SD › Bali › Best Hotels › Royal Kamuela Villas & Suites Review
Updated: December 27, 2021
Essentials
• Location: Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud.
• Hotel website: kamuelavillas.com
• Hotel phone: +62 (0)361 970 099
• Check prices for Royal Kamuela Villas & Suites
The long main pool at Royal Kamuela has an attached jacuzzi and offers direct access from ground-level suites.
Royal Kamuela Villas & Suites – Tranquil and classy boutique resort in a central location.
As the brochure states, this resort is ‘exclusive, private, and luxurious’, yet remarkably, only meters from the main road with its many shops and cafés, and a short stroll to the renowned Monkey Forest. The Kamuela offers only twelve suites/villas scattered across either side of a creek and secluded behind walls amidst gardens dotted with Balinese carvings and shady palms. Each boasts a pool large enough for 4 and is surrounded by wooden decks. The décor is modern, with a few subtle Balinese touches, and adding to the appeal are the delightful open-air living/kitchen/dining areas and sunken bathtubs for couples. And everything – particularly the elongated desks and even the baths – overlook the private pools and gardens.
See Also
Royal Kamuela Villas & Suites – The Location
- Area: Lovely and untouched tropical setting, yet remarkably close to so many facilities. Faces a busy road with several shops and cafés in both directions. Only 350m from Monkey Forest.
- Address: Southern section of Jl. Monkey Forest in downtown Ubud, the most popular tourist region in central Bali.
- How to Get There: Best to arrange an airport pickup with the hotel, which is about 1.5 hours (35 km) away (depending on traffic). See other options under “Local Transport” below.
- Handy to: Monkey Forest.
Royal Kamuela Villas & Suites – The Basics
- Guests: Focuses almost entirely on couples, with a strict rule: no children under 16 allowed. Most guests seem to be below 40 and appreciate the convenient location.
- Views: All accommodations are secluded behind walls, so no general views.
- Kitchen: Each villa features a lovely open-air kitchen with a dining table.
- Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Some ground-floor suites offer direct access to the main pool. All villas feature private pools which are large enough for swimming.
- Parking: Virtually nowhere to park, and think long and hard before driving anywhere in Bali.
- How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
- Phone: +62 (0)361 970 099
- Email: ubudinfo@kamuelavillas.com
- Website: kamuelavillas.com
Royal Kamuela Villas & Suites – Amenities
- Pool: The sparkling pool is about 50m long and has a jacuzzi attached.
- Spa: Aum Spa is particularly inviting. Offers a range of soothing and indulgent treatments and well-trained staff.
- Fitness Center: Surprisingly large considering the limited number of guests.
Royal Kamuela Villas & Suites – Food and Drink
- Restaurant & Bar: A petite café faces the creek. Normally, only open to serve breakfast to guests. An attached bar opens from late afternoon.
- Breakfast: Included in all rates. Can be delivered to the rooms or served at the café.
- Room Service: Breakfast is available at any time. Otherwise, there is no room service as there’s no proper functioning café on-site.
Royal Kamuela Villas & Suites – Rooms
- Room Types: Suite with Balcony • Suite Pool Access • One Bedroom Villa • List of all Rooms
- Smoking Rooms: Fairly strict about smoking on the premises, so check with reception.
- Best Room: The One Bedroom Villas are particularly romantic. Very spacious, with private pools and 2 bathtubs.
- For Families: Not set up for families, and children under 16 are not allowed. Each suite/villa has a daybed which can convert into a single bed. Or book 2 suites with connecting doors.
Royal Kamuela Villas & Suites – Local Transport
- Walking & Cycling: Ubud is surprisingly spread out and distances can be deceivingly long, but there are plenty of places to eat, drink, and shop within walking distance of the resort. A few hardy expats ride bicycles but traffic in central Ubud and hilly roads elsewhere ensure that cycling is rarely enjoyable.
- Public Transport: There is no reliable public transport anywhere in or around Ubud.
- Cars, Motorbikes, & Taxis: Driving a car is not recommended anywhere in Bali, but motorbikes are popular for visiting local attractions without the traffic of southern Bali. Both can be rented from agencies downtown. Metered taxis from southern Bali can drop passengers off in Ubud but are forbidden to operate here. So the best (and really, only) option for day trips is to charter a car with a driver. This can be organized with any of the several drivers hanging around the streets or better, through the hotel.
- Shuttle Bus: For towns popular with tourists (e.g. Kuta and Lovina), shuttle buses are comfortable and cheap, if a little overcrowded at times. Local operators, including the major island-wide company, Perama, will pick up (but not drop off) guests from hotels. The Kura-Kura Bus company links Ubud with southern Bali, but schedules are convoluted and routes, confusing.
Royal Kamuela Villas & Suites – What’s Nearby?
Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars
- Wanara Kitchen – Cute, vibrant, and friendly for all sorts of meals at pleasing prices. Opposite the hotel entrance.
- De’warung – Popular hangout covered with hanging vines. Grills, pasta, vegetarian meals, and rijstaffel (shared plates of Indonesian food). About 50m north.
- Pringgas Grill Ubud – Leafy setting for Japanese food, grills, and seafood. Also popular for happy hours and the colorful art. Just past De’warung.
- Maha Restaurant/Bar – Lounge chairs facing the street and pretty garden at the back. Go for the delicious food and tempting happy hours. About 50m south of the hotel.
- Brata Café – Quaint and leafy, with a handful of tables and lots of charm. Opposite the Maha.
Nearby Shops
No shortage of minimarts and other shops of varying quality along Monkey Forest Road.
- Uluwatu – Very elegant boutique selling gorgeous things made from lace. 200m north up the road.
Nearby Attraction
- Monkey Forest – May seem a little touristy, and is certainly crowded, but worth visiting (early) for the eerie setting, ancient temples, and mischievous inhabitants. (Hang on to everything.) 350m down Monkey Forest Road.
Royal Kamuela Villas & Suites – The Hotel
The Royal Kamuela Villas & Suites resort is along the southern end of Monkey Forest Road, the main thoroughfare in Ubud, the most popular tourist region in central Bali.
The hotel stretches across a forested valley and on either side of a creek.
The hotel café alongside the creek is normally only open to serve breakfast to guests.
The café at the hotel also features a bar.
Suites and villas are accessible along paths and via the bridge across the creek.
The pool villas feature spacious, open-air living rooms.
Villas are secluded, so they only overlook the impressively long private pools and gardens.
The décor and furnishings in the villas are especially stylish.
Maximum possible windows ensure plenty of light.
Villas feature open-air kitchens/dining areas alongside the private pools.
One of many great eateries along the main road is Wanara Kitchen, opposite the hotel entrance.
Only 50m north of the hotel entrance is the pleasant hangout, De’warung café.
Also within a 1-minute walk from the hotel, Pringgas Grill is popular for Japanese food.
Not obvious from the street is the pretty garden setting at Maha Restaurant, about 50m south of the hotel.
Particularly endearing and inviting, Brata Café is less than 100m south of the hotel.
The hotel faces Monkey Forest Road, which is lined with all sorts of shops, cafés, and other facilities.
About 350m south of the hotel is the famous Monkey Forest sanctuary. Check rates and availability: Royal Kamuela Villas & Suites
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