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Review submitted by Mike and Gloria from Kent (Submitted: 19 Feb 2013)
This is the REAL Bali, quiet, picturesqe and without the "hard sell" of the south. Villa was exceptionally clean and well maintained and with the friendliness of Graeme and Sadik (owners) we could wish for no more. Car hire was so cheap that we hired one for the whole 7 weeks, delivered and collected to our door, all arranged by Graeme. Fantastic holiday !
Review submitted by Alison from Torquay (Submitted: 27 Nov 2012)
My first trip to Asia as a solo traveller, after a long journey, welcomed by management & showed to my villa. Woke up in the morning after a good nights sleep to look around the tropical gardens and my very own private pool. The villa is set in a quiet location , a little off the beaten track, your own transport would be ideal, bikes and motorbikes for rent, however I do not drive. Once the management became aware I did not drive, I was given a complimentary bicycle and most days management took me into Lovina and also out on a few tours.
After a few days I became confident to use the public bemo service, ok it stops running at 6pm but if I needed to go into Lovina in the evenings I just asked the staff to take me in for little cost!
The villa its self was set up for self catering, a good outside kitchen, most days I had breakfast then relaxed by my pool. The staff at Luhluna were very friendly and Sadik could not do enough to make me feel welcome.
Review submitted by Helen from Essex (Submitted: 10 Sep 2012)
The villa was very comfortable and clean. The ground staff were fantastic, they kept the villa immaculate. Yhe pool was perfect, very nice size size and maintained very well.
The location was slightly awkward for us as we had no personal transport, had to rely on sadik and local bemos (public transport) to get into the main town of lovina.
The village and villagers were very friendly and gave you a true taste of balinese life.
We took up the offer of pick up from the airport, highly recommend it. very efficient and waiting for us as we stepped through the airport. Took slightly longer than we thought, 4 hrs in total!! however on the return leg it only took 2hrs.
Review submitted by Helen from Essex (Submitted: 10 Sep 2012)
We really enjoyed our stay at luhluna, the staff made our stay very comfortable and kept the vila and the surrounding areas immaculate. The staff and Sadik were very helpful and did anything to help make our stay pleasant.
The pool was gorgeous, a very good size and again very clean.
The village and villagers were really friendly, basics for the kitchen could be purchased for cooking and only a very small walk.
We didnt have transport arranged for our stay and that did limit us slightly. The main town of lovina (about 4k away) was accessed using public bemos , very good and frequent, but only run till 6pm. Sadik very kindly gave us a taxi into the town, but we were left relying on cars, whereas we both would have liked to have been able to walk into town.
overall we had a fantastic stay and would strongly recommend it to a friend, however we would say that if you want to be able to go out and eat every night, perhaps the location isnt perfect.
Review submitted by Tim from Toronto (Submitted: 5 Mar 2012)
We had an absolutely great time. Stayed at Luhluna for three weeks in late Jan 2012 with my significant other and our 4 month old son.
We used the offered pickup service. Transport was waiting for us at the airport in spite of our flight arriving at 1 AM and delivered us to the Villa by 3:30 AM. We were greeted by three people who moved our luggage, gave us a quick tour and then left us to sleep. Next morning they waited until we were up and then served us a complimentary breakfast.
The Villa is beautiful with lots of carved wood and tile floors. The air conditioned bedroom has lots of closet space and a very comfortable double bed. There is a large tile open concept bathroom with lots of hot water for the shower. The main room is long and divided into two sitting areas one of which contains a pull out double couch. The front door leads to a porch which has another couch, coffee table, 2 easy chairs and a kitchen table for 2. The porch overlooks an infinity pool. It is much more than a plunge pool being 6ft at the deep end and long enough to get some exercise in. The pool was cleaned and serviced every morning so we had no hesitation swimming with our son.
The grounds are gorgeous and contain the family temple, meditation/massage pavilion, separate kitchen building, bird flight cage and the living quarters for our host and the Villa’s staff of 3. Their living quarters are at the back of the grounds and designed in such a way that we didn’t know it was there until the second day of our stay. The landscaping and gardens are professionally done and produce a cool and serene atmosphere. The Villa property abuts banana/coconut forest on three sides which, along with the sounds of chickens and cows made us really feel that we were away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
The Villa is located off a small side road in the village of Bingin Baniah which is home to approx 200 people. Walking the road introduced us to daily life in rural Bali. With our son in his backpack we quickly got to know all of our neighbors, started learning the language and rapidly felt quite at home. One end of the side road leads to the rice fields and the other stops at the main road leading to Lovina.
