Juwuk Manis

Juwuk Manis Hotel is surrounded by rice farms, with lovely views of the fields and mountains, and the rooms are spacious with beautiful decor. It has a great feel for a stay with friends or your partner, right in the heart of Ubud. The staff are friendly and responsive, though the remote setting means they sometimes run out of basics like butter and jam. The main drawback is getting there: there’s no road access, so you need to take a somewhat precarious ride on a two-wheeler. If that works for you, I’d highly recommend staying here amid the nature and views.

Getting into central Ubud is a beautiful 15-20 minute walk. You reach this peaceful spot on foot or by motorbike, and there’s no traffic noise. The rooms are basic, but the bed is comfortable and the AC is quiet and cold. I loved sitting on the balcony watching fireflies flicker over the rice fields. The staff are lovely, friendly and very helpful. A simple hotel tucked into paradise.

The way up is long and difficult, but it’s worth it. We loved our Deluxe room, with a great view over the rice fields from the shower, the room and the balcony. Breakfast tasted good, though the portion was small, and they even had a vegan option.

We left shortly after arriving and wouldn’t recommend staying here. The photos didn’t reflect the place. There’s no direct access, so you and your luggage have to come in on the back of a motorbike. The building felt very old and smelled of mold. On arrival, there were dirty foot towels on the floor, animal feces throughout the upstairs area, and the dining area was untidy, with things left on tables and chairs and dirty floors. The bathroom by the yoga shala was in very bad shape, as shown in the photo. The owner only sent someone to clean after we decided to leave. Teenage boys working at the front desk and sitting by the pool also seemed uninterested in keeping the place clean. The owner refused a refund for the two rooms I’d reserved for one night, so I had to dispute the charge. After I chose to leave, the owner retaliated by posting bad reviews on my Airbnb. We’d changed our dates a couple of times from our original booking of the entire place last year. I’m glad I booked a room a day before the rest of my friends and family arrived, because they would have been very disappointed. We found a beautiful, clean place with wonderful service about 15 minutes from Juwuk Manis.