Raka Rai Bungalows

The family who run this place are great, and the forest view is lovely. There’s a nice pool with a small area for kids. Monkeys visited in the morning, and my neighbour could’ve kept his door shut! My room was clean and roomy. The bathroom matches the price, so I’ve no complaints. It’s a cute local place, and you get what you pay for.

The service at Raka Rai was great. The rest of the stay was awful, and I have to wonder how many people were paid to write the positive comments. I spent two nights in an upstairs room before moving downstairs to extend my stay. Upstairs, paint was coming off the walls, but the large bathroom and balcony helped make up for it. Lizards were in the room every night, usually 2-4 of them running along the walls. I was terrified and only got 2/3 hours of sleep a night. On the third night I moved into the room by the pool, the one people say is nice. It was late and dark when I was shown it, and I shouldn’t have accepted it. The bath was mouldy and falling apart, the shower didn’t work, mould was everywhere, and paint was peeling off the walls because of it. The fan was barely holding together. On my last night I came back to find the biggest lizard I’d seen in Indonesia in my room. At 1am I had to leave and drive around Ubud until 7am, when the owner came to help with my bags. “It’s ok, it won’t bite” was the response. That’s not something you want to hear. The doors aren’t sealed, so lizards and other animals can crawl underneath. A simple draft excluder on the doors and frames would fix that. There was also building work starting around 7.30/8am, with banging that meant little sleep. In the morning, staff chased the monkeys off with a catapult. It wasn’t nice to watch. This was my worst stay in Ubud. The downstairs room is in the pictures. I’m not lying. The place is unliveable and should be closed, rebuilt, and have all these problems fixed. I was so disappointed. The owner expected me to pay for the last night, but I didn’t.

The location is right in the middle of everything, with loads of places nearby for food and drinks. The pool is good too, and I’d definitely stay here again. The room is spacious and has what you need: a huge fan, AC, minibar, comfy beds, and a great view. Monkeys come by in the morning, which I enjoyed, though I did have a small argument with one. That’s part of the charm. The bathroom might make this feel like one of the worst places you’ve stayed. You’ll be showering in slippers in a post-end-of-the-world bathroom, as other reviews mention. If you can live with that, the rest is actually pretty great.

Right next to the monkey forest, and the owner is so kind. The room was huge and really clean, and the balcony was massive with the best view. The pool is beautiful too. Such an amazing place, I’d definitely recommend this hotel.