Bamboo is a wonderful material. It’s ecologically friendly, it grows ridiculously quickly, and it can be used to build everything from homes to bicycles, and pandas love to eat it too.
Bambootel takes bamboo and elevates it to the level of a luxury resort. It’s a place of unique villas and suites where you can enjoy a truly stunning break from the norm.
Our team couldn’t wait to get out to Bambootel and see if this beautiful location lived up to its initial promise, and this is what we learned while we were there.
Our In-Depth Assessment Of Bambootel Sawah View
Every review we conduct is carried out in the same way using the same criteria, which allows us to deliver reviews that are easy to compare side-by-side and for us to treat the hotels, their staff, managers and owners fairly.
Hotel Type: Boutique
Area of Bali: Ubud
Star Rating: 5-star
Typical Minimum Price per Night: 4,000,000 IDR (roughly $250 USD or $400 AUD) per night, with the note that room rates vary depending on the room you want and availability
Bambootel Sawah View Address: Banjar Maniktawang, Manukaya, Kec. Tampaksiring, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80552
Bambootel Sawah View Website: Bambootel
Room Types: Suite Room with Pool Access, Deluxe Suite with Jacuzzi, One Bedroom Sky Villa, One Bedroom Pool Villa, Sawah View Pool Villa, Two Bedroom Pool Villa, and Three Bedroom Pool Villa
Facilities: Pool, Maniq Restaurant, The Nini Restaurant, Fitness Centre, Wellness Centre, activities (including walks, cultural dinners, cooking classes, etc.), free sunset cocktails, twice weekly BBQ dinners, picnic lunches on the rice terraces, access to Maniktawang Village, destination tours, Balinese offering making classes, silver crafting, purification rituals, water meditation sessions, and movie screenings.
This is one of our review team’s top picks of hotels in Ubud.
Cleanliness and Maintenance
With this kind of resort experience, if anything isn’t quite clean or the maintenance isn’t being done, you’re going to notice, and it’s going to impact how you feel about the whole stay.
So, we’re happy to report that the staff are extremely proactive, ensuring that you never have any complaints on these fronts.
Sleep Quality
The beds are gorgeous and super comfortable; you can easily melt into them and get an amazing night’s sleep. The location ensures that there’s no noise to leak into the room, just the gentle sound of Bali’s natural world.
Staff Attitude And Service Culture
The staff are truly exceptional, from the meet and greet at the airport from their driver (who brings a cold towel, a choice of water and some cookies for the drive – which is a lovely touch) onwards. They will ensure you have an incredible experience at Bambootel Sawah View.
Check-in/Check-out Experience
The check-in experience is very good, and we were quickly in our rooms after we arrived; however, we’d like to see an online check-in facility at a resort like this.
Bathroom Quality & Functionality
The bathrooms are perfectly adequate for the task, though the water pressure was a little bit less than expected. The toiletries are really nice.
Value For Money
This is a very nice resort, and we feel that we got our money’s worth, but there’s no doubt that competition at the high-end in Bali is really stiff, and while there are aspects of Bambootel that really stand out from the rest, there are also some aspects where it lags a little behind.
Food And Beverage Execution
We felt that the food and drinks were outstanding and that the cocktail hour (free drinks for an hour every day) had some of the most beautifully made creations on the island.
It would be very easy just to come to Bambootel to eat and drink if it were open to the public and we lived a little closer to the hotel.
Location & Immediate Surroundings
This is in a very safe area and in a beautiful location in the rice fields. However, it’s also a long walk from the city centre and a reasonable drive too.
It’s pretty close to some amazing waterfalls, though, so if you like country hikes, you’ll be very happy.
Facilities & Amenities Vs Promise
The facilities and amenities at this hotel are very good, and they are in line with the promises made in the marketing material.
However, there aren’t very many of them, which is fine for a resort of this size (it’s pretty small), but it does mean that long stays might get a little boring.
Overall “Personality”
We don’t think that there are many resorts in the world with as much personality and distinct style as Bambootel Sawah View. When you show people your holiday pics, they will be jealous.
You’re very unlikely to forget staying in this wonderful spot in the Balinese countryside.
Summary: Our Overview Of Bambootel Sawah View
We loved our short break at Bambootel Sawah View. This resort is stunning, and we can’t imagine anyone not enjoying some time here.
However, there’s not that much to do, and we probably wouldn’t select it for a long stay unless we were looking for a getaway from the world. If you want amenities, there are better options in this price bracket that will keep you more entertained.
Overall, though, we are very happy to recommend this place to anyone.
Grading: Excellent/Highly Recommended
Other great places to stay in Ubud include Bisma Eight and Tanah Gajah.
FAQs
Is Bambootel Sawah View Family Friendly?
No, not really. Because this is a boutique getaway with an emphasis on romance and solitude, there is a hotel policy that prevents guests under the age of 14 from staying here.
So, unless you have older teens travelling with you, Bamboo Sawah View is very much not a family-friendly resort.
Final Thoughts On Bambootel Sawah View
This is a small-ish resort, and that means it has fewer features than some of the other resorts in Ubud. You stay at Bambootel because you adore the look and feel of the place and want to make wonderful memories.
It’s an ideal spot for a romantic getaway or to celebrate a major anniversary or achievement in your life. But we’re not sure we’d choose this for a long stay, when we wanted to spend a lot of time in the resort, we’d probably want more to do.
