Luwak Ubud Villa & Jungle Suite

The villa and its bathrooms are beautiful, the beds are comfortable, and the staff have made our first Bali trip feel incredibly special. We’re here with our family of five in a three-bedroom villa with a private pool, and we can’t wait to come back. We arrived late and tired, but the staff welcomed us with fresh, cold fruit drinks and waited to start the special dinner until we got there. Balinese dancers performed that evening, which made for a wonderful first night. Thank you for looking after all of us so well. We love this place. Love, the Roberts Family. 😘😘😘😘😘

The villas have plenty of space, and the bedroom air-con, reasonably comfortable bed, and housekeeping with fresh towels and turn-down service were welcome. But the stay had a lot of drawbacks. The listing didn’t match what we found: there was no outdoor lounge furniture or water dispenser, and no mosquito nets. We complained and the missing furniture and dispenser arrived on day two. The free shuttle ran only twice a day, rides back cost extra, and there was no included airport transfer. I raised those listing issues with management and got no response. The promised 30-minute welcome massage lasted about 15 minutes; the masseuse looked unhappy, and it was offered on the second-to-last day even though we hadn’t asked about it. Our bedroom bar fridge was so noisy we had to unplug it. When we asked about the listed minibar, management said the fridge was it. The living room had nowhere comfortable to sit, with a hard lounge and too few pillows. The area around the pool needed cleaning, the shared pool was closed for three days for a treatment, and the whole place seemed due for upgrades. Other guests or members of the public could easily enter our outdoor area and pool, so privacy and security were lacking. Breakfast was included, but the selection was small and just adequate. The shared pool and bar look onto a concrete wall and road. Roads surround the property, so there’s a lot of noise, and there are no footpaths. Walking anywhere felt like an extreme sport.

The staff were super friendly, and our room was wow, with a jungle view. There wasn’t a proper divider between the room and the toilet, though.

We felt at home at Luwak Estate, thanks especially to Arya and Dody. They looked after us from check-in, brought complimentary breakfast to the villa, served drinks and food by the pool, and helped arrange and accompany us on excursions. The staff were unbelievably kind. The Indonesian rendung and chicken sate were delicious, and the chef deserves credit. Our villa was spacious and clean, though it could use a refresh. It’s a bit outside the city centre, but staff were very helpful with rides into town and pick-ups. Sita’s massages were really good, too, and I’d recommend booking one. We stayed for a week. Thanks to everyone at Luwak for such a great stay.