Villa Nini

The pool was so heavily chlorinated that it stung our eyes and irritated our skin, so we couldn’t use it. There were spiders, lizards, and mosquitoes around, and hygiene didn’t feel acceptable. Breakfast was a mess too. Every morning we waited 1.5 hours, then got items that were missing or wrong, and what we did get was tasteless. Staff seemed indifferent throughout our four-night honeymoon stay at Villa Nini. The reception was usually empty and took several minutes to find someone. Their WhatsApp contact was no help, replies took at least 30 minutes and sometimes as long as 8 hours. If you need urgent assistance, you’re on your own. We raised these problems several times and only got apologies. On our departure day they offered a one-hour massage as compensation, but by then even an apology wouldn’t have mattered. Of the five hotels we stayed at in Bali, this was easily the worst and it ruined part of our honeymoon. If you want a peaceful, romantic, enjoyable stay, this isn’t the place. Avoid Villa Nini.

We’ve stayed here before and came back because the private pool villa suits us so well. It’s spotless and comfortable. The old wooden structure might put some people off, but we don’t mind it. It’s outside Ubud, which makes it quiet, and there are plenty of good restaurants and coffee spots a short walk away. We also like being able to sign up at the local gym for a few days. Breakfast was great, with two options that both made us happy.

We were really grateful to Villa Nini’s management team for understanding and moving us to their sister property, Bliss Ubud Spa Resort. They took special care of us there and made the rest of our stay incredibly special. I’ll leave a review on that page too. The private-pool villa is beautiful, the staff are very, very friendly, service was amazing, and breakfast was lovely. The room is quite dark, and there may be a friendly spider or frog around, but neither bothered us. We did move after one night, though, because when I took the pillowcases off, the pillows underneath were covered in mold. With my allergies, it wasn’t the right place for our holiday. I don’t think this reflects Villa Nini overall, and put it down to how often it rains and how damp the location can get.

We stayed in a huge villa with lots of space: a bedroom, spare room, separate kitchen and dining area, outdoor seating, and a private pool. There’s plenty of greenery, and it’s quiet during the day. The location is away from Ubud’s main market, which we wanted. It was less crowded and we rarely hit traffic returning at the end of the day. Laundry, a supermarket, money exchange, and an Italian restaurant are all five minutes away on foot. Breakfast can be served at the villa from a fixed menu, or you can go to their main resort for the buffet. When we left at 3am for our Mount Batur tour, the staff kindly packed us a basic breakfast to take along. There are a lot of drawbacks, though. Villa Nini doesn’t run independently and has only a couple of staff looking after guests. The main team is based at Ubud Bliss Spa and Resort, and communication is through them on WhatsApp, so many things need arranging in advance. Check-in and check-out also happen at the main property. They didn’t seem to have all of Villa Nini’s booking details. Staff first asked if we’d booked an extra bed for our child, even though our villa booking included one double and one single bed. They also said breakfast was only included for two, and I had to show the booking again, which listed two adults and one child with breakfast. They acknowledged it after that. The property needs better maintenance. It took two days to fix the hot water. On the first day we had to shower in an empty neighboring villa; on the second we used cold water because our tour pickup was due. The gas also took two days to sort out. They did compensate us with a complimentary one-hour spa and floating breakfast, but it’s frustrating to spend vacation time chasing housekeeping issues. The lighting is dim, and even in daytime the villa feels gloomy. There’s no locker box. There was just one dustbin for the bathroom, bedroom, and outside kitchen, so we had to share it or use our own bags for trash. Being beside rice fields means mosquitoes in abundance, plus spiders, frogs, crickets, earthworms, snails, flies, and lizards. No mosquito repellent is provided, so bring your own and cream. Roosters are part of the setting, and you may hear various creatures at night, sometimes making irritating sounds on the villa roof. The spare room has no AC or fan. We were lucky the weather was cool and rain lowered the temperature, but otherwise it could get hot and humid. The pool wasn’t entirely clean, with plants around it, and the water was cold. It’s about 5 feet deep, so you need to be tall to enjoy a floating breakfast; we skipped it because the water felt too cold. Cars can’t reach the villa entrance, so you walk about 100 mtr along a narrow lane or stop at Bliss Ubud Resort and call the usually quick buggy. The bathroom gets damp and stinks when it rains, and mud and leaves sometimes fall into the bathtub, so we didn’t use it.