Excellent Two Weeks in Indonesia!

Indonesia | Aug 5 - Aug 18, 2023

The hotel itself was exactly what we needed after 36 hours of traveling. The rooms were solid (nothing special), but the facilities (spa, steam room, sauna, etc.) were perfect for us to reset our batteries. The one major red flag with the hotel was their ability to help us with transportation. The airport pickup was not smooth, the hotel struggled to find us adequate transportation to our dinner for the one night we were there, and they struggled to get us to the airport in the proper shuttle for our flight out the following morning. Next time, I would try as hard as possible to avoid spending a night in Jakarta at all because the air quality is so poor. However, if I had to spend a night in Jakarta, it is worth it to stay near the airport at the FM7 and I would recommend figuring out some form of alternative transportation (not through the hotel) if you want to go to dinner or do some sort of activity.

Hotel was perfect. Staff was lovely, location was lovely, rooms were perfect, and the breakfast buffet was excellent.

This hotel is gorgeous. Our only regret is not staying here longer. The staff was beautiful and the view was beautiful. It was a short trip to the peak of the volcano which makes the location ideal, although difficult to get to.

Like paradise on earth. This resort was maybe the nicest place I have stayed in my entire life. We had three three-story villas for six people that overlooked all of northeast Bali. We could watch both sunrise and sunset from our roof and we could text a WhatsApp chat with all the staff from the hotel in it if we needed anything at all. This place was unbelievable and I could stay for weeks at a time.

The hotel was not as nice or upscale as the other accommodations. The rooms were basic and small and the resort was nothing special. However, the staff was incredibly nice and the rooms were satisfactory. Additionally, the hotel runs the tours to the plantation and that tour was spectacular. I would not stay here unless I am going on those hotel tours, but I am glad we had this experience.

