La Joya Balangan Resort

Hygiene was a real problem. Red ants were infesting the bed, and there were mosquitoes and ants in the room too, so sleeping peacefully was very difficult. The rooms themselves are impractical and tiny, with unusually low door frames. I kept banging my head on them throughout the stay. The bathroom was badly designed, with only a curtain and the toilet squeezed into a cramped, storeroom-like area with no proper ventilation or jets. The property felt mismanaged and is far from the excellent experience I had at La Cabane, another La Joya property, on my honeymoon about seven years ago. It's also overpriced for the quality and services. Breakfast isn't a buffet. You're limited to five items and have to order in advance when you arrive at the restaurant. The swimming pool was in poor shape, with tiles chipping away and obvious maintenance issues. All of this made for an extremely disappointing stay. I wouldn't recommend booking here, especially if you're expecting the standard of La Joya's older properties.

We liked the pool, the roaming cows, and the lovely gardens, but the expensive room was a real letdown. We saw plenty of other rooms sitting empty, yet weren't offered a change. La Joya has some lovely villas, but be wary of the so-called Family Rooms, especially numbers 24 and 25. They cost too much for what you get and are run-down compared with the other resort rooms. Getting to the rooms means climbing steep stairs, and there's another steep set inside to reach the children's quarters. The rooms are very cramped, with almost no floor space for bags. The bathroom has no proper window, just a wooden shutter that doesn't close properly.

The pool was clean and nice, and the beach is okay for surfing, though it's not the place you'd choose for leisure activities. I was glad this was our first hotel, since we found much better rooms and service afterward. You can find better places than this one. I'm not sure whether it's the owner or management, but the hotel felt extremely commercial. It's fine to run a business, but feeling like a walking dollar on holiday wasn't what we wanted, especially in Bali, which is known for hospitality and genuine service. The usual question seemed to be whether you wanted something and would pay extra, rather than whether anyone could help. The standard rooms need serious renovation, and the Booking pictures should be updated to match. The service was slow, and staff wouldn't serve happy hour at half a minute past seven, not even a minute later. When the menu had a mistake, they rushed over to say we'd get two pancakes instead of three. At checkout, someone almost out of breath ran to the room while my partner was still packing to make sure all drinks and cans had been paid for. On New Year's Eve, we arrived late and rushed to order a drink at 23:58. The employee insisted we pay at reception immediately and declined our request to settle it five minutes later, so we could celebrate as hotel guests. Staff smiled when we were looking, but we saw them signaling to colleagues to check whether the bill had been paid. That says a lot about the hotel's culture.

It's a small, very nice resort in a great area that still feels quiet and community-focused, even with how crowded Bali's beach scene can get. The pools are great, the menus are excellent, and the private bungalows have gardens. There's an easy walk to a great beach with gentle surf, plus a few warung for food, drinks, or surf lessons. A special spot.