Amarea Resort & Spa Ubud by iNi Vie Hospitality

The cottages and main pool beside the river make for a beautiful setting, and we enjoyed the spa too. We got a complimentary 20-minute welcome treatment, then tried the Amarea Special Spa. The atmosphere was lovely, and my mother seemed genuinely happy. I stayed for two nights with my 76-year-old mom, and the staff made us feel welcome right away. They put our room near the lobby as requested and even provided complimentary breakfast room service to make things easier for her. Adi was particularly helpful, and the rest of the team were warm and friendly. Thank you for the memories. We hope to come back someday!

My friend and I had a great stay on the all-inclusive package. There were a couple of small hiccups, but the team was accommodating and moved us to another room. The staff were the real highlight, from reception and housekeeping to the drivers, spa team, and Norii staff. They were always smiling, warm, and ready to help. The location is a bonus too, and the complimentary shuttle into the city center made getting around easier.

Hospitality and dining were the only things that kept this from being an even lower rating. The room design and how the surroundings are managed need major improvement. We stayed three nights in the Grand Cottage. The open bathroom and tub look nice, but they weren’t practical in this remote setting. Frogs, centipedes, and mosquitoes were around us while showering, and we couldn’t use the tub at all because of the outdoor layout and weather. Finding a dead frog inside the room was upsetting too. Sound carries badly. Dogs barked at night, our room was beside a public smoking area, and we could hear other guests watching videos outside at 2:00 AM. It was impossible to get a good night’s sleep.

I booked ten nights through bookings.com, but the booking was actually handled by a third party, and sorting that out became a nightmare. When I arrived, nobody was at reception, so I had to bring my own luggage in. For somewhere advertised as a four-star resort, that was not what I expected. The place looked like a hostel, and I waited several hours for my room. While waiting, I looked around the pool and shared areas and ate at the restaurant. The property looked nothing like the photos. It felt dirty to me, and the atmosphere felt off in a way I can’t explain. The food was nice, but there was only one restaurant and the menu was limited. The room I was shown was tiny, like Harry Potter’s broom closet, and I couldn’t see where my suitcase would go. The hotel is far from everything, so I wouldn’t recommend it for a solo traveler. I ended up leaving because I couldn’t stay there. It was horrible. No one took responsibility afterward. Management said it couldn’t help with a refund because I booked through a third party. Booking.com said the same, and neither could give me the third party’s details. I think the main problems were that it wasn’t four-star quality, the photos were misleading, and management wouldn’t take accountability. I seem to have lost my money on this. Everyone has their own preferences, but I wish I’d read the negative reviews first. It was worse than they described.