Penginapan Lakeside Cottages by ZUZU

The owner really made the stay for me. When he learned I was locked out of my bank account and nearly out of money, he tried to help however he could. He let me check out several hours late, then drove me about two hours to my next hotel and asked only what I could afford. The following day he drove me around too, stopping at little local food shops, buying me lunch, and letting me try local fruit. He was a genuinely kind guy. The hotel itself is beautiful, with clean, comfortable rooms and full-height windows along one side for the views. It's also close to a mountain trekking trail, just a few minutes on foot, and a great spot for mountain and lake photos. Breakfast was delicious, I had an omelette, and everyone was friendly. The Wi-Fi in the rooms wasn't great, though that seemed pretty standard everywhere I'd been.

We took a tour to Batur Volcano, and the staff were really friendly. The room had an amazing view of the lake and mountain, and the food was great. The pool uses natural hot spring water, so try swimming there at night. The place has had a new owner and has been much better since.

Joni, the host, was a very nice guy to talk with. He lives there with his family and was keen to help us arrange things. The lake views are awesome, and the garden and pool looked beautiful. The accommodation itself, though, was terrible and far from what we expected. Our room wasn't clean, with dirt on the floor and dust on the furniture, and the bathroom smelled unpleasant. Hot water came and went. Wi-Fi didn't reach the room or breakfast area, only places near reception or the pool. Breakfast was just okay, not good, and took 50 minutes to arrive even though only two guests ahead of us had ordered. The breakfast area was dirty too, with litter and dirt on the floor and food left on the table covers. We also booked a Mt Batur hike through Joni. The guide's English was very poor, despite our being promised an English-speaking guide, and we got no information along the way. To me, that doesn't really count as a guided tour. We were told there'd be more than enough drinking water, but the guide brought only 0.5 L per person. Joni did buy us another bottle after pickup. The tour cost 600.000 IDR each, which we agreed to at first, but afterward we felt somewhat ripped off. Compared with other places to stay in Bali, this was expensive, right near the top of the price range. We expected something exceptionally nice when we booked. I wouldn't want to stay here even at a quarter of the price, and I really wouldn't recommend it. A lot would need to change before I'd consider this place nice again.

The view was great. Everything else made the stay miserable. The sink wouldn't drain and the toilet wouldn't flush, and hot water might as well have been my supermodel girlfriend. Huge prehistoric-looking bugs were all over our room. At the nearby temple, children could be heard shrieking and messing around on a loudspeaker, and the rooms had no soundproofing at all. I could talk to people in the next room without raising my voice. Breakfast took an hour, even though I was the only customer. The pool looked riddled with tropical diseases, and every hour there made my will to live fade a little more.