Hotel Grand Kumala

We spent eight nights here and might stay again if we’re in the area. Room 103 was on the ground floor, fairly near the road. There was some outside noise, but with the doors shut it was okay. The bed was large and comfortable, and the air conditioning was cool, though the room still felt warm at night. Maybe it’s haunted 🤣 WiFi was unreliable, just as other reviewers said, with no signal in the room. There doesn’t seem to be any improvement made or planned. There was no kettle either, so we bought one ourselves. Please pass it on to the next guests when you leave, and ask them to do the same. The first building looks worn, but it’s very Balinese, basic, clean, spacious, and comfortable. The other wings look nicer and seem refurbished. You get what you pay for. The linen is pretty worn and needs replacing. The room smelled of mothballs, though we couldn’t find any, and there were lots of air freshener sachets. Small bugs, like oversized fruit flies, get into the room. They don’t bite or harm you, and splatting them on the walls can be a bit of entertainment. Fly spray didn’t work. Breakfast was very basic: bread, eggs cooked any style, noodles, fruit, tea, coffee, and fruit juice. Don’t expect a big feed, keep expectations low. It reminded us of a rest home, with lots of older people talking at length about their latest medical procedures 🤣🤣🤣 There’s a laundry and a pharmacy across the road. It’s a good chance to stock up on over-the-counter medicines that are hard to get, expensive, or banned at home. The medicine prices were very reasonable.

The air conditioning was cold, breakfast was lovely, the staff were nice, and the garden and pool area was scenic and well kept. There were problems too. Someone knocked to ask about cleaning; I said no, and he left. I went back to bed, but later there was more knocking. I asked what was up, and the man apologized but kept knocking. I got dressed and opened the door, and he handed me clothes hangers, telling me to put them in the wardrobe. If the door’s locked, guests shouldn’t be disturbed over something trivial. The electricity and WiFi then went out for about an hour and a half. There were also a shocking number of drain flies coming from the bathroom. The experience was mediocre overall.

If you like being in the middle of Bali’s bustle, this place is honestly perfect. The reception is made from beautiful old caves out of tree trunks, turned into stunning art. The pools are lush, and the rooms are lovely with great views of them. I’ll absolutely stay again.

We stayed at the Grand Kumala, not the Grand Kumala Pantai. Our family of five had the Presidential suite, and we hadn’t realized it meant climbing four flights of stairs. We were able to manage, but check before booking if stairs are a problem. The rooms were lovely, with water stocked, a fridge/freezer in the dining room, and great air conditioning in every room. Breakfast was simple but delicious. The grounds were beautiful, and we saw bats, squirrels, lizards, frogs, and fish. The staff were amazing, very friendly and helpful, and we all had a great stay. Thanks, Grand Kumala. There were some snags: we arrived without towels, and the shower head in the kids’ room fell onto my son’s forehead. We fixed it and told the office. The kitchen was completely unusable, the bathtubs were yuck in my opinion, and toilet paper wasn’t replenished daily. For dinner, if you’re coming with a big group like ours, over 20 people, let the kitchen know so they can get extra ingredients. We used everything up during our nine days there. The dinner dishes were yummy, and they were very accommodating.