A slice of heaven”

A Slice Of Heaven. I felt very welcomed from the moment Wayan picked me up from Nusa Dua to the time I was dropped off at the Airport- personal service was fantastic. This was by the far one of the most memorable, relaxing and sublime places I have stayed at a Retreat amongst the jungle. The owners thought of every thing down to a tee. A delightful couple to be amongst- very kind, thoughtful and accommodating- thank you Richard and Rani! :) Your staff are like a family and they definitely made me feel right at home and apart of the family community- always so kind, joyful with big hearts. So many activities to participate in - Rice Field Trekking, Cycling down the mountain to be welcomed by the Hot Springs for a long relaxing dip- fabulous. Cooking Classes, Jungle Treks, Kite Making, Massage Service.. just to name a few. Was very impressed with the activities provided. Lastly the accommodation blew me away. Yoga studios available for yoga retreats . Being a solo traveller- I loved my room - Standard Teak House Room King Size bed, complimentary daily cleaning service, fresh water, plenty of storage space, stunning view and the price.... 25 US ! Wowzas. So a big thank you from me to you Bali Mountain Retreat- I rate you guys very highly!! Blessings from Perth - Claire :) :)

Total Bliss!”

Our holiday started with four nights at Bali Mountain Retreat and were looking forward to being somewhere away from the usual tourist areas. We loved every moment of being here, it defenitely is the perfect place to wind down and feel connected with the beautiful surrounds and meeting the locals. It really felt like we were on a retreat. We stayed in a superior teakhouse room and it was bigger than expected. The bed was very large and comfortable and a lovely semi outdoor bathroom. The food was simple Balinese style and freshly cooked every day. We had some fantastic massages which helped relaxing even further. Richard the owner introduced himself to all the guests and told us about his very interesting life and how he built the retreat. We appreciated the use of recycled timber that has been incorporated into the unique architecture of the building. We went for lovely walks along the paddy fields and picked fresh fruits along the way. Every morning we sat at the look out and watched the early morning sunrises and in the afternoons we chilled out with a book and a cool drink. I would like to suggest just one thing: when we arrived around 8.45 in the evening, the kitchen was already closed and we could only get a small snack. Otherwise, we truely had a beautiful experience and will defenitely come back again and recommend this gem to others who are seeking a different part of Bali. Thank you Richard and Rani!

Food for the soul”

I needed a perfect retreat to recover from meeting everyone else's demands and just be selfish for a few days. I wanted time to myself and slow down. Randomly came across Bali Mountain Retreat on a web search and it looked perfect on paper. When I arrived, it was perfect in reality. Fresh air. Random pets wandering the garden as I sat out reading. The most amazing food - shout out to Putri for her brilliant cooking! Genuine smiles and attention to detail from the owners and staff - all they wanted was for me to have a wonderful stay and I suspect, appreciate why they themselves love the place as much as they do. I'm a pretty demanding traveller and I honestly can't think of anything I would change. Gede, my trekking guide, was eager to show and tell me everything I'm curious about his backyard and home. Lucy, a lovely lady, gave me the best massage I've had. The knots and tensions on my shoulders went away. I left feeling content and much lighter in spirit. Richard and Rani - thank you for your hospitality. I'll be back and I look forward to another random conversation on the merits of democracy, crop rotation and diversification, spirituality versus religious dogma. :) R

Paradise in a quiet part of Bali”

Stayed twice during our last trip to Bali in this quiet retreat. Situated a couple of hours from the airport and about an hour from Ubud in the less developed Western side of Mount Batukaru. Definitely a highlight of our trip. Provides easy access to nature walks, cycling and short car trips in a gorgeous, photogenic area. Arrange a day trip with Gede - you will not be disappointed. For those who want to appreciate "natural", traditional Bali. Great staff. Good food at reasonable price and pure filtered water provided free (so no plastic bottles to throw away). Food is made for Western tastes but staff is more than willing to spice it up when asked. There are various types of accommodation at good prices for what each provides. We stayed in the Lotus House, and twice in the Teak house - once in an en suite and once without. No complaints although the community bathrooms for rooms that are not en suite could be busy with a full house. The wonderful ambience of the place is what sets it apart. If you want to really relax this is the place. They also have a nice looking spa area which we did not partake of.

Peaceful”

This is a fantastic hotel. Beautiful site with great rooms high up in the mountains. The food is excellent, probably the best I've had in Bali (Can't speak for my wife, I'll get in trouble, but sure she enjoyed it too). The hotel hosts cooking and craft classes with the excellent staff. Sadly didn't get time to do the craft class during our stay but the cooking class was good fun and shows how easy it can be to prepare some lovely meals. The bird nest is a beautiful place to sit, either on a clear day, to look out towards the distant mountains, or during the rain its as close as you can get to it without being wet. I didn't use them but there appeared to be excellent yoga facilities (outdoors but covered). Plenty of films and books you can borrow from the hotel to watch in your room or read wherever you wish. It's very peaceful uo there, make sure you've prepared some reading material or meditation plans. There a couple of nice walks but you are in the mountains so don't expect to go anywhere other than a (very) small local village during your stay.

Perfect hide-away with a view on the mountains”

We had not realized that this hotel was so far away from everything else and we booked only one night there, with the view to trek in the Jatiluwih rice-fields on the way from the central mountains. Unfortunately, it is actually quite far (several hours) from those rice-fields and we therefore haven't been able to see them. So this place is a great choice if you plan to trek in the region, rent a bicycle, enjoy the spa and/or go for a yoga/dance/music or whatever retreat. It is quiet and magnificient. However, this is not the place to stay if you are planning to visit the must-see of Bali in a short time. In a nutshell, it took us a long time to get there (it is about 3/4 hours from the central mountains area and 2,5 hours from Denpasar) but discovering this lovely place completely made it up and we definitely recommend it.

