Savanna Ubud — Hotel in Pulau Bali

On the surface, Savanna Hostel presents well. The common areas are undeniably clean and modern, and the staff is friendly and welcoming. However, my positive impressions stopped there, as the actual living experience was plagued by a multitude of significant issues that made my stay uncomfortable and poor value for money.

The Room: Poorly Designed and Impractical

The dormitory room was cramped with a complete lack of storage space. Besides a single locker, there was nowhere to put my belongings, making it impossible to unpack and settle in. The most bizarre design choice was placing the sink directly inside the bedroom. This meant that anyone needing to use it, for instance to brush their teeth, had to turn on the main light and inevitably make noise, waking up everyone else in the process. It's a baffling and inconsiderate layout. Furthermore, the privacy curtains on the beds are ineffective. They have significant gaps at the top and bottom, which lets in daylight and fails to provide any real sense of a private, enclosed space.

The Bathroom: A Prison Cell Experience

The shared bathroom and toilet felt like a prison cell. The floor was dangerously slippery, and the shower lacked a proper showerhead. Drainage was a serious issue, with water pooling and stagnating across the floor, creating an unhygienic environment. Compounding the problem was the complete absence of any shelf or hook to place toiletries or a change of clothes. In a shared dorm situation, this is incredibly impractical, as one cannot simply step out to grab their things.

Amenities and Services: Lacking and Inconvenient

Simple amenities were surprisingly absent. No complimentary water bottle was provided. The only water dispenser was located far from the rooms, and no cups were supplied. This created a hassle for simple tasks like brushing your teeth, requiring a long walk just to fill a personal bottle. The air conditioning was not controlled by the guests. Instead, it was operated on a fixed schedule by the staff, who would come in to turn it on and off at their convenience, with no possibility for adjustment. Housekeeping was also subpar; the trash bins in the room were often overflowing and were not emptied. The "gym" advertised was a joke. It consisted of nothing more than two benches and a few dumbbells, which can hardly be considered a fitness facility.

Restrictive and Unwelcoming Policies

The hostel enforces a number of overly strict rules. Guests are forbidden from bringing anyone from outside into the hostel, not even to the common bar area. More frustratingly, there is a strict "no outside food" policy. I was reprimanded by the reception staff and had a simple sandwich for my day trip confiscated.

Conclusion: Overpriced and Not Worth It

While the staff is pleasant and the common areas look good, the fundamental aspects of a comfortable stay are missing. The poorly designed rooms, dysfunctional bathrooms, lack of basic amenities, and restrictive policies make this hostel a very poor choice. Considering the price is higher than many private hotel rooms in the area, Savanna Hostel feels like a complete rip-off. I would not...

Honestly this is the best hostel I've ever stayed in! The staff there are super friendly and helpful from the moment you enter the hostel. This is the first time I've been offered by the staff to get my bag transported to my room ever in a hostel!

Every dorm room has its own sink, toilet and shower. Really comfortable large bed with 2 pillows. There's a locker area for you to store your bags in the room. The rooms are also huge! The rooms and toilets are cleaned everyday and your beds are made by house keeping. The hostel had a wristband system to enter the rooms and open the lockers, so you don't have to worry about having to bring around an excess card. You also have to wear another wristband throughout your stay at the hostel, for the staff to recognize the hostel guests (security makes sure you have the wrist band on, before allowing you to enter the premises. Also a little tip, make sure not to tighten the wristband too much, because you wouldn't be able to take it out - unless you cut it off).

There are tons of activities organized by the hostel on a daily basis. There's also a Mt Batur hike that happens everyday, you can sign up at the front desk. If you happen to rent a scooter, there's a parking spot right outside the hostel for you to park at. There's also a free 15min massage that you can sign up for that happens everyday. There's an open area gym as well.

I absolutely recommend...

At first glance, Savanna Ubud seems like a well-put together hostel. Unfortunately, appearances are deceiving, because my stay was terrible. A few example points:

Ants crawl everywhere, especially on bathroom floors and beds. At night I felt stings from what turned out to be ants walking across my bed.

AC turned off between 10am and 6pm. Sorry, but this is unacceptable, especially in summer. There is also no remote control, everything is managed by an app, which can only be used by hotel employees.

Profit over customer satisfaction. No refund of the booking is possible, even in emergency situations. In discussions with management about this you will be thrown out as rubbish at the first opportunity. No empathy or respect at all, let alone helpfulness. In addition, the woman behind the bar reacts very sullenly/condensed and tries to extort money in numerous ways. Management is horrible.

For a €25,- dorm room there are better places to stay than...