M Box Seminyak

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. There were rats, and they charged us for the night we had to leave. The place was dingy, dark, depressing, and felt like what I imagine a bomb shelter is like. It was completely dead. I saw only one other person who wasn’t staff, and they weren’t even staying at the hostel. The staff were so unhelpful and didn’t care about the rats, even though they already knew about them. We also found ants in our bed on the first night and changed rooms. The manager said he’d meet me at 10 a.m. the next day to give a refund, but he didn’t show up or refund us. I can’t believe they made us pay anything for sleeping with rats. This place is disgusting and needs to be shut down. It completely ruined the Bali experience for my friend and me.

The location made things easy, with a supermarket and other essentials less than a minute away. I stayed for two nights and preferred the semi-private rooms to the dorms: they cost about the same but gave me more space. The staff were welcoming, and the place had a lively feel where people could mingle safely. I also appreciated how open the managers were to feedback about improving M Box. They have free pizza on Fridays too 😉

The first night summed up the stay: while we were trying to find somewhere else to book, a huge rat ran past us and into the pool area. We were too uneasy to sleep, so we stayed awake together in one capsule while sorting out new accommodation. This didn't feel like a place to meet people or somewhere safe for young female backpackers. It was strangely empty, with maybe five people around the whole time, and the music kept repeating the same awful songs. The Hostelworld photos don't match the dark, dingy, haunted-house-like decor. We had booked a female-only corridor but were placed with several men, which felt frustrating and scary. The advertised free food was just rice and vegetables, the cutlery and capsules were dirty, my friend's air conditioning didn't work, and none of our safety deposit boxes worked either. The hallways smelled of stale alcohol, and another friend found blood on her capsule wall. The pool looked filthy, so we didn't try it. Getting to bars wasn't convenient, either. We had booked three nights, but ended up arranging another place after that first night.

The location is great, and the staff were very nice. That's about the only good part. My private room had no windows and was so cramped that only one person could stand in it at a time. The bathroom has an open glass wall with no curtain, so there's no privacy: if one person showers, the other has to leave unless they want to watch. Water also pools in the bathroom with nowhere to drain, then spills into the room. Don't trust the photos, I was disappointed. If living in a box sounds fine to you, this could be the place.