Penida Bambu Green Villas

The house design is nice, but the rooms are tiny. There’s no coffee machine or in-room fridge, just one small fridge for everyone at reception. The pool has a nice view, but it’s small, and there isn’t really anything else to do during the day. The food wasn’t good and our air conditioning was broken. One of the women on staff wasn’t very friendly or helpful with guests’ needs. The chickens were noisy too. They call it wildlife, but they clearly come from the neighbors.

The place is far from the centre, and arranging a taxi through the hotel was too expensive. The rooms were tiny, and there were lizards, geckos, and other animals inside. All the animal and wild bird noises made the mornings so loud that sleeping was impossible. The food was awful. Staying here was a complete nightmare.

The location is the main issue. It’s almost in the jungle and really far from everything. The staff were welcoming and very nice, especially Julie, who helped us find a cab and sort things out.

The grounds were attractive, with a well-kept garden and a nice pool, and the staff were polite, friendly, and very helpful. But the fixed umbrellas and concrete platforms limited where the sunbeds could go, so there often wasn’t enough shade and nothing could be done about it. The restaurant food was very average, which often meant taking a taxi elsewhere for lunch and dinner. Breakfast was decent. Drinks come sweetened by default, so ask for “no sugar” unless you like them very sweet. The resort is in a remote part of Nusa Penida, with beautiful mountain views and almost no light or noise pollution. That quiet comes at a cost: getting to the main streets with restaurants, shops, and ATMs takes at least 20 minutes by taxi, so it’s easy to end up staying inside if you don’t want the hassle. The hotel’s concept is great, but after four nights, we felt the execution could be much better. The huts follow traditional Javanese vernacular architecture and look lovely, but they’re quite small and a little wobbly. They aren’t fully sealed, so the AC keeps escaping and you can hear your neighbors walking. The open-air bathroom is charming and nicely landscaped, but the eaves don’t give enough cover. When it rained during our stay, the toilet became unusable. The bed was comfortable, though it sat right in front of the AC unit, so the air blew straight onto you. I was fine with it, but my partner couldn’t tolerate it. And there were a lot of roosters. They seemed confused about when dawn was and crowed through the evenings, so bring earplugs.