A beautiful peaceful retreat off the tourist route”

I had an excellent stay at the Bali Mountain Retreat, the highlight of my stay in Bali. It gave me the opportunity to experience and witness how the indigenous Balinese live in farming communiites and explore the beutiful surrounds.

Would love to return!”

I really enjoyed my stay at Bali Mountain Retreat, it is a great place to go if you want to leave everything behind and relax for awhile. The staff and accommodation here are wonderful and make sure you get to know Putu!

Paradise in Bali”

I absolutely love this place, but I am a nut for a cooler rainforest and considered Balinese architecture everywhere. Set near a traditional village and staffed by delightful local young women who can often be heard laughing, with great food, often sourced from the gorgeous garden, what’s to complain about? Plenty of great places to explore locally, with guides provided, rice paddy heaven, local river dip, Mount Bakaturu or the nearby temple. Awaken to the chants and gamelan from the temple, a ceremony which is also held at the middle of the day and at sunset. Also available as a retreat centre. The 3 star rooms are full of character and beauty, and set in a 5 star natural environment with priceless hospitality. If you squeal at the sound of creatures at night it’s not for you, but neither is mountainous rainforest. I’ve been here for five nights and haven’t had one mosquito bite. So much cooler and milder than Ubud. Every day the weather has been divine, and it’s late April.

Beautiful setting”

We really enjoyed our time at Bali Mountain Retreat. The food is fabulous! The setting is very beautiful. You won't be disappointed!

Back to nature”

If you spent most of your time in Bali in traffic jams in kuta and Ubud and wonder where the real Bali is then look no further. It's quiet, no motor bikes, roosters or dogs barking. They can take you on mountain jungle walks and you can get a hot stone massage afterwards. No tv, decent internet, peaceful. Putu manages the reservations and leads the hikes in good English and knowledge of cacao and coffee farming.

Perfect place”

Bali Mountain Retreat is the perfect place if you are looking for a quiet place within the mountain/jungle.

Our first pleasan stay”

We knew little about BMR and only got to know from the internet. Although we had been advised about its location, we managed to find our way quite easily (thanks to the map provided by BMR). We enjoy the tranquility, the staff friendliness, Rani's warmth welcome, the accommodation, etc. We would like extend our appreciation to the female staffs who not only manage the restaurants but also manning the reception and answer to all the enquiries. I would highly recommend BMR to those who wants to experience a relaxing stay in Tabanan.

Quiet, peaceful, refreshing ”

This is a place unlike most places in Bali. It is probably like what Ubud was 20 years ago. You won't find any shopping to do here, no one trying to sell you things, no bars... Only quiet and peace. The mountains are beautiful. The hikes are refreshing. It's real Bali village life. People really dress in their traditional clothes not because its the hotel dress code but because that is what most people traditionally really wear in bali.

Beautiful place but isolated”

The retreat is beautiful. As it was raining a lot we used the yoga room upstairs a lot and we really enjoyed it. We expected better food due to the price and the reviews we had read There were no motorbikes to rent and we did not expect that. We would have not booked two nights if we had known it as we had little mobility and the retreat is quite isolated.

Perfect Retreat in Central Bali”

Not easy to get to, but go there because it is a wonderfully secluded retreat in a spectacular natural setting. I stayed in the Lotus Cottage and really enjoyed the privacy--I looked out into the rain forest. The food in the restaurant was very good, especially the salads, but if you are there for more than 3 days you might run out of choices. The service from staff was a little up and down at first, but all was resolved and I felt well taken care of during my stay. The hot stone massage is extraordinary and should not be missed. Thank you Rani and Richard for all your many kindnesses during my stay!! I look forward to coming back again!

Save your money - not what you think”

We were really looking forward to our stay at The Bali Mountain Retreat after reading all the great reviews, and we thought this would be a "splurge" during our trip. Though the location was remote and the place was nice and clean, but definitely not worth the money or the long and expensive transport to and from the location. We thought the "mountain view" would actually be more of a mountain vista and all you could see was dense jungle vegetation without a fantastic view. Our room was dark and musty and the sheets rough-like linen. We also did the "rice trek" which was also extremely overpriced and didn't match the description of what we thought we signed up for...the guide was nice, but the trek was overpriced for a 2.5 hr walk down the road and the edge of a rice field (no temple, no stream, no home visit as promised). We also booked our outward transport to Lovina for $60 and were told it would include an all day trip with side excursion to to temples, rice fields and the lake. Our driver stopped at the temple, we got a snapshot of the rice fields (he didn't tell us about the day trekking option in Jatileweh), and we were taken to a cheesy buffet place for lunch at the lake (which we didn't eat). We were supposed to arrive in Lovina at 5 pm but got there at 1:30. So much for the day trip we paid extra for. Disappointing all around!

Rural peace and quiet in a fantastic setting”

All I wanted was to find a piece of the original Bali and I finally found it here, hope to come back for longer, too much to explore. I morphed back into a traveller from the mistreated passing tourist, felt really for once welcome. My room was all in wood, nice and comfortable, loved the jug with water filtered form the spring. Owner and staff super nice ready to organise any activity to fill your day...

Tranquil and beautiful place to relax with wonderful staff ”

We absolutely loved the four nights three days at BMR. We wished we took more advantage of the guided walks but thoroughly enjoyed the one walk we did do with lovely Eka. BMR is set in the most serene and beautiful forest/jungle area of the mountain. We’ll definitely be going back soon!

Much needed rest and relaxation”

Good food, breath-taking views, fresh air, kind and attentive staff, clean and simple lodging. I consider it a fortunate thing that the heater was not working for our bathroom because the ice cold water from the mountains was as fresh as it gets, would definitely come back!