The Garden Villa

The grounds and pool were lovely, with lots of lush greenery and flowers. There’s also a little warung and a bar on site. The rooms have an old Bali wood style, with air conditioning and outdoor bathrooms. Staff were very friendly and polite, and showed us the rooms. It’s a peaceful spot, though a bit out of the way.

I really liked the place, but motorbikes sounded like they were racing at 2am every night. You'd think the local authorities would do something to stop that.

We left after one night and had to find somewhere else at the last minute. We arrived late during a storm, so we didn't feel we had much choice but to stay that first night. I slept fully dressed on top of the bed because the sheets had feces and insect droppings on them, and the blanket had holes. The sheets in the big bed were acceptable, so my wife slept there with our baby, whose crib was filthy and covered in mould. The kitchen was filthy, falling apart, and useless. The bathroom and toilet were also dirty, with mould everywhere. The villa itself was filthy and run down. The online photos made it look great, but I assume it was built around 15 years ago and has had very little maintenance since. The staff were young, friendly, and helpful, and the wifi was okay. Still, I was appalled that a hotel listed on booking.com could be this bad. Maybe the rooms that get booked more often are in better shape, but we didn't stick around to find out. The location wasn't great either: you need a taxi to get into or out of sanur, or a long walk. Save your time and money and avoid it.

We liked the peaceful tropical feel here, and it was a calm place to return to after a long day. Getting there is a little awkward through tiny alleys, and it's some distance from the busier side of Sanur. With all the plants, expect geckos, frogs, and other little creatures around, so keep that in mind if they scare you. My mother and I spent about 20 days at The Garden Villa during our Bali trip. The property is beautiful, though the plants were overgrown and some equipment rusty. That didn't bother us too much. Our room opened right onto the pool, and we had a lovely open-air bathroom and kitchen. The kitchen gas stove didn't work for the first couple of days. The staff were kind and helped us get things sorted over those days. Once it was fixed, my mom really enjoyed cooking there. The staff were extremely sweet and helpful, always ready to help with little things. They lent us utensils from the restaurant kitchen and even let my mom cook there once while our stove wasn't working. I really appreciated how kind they were. The restaurant food was good too.