Pondok Sebatu Eco Lodge

We stayed four nights in June 2023 in a two-bedroom family suite, made up of two adjoining villas with a good-sized balcony. The setting is right among the padi fields, close to nature, with comfortable, cool weather around 23 degrees Celsius. At night it was quiet except for all the different insects singing. The people were friendly and helpful. Some staff spoke English very well, and Yuika was especially responsive and helpful, as were Bayu and Cha Cha. The five-dance cultural performance was a highlight and came with a full-course dinner and a glass of wine for IDR300K per person, which felt reasonable. There was a choice of Western-style or Indonesian food. Breakfast was the usual Bali hotel set, either American or Indonesian style. The restaurant meals were delicious, especially the grilled snapper, soto ayam and bebek betutu. In the room, the bed and mattress were good, and the mature wood used throughout the room and furniture looked authentic and was nicely done. Some upkeep is needed, though: there were holes in parts of the wall, ants had gotten into some wood, a few drawer handles didn’t work, and cupboard doors were awkward. The floor had shoe marks and was a bit dusty, but staff responded quickly to clean it. They also promptly brought two extra pillows, since there were only two when we checked in. With the place surrounded by nature, expect different kinds of insects. Each person got one bath towel. The room had two 500ml bottles of drinking water per day, a safe, TV, hairdryer, kettle and instant coffee. Toiletries included toothbrushes and toothpaste, a shower cap, bar soap, shampoo, body wash and cotton buds. I wish the cotton buds had paper stems instead of plastic. Wi-Fi was patchy and sometimes stopped working, but it was manageable and gave us more time to enjoy being in nature.

There was greenery all around and a peaceful feel, which we enjoyed. The property was expanding from six villas to more, and they offered a free tour of nearby areas as an activity. The pool wasn’t very good: it didn’t feel private, and it wasn’t an infinity pool.

The upstairs view over the rice fields was a nice extra, but we mainly came back for the food. We were staying down the road and ate lunch and dinner here on two separate days because it was so good. The menu mixes Indonesian and Western dishes, the cocktails and local wine were gorgeous, and the service was fantastic.

The biggest drawback for me was getting there: it’s far from the airport, and my trip took nearly two hours. Arrange your ride for checkout in advance, since Gojek and Grab don’t help much in this area. Once there, though, it’s a lovely countryside escape, tucked away from the main road and surrounded by paddy fields. The staff were courteous, the food was excellent, and they had some vegetarian choices too.