Playgrounds Wave Lodge

We couldn't travel to Indonesia because of the Covid restrictions, so we emailed to ask to cancel. They ignored us and still charged for a room we never got to use. At the time, every other hotel refunded us without a fuss. This place was happy to keep our money, which says plenty about the people running it.

Breakfast was at Thai Pantry, just across the boardwalk, and the amenities were better than the usual Bali/Indonesia standard. The villas were also well placed, close to the places we needed and with good cafes and restaurants nearby. For transport, The Big Tree is a short walk away for taxis, motorbike hire, parking and transfer pick-ups and drop-offs. Coconut beach and Beach Cafe at Lago are about five minutes along the boardwalk. The coffee there is great, and the view and easy beach swimming are lovely. The pool sits beside the boardwalk. It's fine for the kids to splash around a bit, though the feel is more for relaxing.

The rooms were clean and looked much like the pictures, and the view was amazing. But the TV and internet both failed, even when we asked staff to fix the TV. When we were sick, we couldn't even put something on to pass the time. We got food poisoning from the attached Thai restaurant, and the staff were generally unhelpful. They did apologize when we raised everything at the end, but didn't offer a solution. For what we paid, it wasn't worth it. We wouldn't stay again.

We've returned to Waves Lodge for a second stay, and our family of four fit comfortably in the large, clean room. The staff are wonderful, the price is good value, and it's easy to get to restaurants like Thai Pantry out front and The Deck next door. We'd happily come back again.