Katala Villas

We keep coming back because it's such a quiet, welcoming place, and we're booked to return next year after three visits in three years. The rooms are cleaned and serviced very well, and the staff are great. The pool is good, and the WiFi worked well for us. It's about a ten-minute walk to the main strip, with lots of shops, inexpensive massages, restaurants, and cafes for breakfast or other meals. The beach area is a few minutes farther on.

The staff couldn't do enough for us, and Matisse, the owner, was so generous and made us feel like family. We loved our stay at Katala villas and will come back. The rooms were beautiful, spacious, and clean. It felt like having a private villa of our own.

We spent 11 nights in a two-bedroom villa. The pool was huge and just the right temperature, and we can see why it's so hard to book here. The staff let us choose whether the villa was cleaned at 9 am or 4 pm. The wardrobe area between the bedroom and bathroom was a great setup, and there was a full-size fridge and microwave. Smart TVs would have made it perfect, but otherwise I couldn't fault the place. If you stay in a villa, the cat who lives in the gateway, whom we named Yuzu, isn't unloved or hungry. He's just grumpy and whingey. We adored him, though he didn't love us back.

The staff were pleasant and polite throughout, and check-in was smooth. We appreciated being moved to a mini villa the next night after asking to upgrade at our own expense. Still, having to pay the difference in cash felt unusual. We were also asked to pay the full bill upfront at check-in, which was different from our other Bali stays. Getting our bags to the entrance was difficult. We were dropped off and had to carry them down an alley with several large steps, with no staff there to help. I understand they couldn't see us arriving, but it was a rough start in the heat. It could be especially hard for older guests or anyone with mobility issues. If you need help with luggage or mobility, it may be worth arranging this in advance. We know Bali resorts and have a fair idea of what to expect from a five-star stay, but Katala Suites fell short of that for us. The room felt dated, with dark decor that made it feel heavy. Most villas, apart from two upstairs rooms, have outdoor showers. That might have been fine, but the mosquitoes were overwhelming. We were bitten constantly, even indoors, despite using spray, repellent, and plug-in devices. We'd stayed at another resort less than 500 m away on the same trip with no mosquito trouble, so we suspect spraying may not be done regularly here. The room was given one bath towel per person and one pool towel each. I had to request face cloths. A couple more towels each would have helped, especially for washing hair or swimming more than once a day. The bed quality wasn't great and the pillows were awful. Better bedding would make a big difference to sleep and comfort. The upgraded villa's outdoor area had so many mosquitoes we couldn't use it. The pool itself is a good size, but the area felt hot and still, without much airflow. Not all loungers had lounge swabs, so there was limited choice about whether to sit in sun or shade. With updates, more attention to detail, and better mosquito control, the resort could offer a much better stay.