I had the pleasure of staying here recently in these lovely cottages. So well presented and quiet. The bed was amazing and had a lovely rest. Close to all things ubud. Kelly, our host, was very professional and her staff so accomodating. Thank you.

I read about Bisma Cottages in The Solo Girl's Travel Guide so I checked it out when I was in Bali. Initially I booked the cottage for a month but ended up staying for two. The location is perfect! There's everything you could possible want on Jalan Bisma--restaurants, shops, convenient stores, laundry, spas, etc., without having to venture far if you didn't feel like it. It feels like it's a little out of the way but it's only short walk to Monkey Forest Road via a short cut, which takes you to many shops and restaurants and the center of Ubud.

The cottage itself is close to a dead end so it's very quiet. Once you enter its compound it's very secluded. Hardly hear a motorcycle or car. In the two months I was there, I never encountered a disrespectful guest--none of the partying, late night, noisy type. That suited me really well as I wasn't into all that. Plus I was working so I needed the peace and quiet!

I got to know the staff--Kadek, Gusti, and Made--really well. After a few days of staying there, they stared asking me where I was going whenever they saw me leaving. At first it irked me. You know the whole independent solo woman traveller thing. But once I realized that somebody ought to know where I'm going and the fact that they cared enough to ask I started volunteering my whereabouts to them. They made me feel safe. I also saw the owner, Kelly, daily as she lives there and we often chatted. She once heard me coughing and came down to check on me! You would not get this kind of personal service anywhere else!

What else? The whole place is clean including the room, the pool is refreshing on hot days, the bed and pillows perfect, the sheets so crisp, lots of storage space, refrigerator in the room was god sent, loved the balcony which became my living room . . . I liked everything about it but if Kelly were to ask me what to improve I'd say add more lighting please and only because I worked late into the night and I'm blind as a bat!

I will definitely stay at Bisma Cottages again but I'd book the deluxe cottage from the get-go as it's larger, has a kitchenette, and more natural light. Esp. for a long stay!

I found Bisma Cottages through “Solo Girls Travel Guide Bali” (youtube and book on amazon) so my comments are from the perspective of a solo traveler but I also saw couples and families enjoying Bisma Cottages too.

Yes Bimsa Cottages is in a great location, clean, lovely pool, very well maintained, beautiful grounds, and nice rooms. My only suggestion for improvement would be more lighting in the bathroom for makeup. That said... For me it was the experience and intangible (aspects that aren’t usually mentioned in a hotel description) benefits that makes it wonderful.

First thing that comes to mind when travelling solo is safety. It’s private yet I didn't feel like I was isolated or vulnerable/exposed in any way - I was happy to come home at night and I felt safe being there. If my 20 year-old niece were traveling by herself, I’d have peace of mind with her staying at Bisma Cottages.

Other things that are part of the experience are community and local knowledge and for me those were the best parts of my stay. I met Kelly and Kadek when I arrived and they made me feel at home right away – the amount of local knowledge and connections they have only comes from living there and years of experience helping visitors – from best place for a massage and tips on navigating Ubud during peak traffic time to helping me get a rental scooter (at a price I wouldn’t have been able to negotiate) and lining up a terrific guide to go to Tirta Empul Temple and do a water ceremony … who grew up going to the temple and genuinely loves sharing everything he knows.

Side note about guides – There are lots of things you can do on your own in Bali, but for a temple visit it’s better for visitors and locals to have a proper guide/ambassador with you. I met a couple at a café who said their driver dropped them off next to the water without providing proper supplies (sarong, offering), context, or instructions and they felt silly being there.

Back to Bisma – Great for solo travelers, I couldn’t find cleaner, nicer or better cost/benefit accommodations in Ubud, and I had experiences in Bali that met and/or exceeded my expectations because of the added benefits available at Bisma Cottages.