A beautiful oasis that I can't wait to get back to. I stayed in the Angsa room and it was wonderful. The rooms are set out so that you feel like you are in your very own sanctuary. They each have their own private entry and are surrounded by beautiful lush tropical gardens featuring frangipanis, hibiscus, and lots of other tropical plants. There are water features everywhere and you can hear the continual soothing sound of water from the rooms which adds to the lovely ambience of the place. The entry to the Angsa is over a small walkway which leads to a porch with a daybed and table setting where you can sit and have breakfast each morning. Your outlook is a beautiful pond filled with giant flowering lilly pads and lush tropical plants of all descriptions. From the room you look out to the rice paddies and watch the village people working out in the rice paddies. The bathroom is another highlight as it is huge and features not only a bath but an open air shower which also shares the wonderful view of the rice paddies and tropical vegetation. The breakfast is also great, the in house made muesli was to die for as well as the other items on the menu that are all part of the price of the hotel. I loved the location being in the little village away from the hustle of ubud this all added to the relaxing tranquil experience and it felt like perhaps this is how ubud was years before it became too commercialised. I enjoy walking so for me it was not a problem to walk the short distance to ubud. Theres a path that winds around the outskirts of the monkey forest that the scooters take you share that eith them and tge monkeys. If your not into walking the free shuttle bus is always available and it was never a hassle for the staff to drop or pick us up.

I'd like to try the other rooms and am planning on going back again with all my family. I can't recommend this place enough it far out weighs the normal larger chain hotels because of its small size and it is so much more unique, has much more character and the staff are much more personable as a result. After you have stayed here you will feel like you have visited a part of heaven on earth...and I can say "I told you so"

Having travelled all over the world, both my husband and I agreed that Alam Jiwa is one of the most special places we have ever stayed. The feel of the small resort (11 rooms in about 5 Villas), the stunningly beautiful rooms, the view through the jungle like garden over the rice fields, the service, the breakfasts on the terrace, all of it just felt too good to be true. It is just a few min into Ubud by their shuttle. Even though Alam Jiwas was almost fully booked, it felt like we were the only ones. Only have 1 wish......to return as soon as we can and stay longer :o)

We booked this place as a first stop on our week-long trip to Bali, figuring that we could find someplace better if we needed to once we were there. This place was so perfect that, after a few days traveling around the island, we came right back here.

ROOMS:

The rooms are private villas, and they are beautiful. Each villa seems different. The first one we stayed in was wooden, with beautiful carvings and good detail on the woven matting decorating the ceiling and a large private yard. The second room we stayed in was stone, and opened up to a terraced water feature planted with lotus flowers. Bathrooms were huge, beautiful, clean and had open-air (but private) showers. The grounds are beautifully landscaped, and the property is surrounded by rice paddies. The pool was pretty, and our children would have spent the entire vacation in it if we had let them.

LOCATION:

The hotel is on a beautiful, quiet street outside of the bustling downtown retail district. There is a good breakfast menu and tea-time cakes at the hotel, and a very good, reasonably-priced restaurant just around the corner, so food is always easily accessible. Breakfast is brought to the private verandah of your room, so you can get up late and eat in your pajamas if you want.

There is a free shuttle to town (Ubud) but it is not hard to walk to town. We walked in to town through the Monkey Forest, which was fun and pleasant. Not strenuous. Even our 7-year-old had no trouble. The hotel arranged a cheap rental car for us for our exploration of the island, even through we weren't staying at the hotel for those days.

Overall, very good service. Very friendly. Best price of all the places we stayed in Bali.

Our group of four stayed in early December 2012 – and wow! – what a surprise Alam Jiwa was.

We had stayed in Ubud many times before – the last being in late December 2012. The accommodation experience then had put us off going back to Ubud again, but we thought we would give it one more try and find accommodation that showed the ‘real’ Ubud.

We found Alam Jiwa on Trip Advisor and everything looked really encouraging about it – and we were not disappointed in the least. We enjoyed out time at Alam Jiwa so much that we are already talking about going back this year!

Set in the quiet and incredibly clean village of Nyuhkuning -
behind the Monkey Forest of Ubud - access to Alam Jiwa was via a very narrow laneway adjacent to a primary school on the corner. It was delightful hearing the sound of happy children every morning as we walked past the school.

There is no road for cars through the Monkey Forest which keeps Nyuhkuning secluded and quieter – exactly what we were after. Road access to Nyuhkuning means driving around the Monkey Forest, which isn’t a problem as the hotel offers a free transport service to and from central Ubud – to return all you have to do is ring and the driver will come and get you. The other alternative is walking through the Monkey Forest - a 20 minute walk from the hotel through the forest brings you to Monkey Forest Road which is bustling with shops, galleries and restaurants. Or you can turn right and head uphill to Hanuman Street, also full of restaurants and shops. There is a motorbike path around the forest connecting to Monkey Forest Road. Pedestrians can also walk on this path without having to pay the 20000 rupiah entrance fee - although at times you have to brave the motorbikes!
At night time, it's very dark, so you will definitely need a flashlight provided in your room.



There are some very good restaurants, craft shops, masseuses, laundry, mini-mart and push bike and motor bike hire places all within 5 minutes walk from the hotel. We hired bikes one day – had a fabulous time cycling in and around Ubud.

The accommodation was superb – we stayed in Garuda and Kenari rooms – ginormous bedroom with a bathroom almost as big – and an outdoor shower. Beds were very comfortable and rooms spotlessly clean. We had a huge balcony overlooking serene rice fields above a running stream – with views of Mt Agung in the distance. This is the Bali we had been looking for. Breakfasts were served on your balcony each morning – there was enough variety for everyone.

The grounds were extremely well maintained, as was the swimming pool. A lovely touch was in late afternoon when you returned from your day’s activities to grab a swim and freshen up before heading out for dinner, there would be a staff member waiting to ask whether you wanted tea or coffee – and cake (different type each day).

Staff were always very friendly and courteous – nothing was a problem. The person who appeared to be the head was an elderly (he had grey hair and looked around mid 60s) gent – a lovely peaceful man who had a lot of local knowledge and set a wonderful example to the other staff members. He is a real asset to Alam Jiwa.

Overall, a fantastic stay – and we won’t stay anywhere else when we head back to Ubud.