After saying goodbye to my beloved Dusun I had high hopes for another nearby villa – Javana Royal Villas. The online reviews had been pretty decent and on paper the place sounded amazing, but in actual fact, these “royal” villas ended up being nothing more than a royal letdown.
Yes, at a glance, this villa does look very beautiful – and don’t get me wrong, it is. But when a place costs $600 USD per night, looking good is just not enough. The devil is in the details with this place, and that is where it really let us down.
Firstly, one of the appeals of a stay at Javana was the fact that it offered a private hot tub!
Turns out that this ‘hot tub’ was a total joke. With a tiny tap like you would expect to find in a bathroom sink and water that never got warmer than lukewarm – a hot tub was totally impossible. After leaving the water running for around an hour the tub was still only around 1/5th full and the water had gone stone cold. We gave up on the idea of a hot tub because it obviously was a promise that would not be delivered.
So after we discovered that our hot tub hopes were not to be fulfilled, I decided instead to wash the Bali sweat off my body with a nice shower.
But even a nice shower was not to be. There was NO hot water! How a supposedly luxury villa can forgo hot water is beyond me, but believe me when I say that I was far from impressed.
Another whinge about the bathroom – there was no door! Don’t get me wrong, I am no prude about nudity, but a toilet door is just commonsense! There are boundaries in an early relationship that should just not be crossed – and the potential to hear the object of your affections empty their bowels is one such boundary. Bleugh.
Other frustrations? The wi-fi didn’t work and I had to seek staff to fix it, the television also was not properly hooked up and I had to call staff again to fix it. These are all pretty minor complaints, but when you add them together and consider the $600 per night price tag, one really does get the feeling that they really are not getting good value for their hard earned cashola.
Room service was adequate but nothing special and honestly, the place is just forgettable.
So, I guess it kinda goes without saying that I would not recommend Javana Villas to anyone planning a trip to Bali!
Am I being a little bit nitpicky on the smaller parts of the accommodation? Possibly.
Have I been utterly spoilt this year by many other amazing hotels and resorts? Without a doubt.
Does this mean that I could be being a little overly harsh on Javana? I cannot rule it out.
So. This has been my experience at Javana, but I acknowledge the fact that other people may have had or may have better experiences. If any of you (my lovely readers) have ever stayed at Javana Royal Villas, please let me know in the comments, I would love to hear about how you found the place.
T H E L O W D O W N
Getting to Bali: Flights to Bali are frequent, check out adioso.com to find the cheapest dates to fly
Getting to Javana Royal Villas: Javana Villas are approx a 25-30 minute drive from Denpasar Airport
Javana Villas: Rates start at $600 USD per night in the low season
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 lens
What to Pack: Bathers baby!
Remember: There are hundreds of villas in Bali, do some research before you decide on one
Don’t forget to add me on Snapchat and Instagram – @wwellend – for more foolishness and travel adventures!
$600 bones a night? Whoooa!!!! The place isn’t as nice as others you’ve been to but that price is a wee bit high.
I know right! Definitely not worth the price!
Reblogged this on Travel Guides & Blogs.
I wouldn’t pay $600 per night for any place, other than maybe a Presidential Suite at a major hotel in NYC, London, Paris or Hong Kong.
I must say, having stayed at fancy places in the Maldives and the Philippines, I can see why some places are so exxy (the service is unbelievable) but yep, this place totally did not cut the mustard.
Thank you for being honest in your opinions of a place it helps us all.
I totally agree, I am all about the honesty!
I’ve never stayed there, but this doesn’t sound like it was worth the $600 price tag. It sucks when you stay at a place that doesn’t live up to your expectations. Did you try to call the front desk to see if they could turn the hot water up to fill the tub?
Karlie http://thetatteredpassport.wordpress.com
I could have, but after already calling them twice in regards to the tv and the wifi, I was just over it 🙁
I totally understand that!
lovely and honest narration…….
Thanks so much for reading!
Yikes! That must’ve been rather disappointing. Especially if other online reviews were decent. And the toilet door!?? Oh no! 🙁
I know! What the heck?! Kind of a big thing to overlook!
That is such a shame, the hotel looks beautiful
Hey 🙂 Just wanted to tell you, that it is so much fun following you on snapchat! 😀
Yes! That is what I like to hear! Did you see the recent ones from Japan?
Not yet, but I will 😉
Oh, wait on Snapchat I saw them! 😀
Sorry you had such a bad experience, it almost seems impossible with the beauty of teh place, but you’re right the devil is in the details!
Lookin at the room no one would imagine the service could be so much
dissapointing
http://www.mohitarts.wordpress.com
‘Nitpicky on the smaller parts of the accommodation’ – I wouldn’t even call it smaller parts… Nowadays wi-fi is a must, and a bathroom door is also quite an important thing to have in my opinion (not only for an early relationship!) Too bad that your stay at what seems to be a beautiful place had to be like that :/
I totally agree! It was quite a letdown 🙁
True what they say, ‘looks can be deceiving’ – very poor for the price tag.
This was a very witty and upbeat review that really conveys how you made the best of a bad situation. I would be so annoyed if I’d spent that much money and had so many things go wrong. As you say, it’s all the little things put together – especially the lack of toilet door – I am also not a prude in any way shape or form, but I like to shut the smell away!!!
Hahaha yep – me too!