If you want to go somewhere beautiful and quiet this is the place for you. The hotel is very well designed with nice rooms, though they are getting a little down at heals now (there was a problem with problems with land erosion in the bathroom of our room which cracked the tiles), but overall its good. The rooms featured nice wood and antique doors that had been carefully chosen by the designer of the hotel. The pool was amazing and we had it mostly to ourselves. On some nights we had a frog that came to live in our room and would sing to us. On another night we had visits from birds in the ceilings, now that's at one with nature.

There are three beaches near the hotel including a small private beach. (though no swimming there). The beach on the Balian river has a surf break. Its a holy beach and a place with a lot of spiritual power.

We were that told that this surf break was safe for beginners but this proved not to be the case; we got caught in the very strong rip and would have drowned if not for an Australian surfer who paddled out and showed us how to get in. (which took us over 25 mins, we had been in the sea for an hour by that time, no lifeguards or even boats here). A local had contacted our hotel and the manager had come done and orchestrated the rescue by persuading the surfer to go out, now that is service!

The manager of the hotel, Mr Nyoman, was exceptionally friendly and helpful while we stayed there. Though all the staff were very nice and the masseuse, who comes in from another village up north, was the best I have come across in Bali. (this was my third time in Bali, soon to be fourth)

The other beach is very long and seems to go on right up the coast, a great place for long walks where all you will see is the occasional fisherman. At night time you will be treated to a chorus of insects from the tree line and there are supposed to be bats in the caves, though we did not spot any.

The restaurant at the hotel is good with some nice wines which were picked by the (French) hotel owner. We found that this was the only weak point of our stay here as there is nowhere else to eat in the area and I do not like to eat in the same place every night. However the food was consistently good and they would cook thing you requested that were not on the menu so it was not such a problem.

At night time you can walk along the cliffs and check out the beautiful sunsets. After dark you can hear the villagers singing together which is entrancing.

We found this was an excellent place to relax and to use as a base for exploring the temples to the north and south of here where we got driven by the healer, driver & scholar from the nearby village, Pak Nyoman.

The only gripe during our stay was the weather, outside of the hotel's control!

Our 6 night stay at Gajah Mina was wonderful. It is a very friendly and relaxed resort, making it an excellent place to simply chill out. The beach is no good for bathing, but is deserted and great for long walks. The pool is nice, although we got little use due to poor weather during our stay.

The rooms are basic but comfortableand the outdoor shower is a nice touch.

Food in the restaurant was very good and decent value - which is just as well as there's no where else to go in close proximity.

If you just want to get away from the grind of everyday life then Gajah Mina is just the ticket - I would definitely visit again.

What a beautiful hotel, my fiancee and I stayed here during our recent trip to Bali, Great food, great service, beautiful bungalows, had such a wonderful time, many thanks to the owner Dominique who made us feel so welcome.

Gajah Mina is an amazing hotel. After staying here, you will never ever want to stay in the heavily touristed areas of Kuta or Sanur again. The beach and views are gorgeous (note to surfers: excellant uncrowded break here), the staff charming, the cottages with their open air bathrooms divine. Wonderful pool area. And the restaurant...exceptional. I throughly recommend this hotel...you will never want to leave!