Villa Kaba Kaba Resort Bali

We spent February and March 2017 at Villa Kaba Kaba, where it felt like home for two months. There were two couples and our 10-month-old baby, and it was one of our best stays. It’s in a quiet, authentic Bali village with a special atmosphere and no tourists around, so it felt safe while still having five-star comfort. A lovely place for meditation. The gazebo overlooking the rice fields became our favorite place to relax and work online. From the bedrooms, too, you can watch local Balinese people working in the fields just a few metres away. The villa looked like the photos, was clean and comfortable, and the rooms were cleaned daily. We slept well in the comfortable beds with mosquito nets. The property is large, private, and gated, and the pool is a good size. We liked cooking for ourselves in the well-equipped kitchen, though the staff can cook whatever you want. Internet was reliable for working online. Paul, the owner, and the staff were wonderful and ready to help. Paul helped us with groceries and drove us to the hospital when one of us became ill, and he shared lots of information about Bali and nearby places to explore. A big unexpected bonus was the free membership cards for Canggu Club, about 30 minutes away. It has a waterpark, pools, a great gym, a very good restaurant with discounts for card members, and Fin Club on the beach.

Breakfast was included, and you pick what you want from the menu for the caretaker to prepare in the morning. Our three-bedroom villa was private, so it felt like having a place of our own. The staff welcomed us at the entrance with wet towels and lemongrass drinks, which were refreshing after the traffic jam at Kuta. The master suite had a jacuzzi, and every bedroom had an ensuite bathroom with an open shower. The beds were king-size and roomy. Bring your own toothbrush and toothpaste, as those weren’t provided. My children rented the villa for our Bali stay, 7-10 June 2019.

Paul has made this resort a relaxing place where you can just be yourself. It’s close enough to Bali’s parties, but far enough away to enjoy the tranquillity from before tourism grew so much. For a Bali visit, I think this is the best place to stay.

The villas at KABA KABA are beautiful and clean, with their own pools, whirlpools, and romantic outdoor showers. The location is some distance from the clean sandy beaches shown in catalogues and Bali promotional material. Kuta beach, meanwhile, was very dirty and expensive for everything, so I’d say don’t waste your time there. Our stay was a huge disappointment because the director charged us for everything, including food at a lunch and dinner he had invited us to. He first talked about a barbecue or picnic with local specialities and took us to the market to buy all the ingredients. We paid for them ourselves. Back at the resort, he cooked or grilled what we’d bought, then invited resort staff and friends to join. Everyone ate and drank what we had paid for. Before we left, he presented the bill for our stay as agreed, but when I asked why it was so high, including some items I didn’t understand, he said he was charging us for the barbecue and even for the fish, shrimp, and meat we’d already bought with our own money. Locals’ quoted prices also didn’t include VAT, so we were charged what I think was 20% more than the prices first mentioned. I’m replying to the villas’ response based on my own experience, though it wasn’t from last year. Their answer has convinced me never to stay there again. Their behaviour is the reason. Seeing them write their own business rankings on this site also proves something.