I found our home on Bali using the Internet. Before we came here I entered into negotiations with the owner but then we decided we would not commit to a house sight unseen. Instead we booked a night at a cheap guest house in Ubud and then contacted the owner once we got here.
I am REALLY glad we did it that way. It gave us a chance to see that we did not in fact want to stay right in Ubud (too busy for our our tastes) and we were able to spend half a day checking out other hotels and guesthouses to get a good idea of what money can buy you in Bali…..
You can get a very basic room for between 10 and 20 dollars. If you need a room with a few beds like we do this will run you a bit more…maybe 20 to 30 depending on the place. Our guesthouse cost us $27 for a huge room, with aircon and hot water and it included breakfast. This was the Internet rate and we could have gotten a better deal if we had decided to stay here. We checked out a bunch of other places that had pools. Family rooms seemed to cost around $50 per night in those places. We were told we would be able to negotiate way better rates but when we tried at the one we liked they only came down an extra $5 per night. We walked and they did not chase after us….
Then we saw the house that I had found earlier on the Internet. It is about 10 minutes outside of Ubud in a little traditional village. It was advertised on the Internet for $80 per night and we negotiated it down to a better price….totally worth it to have our own beds and a kitchen, not to mention the outdoor living space, walls of greenery, unbelievably friendly hosts, and the most amazing bathtub ever!
Would you like to have a look?
The downstairs open to nature living area…
Downstairs, open living area.
The kitchen.
Dining room.
The only rooms that actually have four walls and doors are the two bedrooms and two attached bathrooms. The rest of the house is open to nature which has been a really beautiful and new experience for us. It feels like we are cooking, eating, and lounging in the jungle!
My favourite spot.
Downstairs bedroom.
Looking out from downstairs bedroom.
Downstairs bathroom.
Green, green, green out our window!
Come on upstairs…
Stairs heading upstairs…our hosts had placed frangipani flowers everywhere we looked when we first arrived!
View from the top of the stairs.
Upstairs…
Upstairs bedroom.
The ceiling upstairs.
Upstairs bathroom
The bathtub! Whoop!
And the outside…
Our own little fish pond
The shrine where our host makes offerings to the spirits.
Bamboo platform.
Our welcome drinks!
What do you think?
20 comments
Alyson says:
March 6, 2013 at 5:51 pm (UTC -7 )
Wow! A bit pricey for us, but it’s gorgeous!
Heidi Wagoner says:
March 6, 2013 at 5:54 pm (UTC -7 )
WOW! It looks amazing. Now you are really making us want to explore that area. In Spain for now, but maybe later in the year or next year.
worldschooled says:
March 7, 2013 at 1:03 am (UTC -7 )
It is a pretty interesting place. Lots of culture, lots of great food but also very busy. We could actually see ourselves coming back to spend some more time here.
Bethaney - Flashpacker Family says:
March 6, 2013 at 7:39 pm (UTC -7 )
What a wonderful space! How does it feel having the open living space? It’s not to hot or buggy?
worldschooled says:
March 7, 2013 at 1:02 am (UTC -7 )
We really like it. The breezes are great so we don’t get too hot. The bugs? Well, there are a lot of them!
nothingbythebook says:
March 6, 2013 at 8:32 pm (UTC -7 )
I know I’ve commented before that I envy your life… today I REALLY envy your life.
worldschooled says:
March 7, 2013 at 1:01 am (UTC -7 )
We have ups and downs…it’s not all jungle views and pretty bathtubs!
ruth says:
March 6, 2013 at 9:03 pm (UTC -7 )
Really like it, good price for all of that.
Curious what the grey tub and shower surround and counter
tops are all made out of?
worldschooled says:
March 7, 2013 at 1:00 am (UTC -7 )
It is finished concrete. Super pretty!
Rebeca says:
March 6, 2013 at 10:53 pm (UTC -7 )
Gorgeous!
Living Outside of the Box says:
March 7, 2013 at 12:37 am (UTC -7 )
I love it! Where can we sign up?! Is the place available for a month, starting immediately after you leave?!! Any AC in the bedrooms? 😉
worldschooled says:
March 7, 2013 at 12:59 am (UTC -7 )
Just messaged you Alisa!
Lorena - A Life Type says:
March 14, 2013 at 8:08 pm (UTC -7 )
I love the open rooms! The place is adorable and it’s a great deal compare with
what you can get in Playa del Carmen for that money.
I know, it’s a different scenario but just saying 🙂
Shara says:
March 14, 2013 at 8:43 pm (UTC -7 )
Love it! Perfect for my ladies and me! When is it available?
tereza crump aka mytreasuredcreations says:
March 17, 2013 at 1:59 am (UTC -7 )
Beautiful home… simple and clean lines… I love all the empty spaces. 🙂 I don’t think I would feel comfortable with a shrine just outside my window though.
Claude says:
March 20, 2013 at 9:50 pm (UTC -7 )
Fantastic place. Great negotiating. Seems you are enjoying Ubud and Bali more than we did. That’s the thing about travel – we all see and feel things differently. Glad you’re loving it.
Curtis says:
March 27, 2013 at 11:01 am (UTC -7 )
Hello All:
Wow! That house looks absolutely amazing! It is like something out of Swiss Family Robinson. Now, I want to go.
OK, silly questions: Do you worry about snakes? I would be paranoid of finding one under the sofa or someplace. How about security? Are you concerned that in the middle of the night someone can just walk in?
Bali is on our to go list. Hopefully, we will get there some day.
Thanks!
worldschooled says:
March 28, 2013 at 2:07 am (UTC -7 )
Well we did not see any snakes the whole time we were there. We did come home one night to a spider the size of my hand in the bathroom! Our host told us that they are not dangerous though and that Balinese people actually grill them up and eat them!
Our house was in a Balinese family compound so we felt pretty safe. The bedrooms had locks and of course we locked the doors at night and locked up our stuff when we were not there.
You should totally go to Bali! We love it there!
Clara C Der says:
February 26, 2016 at 2:23 pm (UTC -7 )
Lovely!
We are headed there in Dec. of this year. As a family of 6, we are always on the lookout of good places to stay. Could you tell us more?
Thanks!
worldschooled says:
March 21, 2016 at 8:58 am (UTC -7 )
Check out airbnb.com