Ubud Lestari Bungalows — Hotel in Pulau Bali

The location of this small guest house is down a narrow (and beautiful) alleyway pretty much in the center of Ubud. It was just wide enough to drive my motor scooter down into it and park at Ubud Lestari Bungalows.||||We had reserved a room via Agoda (via TripAdvisor.com) and it was the closest one on the ground floor to the outdoor check-in desk. The room's mildew (or mold) smell was really strong and one possible reason for that might have been that several places on the wall next to the bed had paint peeling off the wall.||||To me, ridding the room of the STRONG mildew/mold smell with a cleaning of the walls and a repainting of them would have caused me to write a more favorable review.||||The breakfast, as other reviewers have commented, was pretty basic and cooked in an outdoor kitchen nearby to the outdoor check-in desk. The kitchen didn't look all that clean to me but allowances have to be made.||||Another distracting thing about it is that the Bungalows is wedged into a residential neighborhood so if real peace and quiet is what you crave, you'll hear the kids playing, the TVs and so on. ||||Finally, Ubud is mighty popular and the Bungalows does really well on TripAdvisor. The staff, while a bit helpful, didn't extend themselves maybe because they have a good business and competing with good customer service (which I've had elsewhere in Bali) isn't a priority.||||The room's smell was enough for me to nix this...

The hotel is between two thoroughfares, but down an alley from Monkey Forest Road. The Three Monkeys Restaurant is almost next door and provides a good land mark as does the Starbucks sign that is almost directly across from the entrance to the alley.||||The room was nicely appointed. The a/c and wifi were reliable and the layout was very nice and I didn't have to hunt for outlets. There is some noise from the neighborhood if you are closer to the entrance (as I was), but not the end of the world. The pools were a nice amenity given the heat and humidity. The breakfast is basic, but pretty typical of what I had throughout Bali and it was well prepared. They do have a large Japanese clientele, but also plenty of Westerners. There are many restaurants nearby, as well as shopping. You're not "on top of" the center or the Monkey Forest, but either is walkable. I think they prefer multi-night reservations as they were unable to guarantee availability for my one night...

I stayed here for nearly 3 weeks. |I found the room delightful and spotlessly clean. ||My room was close to reception which meant I was closer to the music school. So I was occasionally treated to people practising the gamelan as I sat on my Veranda in the evening.||Breakfast was served on my veranda. The staff were very helpful and even at one point loaned me a helmet so I could go out with my friend on her motorbike. ||The location meant that I was within easy reach of a myriad of shops and the access gang route met the main monkey forest road right opposite Cafe Wayan. This was very helpful when I was feeling particularly lazy.||The pool area looks out across the Paddy fields and was particularly bright and calm. ||The staff were unobtrusively helpful and constantly keeping the place, clean, and the gardens tended. ||They also helped me to...