We had two forest suites for our family of 4 overlooking the rice field. One on top of the other. It wasn’t as bright and light looking as the website pictures which shows windows behind the bed and having a garden patio, but it was lovely all the same and we were very close to the pool which was super handy.
The rooms are huge and very clean and nicely decorated. The interior is maybe showing some signs of age and not a fancy 5 star style if that’s what you are looking for, but they are very comfortable and have a lovely rustic charm and we loved staying here. The huge dressing room was great! They left a lovely welcome basket of snacks and drinks and provided us with as much bottled water as we needed during the stay which we appreciated.
The pool area is beautiful and peaceful, with luxury loungers and staff on hand in a nearby hut to order food and drinks and keep the area always neat and tidy - and chase the monkeys away should they venture in for a visit! They came in once but other days we saw them swinging in the distance which the kids found very exciting to watch from the pool. We spent hours lounging by the gorgeous pool each day and hardly saw any other people. It was so peaceful, we felt like we had the resort to ourselves! Yet just outside the front driveway, you are right in the thick of so many great restaurants and shops! There is a mini market/dairy right out front. The breakfast and afternoon tea was just lovely, our kids loved it and we loved all the nearby restaurants we ate at. It was fun watching the monkeys make their way up the street each afternoon on the buildings and power lines. We didn’t even go into Monkey forest as we saw them a lot outside and my daughter was scared to get too close to so many in the forest. A 15 min walk to the right of the resort gets you to the Lotus temple, the markets, the palace and we even walked 10 mins further from there and did the Campuhan Ridge walk with a well deserved drink at a little jungle village we arrived at. We walked back to the track entrance and took a cab home super cheap as it was quite hot & there were several cabs waiting there. Our cab driver was so friendly, we ended up booking him for a half day sightseeing tour for $60NZD where he took us to the nearby Tegalalang rice fields, a waterfall and the Pura Irta Empul temple. He knew all the tricks with timings for less crowds and it was a great trip driving through local villages and being dropped at the entrance everywhere.
Turn left walking out of the hotel and in 10 mins you will be at the monkey forest with many good restaurants and bars. There’s shopping all the way along both ways. Such a great location with kids in the heat! We could explore for a few hours, return to swim and cool off, eat afternoon tea and then explore for more hours. The staff here were all so lovely and we felt so well looked after! Our room was serviced so early each day, help was only ever seconds away should you need it. It was a treat staying at this little boutique and we would definitely stay here again.
Thanks Komaneka Monkey Forest!!