Arjuna Homestay

After a month traveling around Indonesia, we'd stayed in all kinds of homestays, with and without pools or restaurants. We booked Arjuna Homestay in Pemuteran for three nights, a little unsure because the reviews were mixed, but we had a good stay. It's a homestay, not a 5-star hotel! Our room faced the pool, which we enjoyed at all hours since it's always open. The room was clean and tidy, with air conditioning. There was a faint musty smell, but that's Bali, hot, humid, and tropical. Regularly cleaning the AC filters would probably help. There's a small restaurant serving “French-Indonesian” fusion food. We found it unusual and tasty. My wife and I especially loved the chocolate lava cakes. They were small, but they bring two, so we happily indulged. The area is quiet, with lots of restaurants and shops nearby, and the beach is a short walk away. I really don't understand why some people complained. Maybe they've never stayed in a real homestay before.

I had a really enjoyable stay as a solo traveler. It was easy to chat with both the staff and other guests, and everyone at the hotel and Dive Concepts was friendly and helpful. The room and property were even nicer than the photos online, which was a welcome surprise.

Would I come back? Yes. For about the price of a regular hostel, you get your own room with an ensuite, and if you're diving or taking trips with Dive Concepts, being right there is very handy. The staff were attentive and friendly, and the pool area was lovely. My room had good air conditioning and a nice balcony spot to lounge. It was mostly quiet too, apart from one morning when music was blaring nearby for some reason. The place is run by French people, so I imagine French guests may feel especially at home. There are a few things that could be better, but for the price I thought it was fantastic value. The bathroom had a damp smell and some other odd odors, though I could live with that. It's about 200m off the main road, in a fairly central spot, but the path is uneven and gets quite dark at night. The WiFi was pretty bad. There were also ants in the room, though not enough to make it impossible to ignore. Some of the decorative stone shower tiles had calcium stains, even though the regular tiles were immaculately clean. And open burning is common around there, so a faint haze smell sometimes drifted into the room.

It felt like a second home almost as soon as we arrived, a peaceful little oasis on a quiet street. The beach is about a five-minute walk away, and our room was nice, clean, and fully functional. Breakfast was good, too. The staff were so supportive and kept finding ways to help with our individual requests. Thank you for such a lovely stay.