Villa Penelopy

I’m staying in the villa until 17/4/25. The facilities are basic, but the location is excellent, with restaurants, bars, and boutiques just 50 meters away. The Wi-Fi is unreliable, sometimes cutting out and sometimes not working at all. There are no paper hand towels for the kitchen, mosquitoes are quite rampant, and Villa 1 can be a bit noisy. For the price, I guess you have to manage your expectations.

The people working here were the highlight. We spent an evening chatting with a few of them under the pagoda, and they were among the warmest, friendliest people we’ve met. We originally booked somewhere else but were offered this place on arrival, and it turned out to be a gem and an upgrade. Our group had the first two villas, which worked perfectly. Each room has its own bathroom, the pool was fantastic, and the kitchen next to the air-conditioned lounge made a great place to cool off. You’re on a main street with food, nightclubs, temples, beachclubs, and the beach all within easy walking distance. Other main streets are easy to reach too, with plenty to explore on a morning stroll. We had a wonderful time and will look to book here again.

The friendly, helpful staff and sensational pool were real pluses, and the villa is large and spacious. It’s also very close to central Seminyak shopping and restaurants, about a 5-10 minute walk using Seminyak Square as a landmark. The bathrooms need major renovation: they’re dated and shabby, poorly ventilated and lit, and the showers were dirty. There was only one hairdryer for the whole three-bedroom villa, rather than one per bathroom. The pool towels were clean but old and permanently marked, so they looked dirty. For what it was, it felt expensive compared with other villas.

The room at Penelopy Suites was clean, and the price was hard to beat for such a convenient location. It’s right next to Villa Penelopy, but the Suites aren’t the same place and there’s no staff on site, so you have to WhatsApp if you need anything. Our Airbnb listing had the wrong address and map, and nobody told us. We only found out when the massage place we were booking online said the address was incorrect. Even after we asked, the directions weren’t clear. The shower also ran out of hot water after about two minutes. Four stars for the unbeatable price and location.