After waiting a week to write this review to reflect on my experience, my opinion of the Kaamala Resort is unchanged. If I could give this place 0 stars I would. Day 1/Night 1: We arrived at around 6:30 PM after a long day of driving. We were then escorted to our three hotel rooms, which smelled so bad that a pile full of dead animals would have helped mask the foul stench. We kindly asked the hotel to investigate the smell, as we had to make a 7:30 dinner reservation. The receptionist assured us that it would be fixed and that we would have rooms to stay in. Nearly four hours later, we got back from dinner and the receptionist escorted us back to our three rooms. Not only was the smell not gone, but it had gotten even worse. At this point, we asked to be moved to alternative rooms for the evening so that we could get sleep, as it was clear that the smell in the other room was not going to go away. The next three hours could not have been more stressful and frustrating. At various points, the hotel told us that they had no rooms, that they had one room, that they had no cots, that they had two cots, and everything in between. Ultimately, we settled down for the night at 2 AM. After we carried our luggage back and forth between the rooms several times (the staff did not help), we dragged two cots and piles of linens across the hotel premises. At the end of the night, we squeezed four people and three beds into one room, and two of us were forced to sleep in the spa on massage tables. We understand that hotels sometimes make mistakes and have slip ups. What made this hotel despicable, however, was not the smell or the difficulty getting situated; it was the staff’s subsequent response. Day 2/Night 2 The next morning, we went to speak with the manager about what had happened and we kindly requested that our three rooms be refunded for the previous night (because all three were uninhabitable). After informing us that the rooms that we were supposed to stay in smelled because the sewage system leaked into them, the manager told us that they have a strict no refund policy. Even after explaining the situation to him and the staff’s assistance—or lack thereof—he still would not budge. The manager said point blank that, even though we did not get any of the rooms that we paid for and even though there was sewage in those rooms, a refund was not an option. We continued to share our experiences and frustrations, and the manager assured us that he would figure out an alternative way to compensate us to our satisfaction. What followed could only be described as a game of “deal or no deal.” Frustrated because of the situation, the lack of sleep, and the fact that we had missed several morning activities due to the problems, we told the hotel that if they were not going to refund us for the rooms, we wanted a dinner comped by the hotel and spa appointments for the four of us who wanted them. All of these things together would still not even reach the price of the three rooms that we did not get, not to mention the time we lost and the stress that the hotel cost us. Over the next hour, the receptionist continually called my room and offered new “deals” that the manager was proposing. After each, she tried to convince us that it was enough to make us happy. First, she offered a free breakfast. This offer meant nothing to us since we had already paid in advance for included breakfast at the resort. Over several other phone calls, the receptionist, acting as a middle man between us and the manager, offered us spa appointments and 15% off one dinner, then spa appointments and one main course each, and then spa appointments, one main course and one non-alcoholic beverage each. After being bothered so many times with counteroffers and justifications of why we should not be frustrated, I told the hotel to please leave us alone. We constantly reiterated that all we wanted was a meal where we could relax and forget about all the inconveniences that the Kaamala Resort had caused us. All we wanted was to forget what happened and enjoy our limited time in Ubud. Despite this, the receptionist continued to call with new deals. It got to the point where I had to tell them to please stop calling and offering us new things because the constant pestering was ruining our vacation. At the outset, all we wanted was a place to sleep that was habitable. While on the second night they finally provided that to us, the discomfort that the hotel continued to impose on us for the remainder of our stay continued to be quite absurd. First, we felt like we were being watched, as every staff member asked us for our room numbers everywhere we went. By way of example, one of us went to use the bathroom at breakfast and the hostess stopped him to ask him his room number. Second, the hotel continued to tell us how we were allowed to enjoy our stay. When I told the hotel that we were leaving at 8 am and that we did not have time for breakfast one morning, they told me that they want us to get to breakfast at 7 so that they could compensate us with a free breakfast (which, by the way, we had already paid for). Further, when we sat down to dinner on our second evening, the waitress began by giving us a limited pre-set menu and insisting that we could not order off the complete menu. Then, after we asked several times for the full menu, she told us that we were each only allowed to order one main course. When we told them we planned to order whatever we wanted and not worry about anything, they continued to give us pushback. Additionally, the hotel continued to slip up and respond poorly for the remainder of our stay. For example, at this same dinner, after agreeing that we could order what we wanted to, the restaurant then forgot to serve us four of the dishes we ordered. The waitress insisted that we had not ordered those things and then told us that the kitchen was closed. Despite us reminding them that we were missing plates and despite two of us not eating enough, the dishes were never brought out and the restaurant closed. Although some of us were still hungry, we went to bed to try and rest up for the day ahead. Day 3/Night 3: The next day, we left first thing in the morning to avoid any more complications with the hotel. After spending the entire day away from the hotel, we began to prepare for our departure the following morning. On the eve of our last night in Ubud, we looked forward to leaving the Kaamala resort and to doing so, hopefully, on a high note. We got back to the hotel after a terrific dinner elsewhere and told the hotel that we were being picked up by our driver at 5:30 AM to go to the airport. We met the gentleman who would be responsible for bringing our bags to the front of the resort the following morning via golf cart and confirmed no less than four times that he would be at our rooms at 5:15 AM ready to take us to the front. We went to bed with assurances that the hotel would help keep our check out smooth. Day 4: The next morning, we had a storybook ending to our stay at the Kaamala resort. For the first time in our nearly two week trip, it was pouring rain. Sure enough, nobody was at our room to pick up our luggage. We dragged our bags through the rain for the 10 minute trek to the front of the resort only to be greeted by the gentleman who promised us that he would be at our rooms in the morning. When we asked him where he was, he said that we should have called him this morning to tell him to pick us up. I have been to over 20 countries and to hundreds of different hotels, resorts, hostels, inns, motels, etc. in my life. Never have I stayed at a place where the customer was this wrong. To say I do not recommend this hotel is an understatement. The way they treated us provides a new meaning to the word inhospitable. Further, the fact that we were not refunded for even one room on one night for our experience is nothing short of robbery. Please ensure that NOBODY comes here again.

Best part of the trip hands-down. Amazing activities, amazing food, amazing crew, and an overall unbelievable time. If you get seasick bring Dramamine but otherwise this will be the most relaxing and adventurous part of your trip at the same time.

Not a unique hotel in any respect, but exactly what we needed before our flight to relax, repack, and collect ourselves before we left Indonesia. Staff is excellent and the hotel was clean and comfortable.

Easily one of the best activities we did. Our village guide Robi was fantastic.

Unbelievable day, but plan on being up at 2:30 AM and hiking a lot before getting back to the hotel at 9 AM. Worth every second of it though.

Such a great experience. The raw sugar cane tasted unbelievable. The coffee part came at the end not the start so don’t come in expecting to get many different cups of coffee. Also bring cash to buy the coffee, chocolate, etc. to take home.

Very cool experience!

The biking was too difficult for me and I could not do it. More like mountain biking. The paths are very steep and narrow so come prepared. You also have to bike on the main road for a portion and that part is easier than the part through the rice fields. The rice fields themselves were beautiful.

One of the best things we did the whole trip! Great cooking class and great group of travelers that we cooked with. The chef sends you home with a recipe book as well!

Best part of the trip. My only regret is that we did not have another day on the boat.

Same as above! Unbelievable three days.

Same as above.