The Reika Villas by Nagisa Bali

Staff were super friendly and communicated really well, especially when the power went out on our first night. It was back after a few hours and stayed on for the rest of our visit. The women who cooked breakfast were lovely, and the breakfast itself was nice. The villa and pool were good, and cleanliness was decent, with staff cleaning every day, though some towels occasionally had stains. Getting around was the main difficulty. The villa is in an inaccessible area, on a very steep hill that’s hard to wheel suitcases up, and you need a bike to reach restaurants, supermarkets, or anything else. There are lots of monkeys around, generally friendly, but they hang around the pool. The villa is past some cows and smelly, dirty areas, though the villa itself wasn’t like that. A dog also chased one of us on a scooter once.

The location was terrible for us: far from shops and beaches, hard for taxis to reach, and inaccessible for disabled guests. Getting there meant tackling a 25% slope, which was very impractical with luggage. The online photos didn’t represent reality at all, which felt like a complete scam. The villa was isolated and outdated, not modern at all. The room was shocking, with dim lighting, no bedside lamp, a broken bulb, a cracked window, dust everywhere, and a horrible bathroom smell. There was even cockroach spray left on the table, completely unacceptable. You also have to keep doors closed all the time or monkeys will come inside. Facilities were neglected: the pool was dirty and unmaintained, sunbeds had no mattresses, the terrace was bare wood, outdoor lights were broken, and the furniture looked like it hadn’t been changed in decades. The welcome was cold and unprofessional. Dirty, unsafe, outdated, and badly located. One of the worst experiences I’ve had. Avoid it at all costs.

The location was the biggest letdown. I didn’t realize it was so far from Uluwatu’s main area, about a 25-30 minute scooter ride, although the beach clubs were within 10 minutes. There were no restaurants or marts within walking distance, so we spent a lot of time at the villa. Still, it was easy to scooter into the main area or Nusa Dua, which isn’t far. I’d stay again if it weren’t for the location. The villa itself was nice enough, with our own pool and kitchen, and the staff were great, especially the women who cooked breakfast every morning. The filtered water machine was handy since we couldn’t walk to get bottled water. There were quite a few monkeys nearby, but they caused no problems as long as food wasn’t left out and doors were shut. Security was there, so I never felt unsafe. A few hours of power outage were fixed pretty quickly, and staff communicated straight away. The air con was fine, though it might not be strong enough in much hotter weather.

For a quiet stay with authentic Balinese design, this villa is a good choice. The staff are very friendly and helpful, and their service made our holiday memorable 😃