is one bathroom area for the whole hostel and you have to walk outside to reach it which can be a pain, especially when raining. I was in a bed by the door to and the AC barely reached the bed. It is nice around the pool if the weather holds up but there is pretty much nowhere to go apart from one small area connected to the cafe if it does rain as well.

Again, it is a nice place and I’m sure if you’re a young solo traveller looking to meet people you’ll have a much different experience.

However, for a place that really sells itself on the chilled wellness aspect, dubbing itself the ‘best hostel in Indonesia’, I think it’s only fair to be honest that I don’t feel it is worth the high price...

It’s such a special place. This is a boutique hostel hyper focused on the guest experience. I have stayed in many hostels around the world and the experience here really was elevated.

I’ll never forget the memories of waking up at 6:30 am for free Yoga sessions, followed by breakfast which I could pick from scrambled eggs/toast, fruit bowl or pancakes. They were delicious irrespective of choice. The set up was perfect and forced me to get out of my zone and connect with fellow travellers.

By the time it was 9 am, I felt as though I had accomplished so much of my day already.

When I came back from my daily activities there was always something going on. BBQ, live music, happy hours, without any pressure to join.

The bed was much better than many hotels I’ve stayed in. Two pillows, comfy, plenty of privacy and Aircon on 24/7. The shower pressure was good and they had hot water running which a lot of hostels/hotels won’t have in Ubud. Both the shower gel and shampoos smelled great and fresh.

They also arranged my transfer to Gili which was cheaper than doing it privately.

The only downside was that the showers and toilets were co-ed which I’d say can be an issue for some people. It’s understandable though given the layout of the place.

Also, my locker didn’t lock properly but it’s a hostel, you learn to live with (or without) it.

Above all, the staff and the people I met there left such a good heartfelt impression on me. Thank you, I’ll...

I love this hostel so much!! I kept extending my stay and kept coming back to this hostel everytime I was in Ubud. I ended up staying about 1.5 months in total and had such a lovely time. The female dorms are so comfortable on the second floor. They’re super clean, spacious, have their own bathrooms, and a balcony. The beds are so big and SO comfortable. It’s also so clean, which is a big factor for me, probably the cleanest hostel in Bali. The staff are all truly amazing and have me coming back again and again. They really go above and beyond for you and treated me like family. It was so easy to meet people when I was in the mood to socialize. It’s also a quick walk (shortcut next to Sally’s kitchen) to the yoga barn and I went almost daily. It can get a bit loud at the hostel (it was almost always packed) but the female dorms were perfect for me being on the second floor. Also, I wanted to be around people so it was actually great. They have many social activities and live music a few times a week. Free mani/pedi and 15-min massages daily. The pool is nice and so are the swinging chairs by the pool! Their cafe serves delicious food and the pizza is literally the best I’ve come across in Bali. I gave some feedback to the staff about the hostel and to my surprise, they took it to heart and already implemented it by the time I came back a couple of days later. Highly recommend and hope to...