The Payogan Villa Resort & Spa Ubud

We booked three nights at Payogen Villa Ubud, but the air conditioning never cooled the room properly. It seemed to be working inefficiently, possibly because it needed gas. I complained and followed up more than once, but no real fix was made. We were given two fans for the night instead of a room change or another proper solution, and after our tour the next day, the promised repair still hadn’t happened. We were uncomfortable and struggled to sleep throughout the stay. The room was in poor condition, and even basic hand towels weren’t provided. Staff said they don’t offer any kind of hand towels, which isn’t acceptable for villa accommodation. The poor upkeep and lack of response from management made this a very bad stay. I wouldn’t recommend it, and it felt like a waste of money.

We left The Payogan Villa Resort & Spa stressed and disappointed. It was our most expensive stay, so we had high hopes, but the facilities, including the pool area, were dirty and seemed poorly maintained. The resort also bars Grab and other outside taxis from entering, with a large sign pushing guests to use its own service, at roughly three times the price. Our first room wasn’t clean, had a broken door, and had no hot water. Staff initially seemed helpful and said we’d get a complimentary upgrade. The replacement felt like a downgrade: it was smaller, with a smaller bed and an old toilet that barely flushed. The light switch was hidden under the bedside drawer, so even the staff didn’t know how to turn the lights off. There was a hole in the wall and problems with the water supply too. We tried dinner, which was the last straw. The food wasn’t awful, but it was very average for the cost, overpriced and served in small portions. Staff stood watching us eat, which made us uncomfortable. I don’t think they meant any harm by it. Some staff were kind and helpful, while others were rude and dismissive. When we told the manager on duty we wanted to leave, he first said the resort was fully booked and there was nothing he could do. Once we confirmed we were leaving, “better rooms” suddenly became available, but by then we’d arranged other accommodation. We were asked to fill out a report about why we were leaving. We wrote that the rooms were dirty on arrival and below standard, and noted the hole in the wall and water issues. The manager then brought us a document to sign that falsely said we had agreed the stay was non-refundable and that we were leaving to be closer to town. Neither claim was true. We crossed those statements out, wrote down what had actually happened, signed the corrected form, and contacted our travel agent straight away. This doesn’t feel like a 4-star hotel to me. At best, it was a 1.5-star experience, and I can’t recommend it. I hope the owners address the many things that need work so other guests don’t go through the same stress. A holiday that was meant to be relaxing became incredibly stressful.

I’ve just got home to the UK after a wonderful two-site trip to Bali. My favourite part was staying at Payogan Villa Spa resort. The one-bedroom pool villa was stunning, clean, and beautifully located, and the peace and quiet were just right. The staff were all happy to help, especially Ayuk Nia and Marta. Marta was especially helpful and knowledgeable, spoke very clear English, and was keen to learn more. He’s a real credit to the lovely team. Highly recommend, and thank you, Marta.

We really enjoyed the property’s rustic character. The service from everyone was amazing, from the front office to the restaurant and housekeeping. Special thanks to Supra and Satya for being so warm and providing excellent rides to and from our room.