Pondok Kita Homestay

The room was spacious, but the service was very poor. During our nine nights, they cleaned daily, took out trash, replaced bottled water, and changed towels, but never changed the bed sheets. We asked to borrow cutlery on arrival and were told the kitchen was already closed, so they couldn’t provide any. The menu barcode on the wall was awkward to use and required downloading apps. Once I did, it showed an error. Around 10 in the morning we asked to order coffee to the room and were told coffee was only available at lunch, which seemed silly to us since it’s usually a breakfast drink. We tried eating dinner at the restaurant once. The prices seemed reasonable, but nobody came to take our order after we sat down, so we left and didn’t try again.

The hotel is close to the GWK tourist attraction and has a huge amount of space: indoor and outdoor pools, restaurant, lobby, park, and a kids’ playroom that didn’t feel fresh inside. It seems built for large families and groups, with hundreds of rooms. My deluxe room was clean, the sheets smelled fine, and it had the usual things like a hairdryer, towels, coffee, water, and a bathtub. The food was okay, though breakfast didn’t feel luxurious. I liked the Bali pie susu, which seemed authentic and was sweet and crunchy. I chose a balcony room hoping to enjoy fresh air, but ours faced the security area and the main entrance road, so it didn’t feel private. I wish I could have moved to a more secluded room. The hotel seemed short-staffed, perhaps because of Covid 19, and some areas and rooms looked poorly maintained. The elevator was dirty and dusty too. The lobby employees didn’t smile, say good morning, or ask if we needed anything. It felt as if we didn’t exist during our three nights. They talked and laughed very loudly as I walked through. The person who made up the room was a bit nicer and asked what I needed, since I didn’t want the room cleaned for three nights. If you want a quiet, affordable place with large rooms and a luxury feel that’s old-fashioned, this could suit you. There’s lots of space, with pool or park views along the sides, so make sure you don’t get a room facing the entrance or security. Everything was good but not excellent. I appreciate what the hotel offers and hope it improves and attracts many more visitors.

The rooms were okay, and the aircon was reasonably cold, but this is an ambitious, oversized hotel that felt run down and sad, almost as if it might soon be abandoned. It’s very quiet and far from everything, and the drive in at night is dark and a bit spooky. We waited more than an hour for four meals at the bar around 9pm. The chicken in my club sandwich smelled foul, clearly too old to serve or eat. Given how they handled the chicken, I felt it was dangerous to eat anything there. I stuck to the toast and juice from the included breakfast. I’d had Bali Belly in Ubud two days earlier and worried I might get it again.

I spent three lovely days at this hotel in Jimbaran, a great fit for a peaceful holiday. It was calm and away from the crowds and busy markets, while the beach and essential services were still only about eight minutes away by motorbike.