Van Santri Homestay Pemuteran

Pros +

• Review: The location of this hostel was absolutely central, which was perfect for exploring the area. The rooms were very clean, as well as the outdoor garden and communal spacesit was all well-maintained and beautiful. One thing I really appreciated was that our room had both an air conditioner and a fan, so we could choose which one to use (or both). On the positive side, they provided free drinking water, tea, and coffee all day, which was a nice touch. Also, the staff member we interacted with was very kind and helpful. Overall, a good stay, but the kitchen situation was disappointing.
• The room had good privacy and was a comfortable size. When I arrived the air conditioner in the room wasn't working and when i told the manager he had it fixed immediately. In general the manager is very friendly and responds quickly to questions and issues. There is a small fridge and kitchen area available. There is hot water for making tea/coffee. The terrace has a table & chair and makes for a very pleasant & private sitting area. They offer a reasonably priced laundry service but be sure to tell them not to perfume it if you are sensitive to smells.
• no mold smells in room, this was very important for me, good bike parking and good price some things in room are with heavy usage but everything works

Cons -

• However, there were some issues. In our room, the sink was leaking, and at some point, the water just started running out of it completely. That was a bit inconvenient. The biggest disappointment for me was the kitchen. One of the main reasons we booked this hostel was because it advertised having a kitchen, but in reality, it was very poorly equipped. There was only one pan and one pot, making it difficult to cook anything. There were also no basic essentials like salt, oil, dish soup or spices. Im not the best cook, but Im also not the worst, and still, everything stuck to the aluminum pan so badly that even making eggs was impossible. So if youre thinking, Oh, theres a kitchen, I wont book breakfast, I would strongly recommend booking breakfast in advance instead. If you decide to add breakfast later, the price is quite high.
• Although they provide drinking water, the dispenser is in a hot kitchen and therefore the water is quite warm and tastes like the plastic container. I chose to buy my own drinking water & only used that water for hot tea and toothbrushing water. The kitchen itself isn't very clean but it's not totally gross either. My bed was frequently visited by ants and some flying insects that liked to rest on it. There is no hot water but the bathroom isn't climate controlled so i guess it's alright to manage a cold shower in the heat of the room. The bathroom could use a scrub down, but so can every bathroom I've encountered in Bali so maybe it's just a difference in standards. They were a little weird about money. If they want payment up front they should take credit cards. I used their taxi service to go to Ubud and the driver pulled the typical scam of saying he was tired and would I mind if we stopped for a coffee and when i said agreed he went to some tourist trap location that pushed me into a tour of a coffee plantation and then a coffee purchase, meanwhile he got his coffee for free. So I'd think twice before using any of the extra services they are touting. But for a basic stay this place is fine.
• no hot water in shower, road a bit rusty, no good pot in kitchen and no kettle AC in general works but could be better