Astana Swaha Villa

The scooter rental was quick and good, and the food arrived fast, but dinner wasn't very good quality. Staff were friendly, though they felt too present and overbearing. We booked breakfast for 8 o'clock, and while we were getting ready a staff member knocked to say our table and food were ready. Then he stood beside the table staring at us for five minutes. At night, the many bright lights the staff turned on attracted lots of insects and bats. We paid around 120€/135$ for two nights, and the price didn't match the quality. I wouldn't recommend this hotel. In our first room, which faced the forest and had wooden walls, it seemed clean at first, but the bathroom smelled bad. During the night we woke up to two cockroaches in our bed. Insects had also come in through the many holes in the walls and roof. We told the staff in the morning and were moved to a larger room with brick walls and no holes in the walls or roof. But its shower was broken, the bathroom was very humid because of the water drainage system, and the room and sheets weren't clean. The pillows and mosquito net smelled so bad that we had to sleep without the net.

I was only visiting because my friend stayed here while I was at another property nearby, but the staff were incredibly welcoming and attentive. The food was good quality and very reasonably priced, and the pool looked out over nature and the mountains. Everything was clean and well maintained. I got to meet the owner, who was a real gem. Since I was staying alone, he came to check I wasn't feeling scared and taught us a lot about Balinese culture. He made us laugh so much. My friend loved sleeping here too and had no complaints. Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Highly recommend!

Our bedroom was wonderful, with an amazing jungle view, but there were several drawbacks. There were no bathroom windows, and the fan didn't work, so the room smelled bad and stayed damp. Construction just in front of the lobby made breakfast noisy, perhaps because the hotel is expanding. The pool also needed more shade for daytime use. Breakfast was light. You had to choose between fresh juice and a fruit plate, and the plate only had a few almost sweet slices. You also had to pick the time the day before; on our last day we were on time, but the dishes were cold. The guesthouse offered a drive to amed for 500k rupees, which felt a bit expensive compared with another pickup covering the same distance and duration for 350k rupees with a regular taxi company.

I loved my upstairs room and ensuite, and ended up staying four days instead of the two I had booked. Ayu led a trek to an ancient temple in the 'jungle', which was a really special experience, and I also had a fabulous in-house massage with Putu, who was professional and lovely, at a very reasonable price. Ayu and Gusti went out of their way to help. The views are stunning, and it's wonderfully quiet and peaceful. I swam in the pool every day. Bring cash when staying in Sideman, since there isn't an ATM that accepts Visa. Thanks for a memorable visit. 🙏