Sadana Bali Guest House

Fifteen years ago this place was clean enough and passable. We came back yesterday after booking 13 nights, but left this morning for another place in Sanur at the same price. My six-year-old developed a rash after just five minutes in the pool. The pool floor had missing tiles with sharp edges and loose tiles lying at the bottom. I was told it’s cleaned once a week. The room was old, with unfinished paint on the walls and a filthy area around the fridge. There was a disgusting oily mark where people’s hair had touched the pillow end of the bed, and the sheets weren’t exactly spotless. The stove barely worked. A real shame after how it used to be.

I don’t understand the praise in the other reviews. The place may have looked like the listing photos 20 years ago, but the one I stayed in felt worn out and shabby. The room had bare white bulbs that made it feel like a cellar, nothing like the lighting in the photos. The mattress was sagging, and the sheets were sandy. I have no idea where that sand came from, but it wasn’t from my time at the beach. The pool looks nice from above, but several floor tiles were missing, and I nearly badly hurt myself stepping into one of the sharp gaps. My skin also started to hurt whenever I stayed in the pool longer than 20 minutes. I’ve never had that happen in another pool, so I wonder if its pH is off. I messaged the WhatsApp number in my booking confirmation before arriving and got a harsh one-sentence reply more than 24 hours later that didn’t answer my question. The TV seemed to be there for decoration: no channels had been set up, and I couldn’t manage to program it. When the cleaning staff took my towels, they had none to replace them with because the others were still at the launderette. I spent my last night without a towel to dry off after washing or showering. There were also tons of mosquitoes. The owner could easily address that by planting lemongrass or other plants mosquitoes avoid. At least the place was very quiet at night, and the staff who were there were extremely friendly and helpful as far as they could be. My kitchen had no cooking utensils or cutlery, which I would expect in a kitchen, but they gave me some as soon as I asked. I didn’t enjoy the stay and wouldn’t recommend it or go back. The owner doesn’t take proper care of the place, and it wasn’t worth what I paid. If you want a cheap stay and have no standards, and know how to keep your towels safe, welcome!

A good, low-key base in Sanur. There’s a small, peaceful courtyard, a cute little pool, and a cozy room with hot shower, AC, fan, TV, and fridge. Breakfast was yummy every morning, and the staff and locals were friendly and helpful. It’s quiet and walkable to plenty of Sanur, with lots of interesting places tucked into nearby lanes. The Wi-Fi wasn’t great, but you’ll survive. If you’re expecting a luxury beachside villa, you’ll be disappointed. For a friendly little hotel that’s relaxed and low-key, it’s hard to go wrong.

The language barrier made things difficult. I’d asked online beforehand for a gluten-free breakfast, but when I asked the staff about it, they didn’t understand. They kept saying yes to avoid conflict, though they hadn’t understood what I meant. I could live with that, but they also missed the breakfast time I requested each time, which was frustrating. On the second night I found lots of bugs crawling on the bathroom floor, with some in and under the bed. Gross. One night would have been more than enough for me, and it wasn’t a great first impression of Bali.