The staff was great. Bookings and financial arrangements were done through Graeme, an English expat who is the business manager. Sadik is the owner and hostess. Her English is excellent and having grown up in the area she was able to arrange for a masseuse and a baby sitter to come to the villa. The other staff are part of her extended family and really made our life easy. They happily looked after our son for a few hours here and there, taught us how to grill fish and showed us how to make a couple of very yummy sauces. We had lots of privacy but were able to watch with interest the daily offerings required by Balinese Hinduism and get an insight into family life, something that we were not privileged to see during the rest of our stay in Bali.
We did not use the TV but noted that it received a number of channels. We did use the laundry service and found it quick, easy and inexpensive. For transport into Lovina we rented a scooter but also used the local Bemo. Walking into Lovina takes approx ½ an hour and is best avoided during the mid day heat.
We cooked most of our own meals and found the kitchen user friendly. Ants were a problem if we left debris on the counter but quickly disappeared once we increased our cleaning. Fruit, eggs and dry goods are available in the Village but the occasional trip to Lovina is required if you are going to self cater. If you are not going to cook for yourselves you will need transport as there are not many restaurants with in walking distance.
Prices at Luhluna were exactly as advertised. Were very grateful when our host informed us that the prices at the village stands were the same for us as what they charged the locals and that trying to negotiate a better price was not a good idea. Tourism has not come to Bingin Baniah which explains why everybody in the village was so happy to try and talk to us. Internet access is not available in the village but will only cost you a bottle of beer at a number of spots in Lovina.
In summery we could not have asked for anything more. It was a great spot to explore the north and central part of the island and we will be delighted to return there sometime in the future.
Review submitted by Marie-Claire from Ballaison, France (Submitted: 23 Jan 2012)
A charming address for a truly friendly Balinese experience. You are taking care of as if you were a member of the family, yet with full attention to preserve your privacy. Beautiful surroundings, perfectly clean and very comfortable accommodation. We stayed for one week and were sorry to leave!! Hope to go back one day....
Review submitted by chris from london (Submitted: 8 Jan 2012)
Stayed here for Easter 2011 what an amazing time. From the staff picking me up at the airport to dro pping me off again I could not of wished for a more relaxing holiday. Graham and his family go above and beyond to make you stay perfect. As for value you could never beat this anywhere. I would recommend this villa 100%.
Review not verified by RentalSystems* (Submitted: 20 Sep 2011)
My friend and were here for just under a week in September. The owner of the property, Graeme, did absolutely everything in his power to make sure we had everything we needed everyday. The place was clean and relaxing, the food was amazing, and the people in the area were friendly. 5 stars all around!
Review submitted by Peter from Cambridge - UK (Submitted: 8 Aug 2011)
We had a lovely time at Luhluna and were very well looked after.
Review submitted by Thi from Paris (Submitted: 12 Jun 2011)
Très bel séjour dans cette belle maison. Toute la famille de Graeme est formidable et Ming est très serviable. La petite piscine est tout simplement sublime. Cette maison est à conseiller pour tous, surtout ceux qui veulent connaitre plus intimement la vie balinaise. Thank you Graeme and to all your family for this wonderful stay, hope to see you all very soon.
Review not verified by RentalSystems* (Submitted: 26 May 2011)
Lahluna was an amazing place. From the moment we pulled up we were greeted by smiles and warm welcomes. You feel relaxed as soon As you pass through the gates and set your eyes upon the villa , tropical gardens and lovely pool. Graeme and his family made us so welcome and were so very helpful giving us advice on what to do and where to visit. Graeme even gave me scooter lessons and was very patient with me as I had never ridden one before. It was an amazing holiday and two weeks really wasnt enough . We will be going back year after year that is for sure. Do yourself a favor and go visit with Graeme and his family you will not regret it.
Review not verified by RentalSystems* (Submitted: 16 Mar 2011)
I had a great time with Graeme and the family and felt well looked after. Its a super secluded tropical retreat with a great little pool -all very well maintained and cared for.
Review not verified by RentalSystems* (Submitted: 18 Nov 2010)
My wife and I have stayed here 3 times now and really like it. It gives us the chance to learn more about the Bali culture, and brush up on our Indonesian language, and interact with the local community. The staff are very helpfull, and speak very good english. You have a choice to self cater, or take a short drive to Lovina central to take advantage of the many places to eat. You can be a little more adventurous and take the local bus, along with produce and animals.. LOL. Its all there and more, go for it!