Reviews from our community
1 review
If I had to sum up our stay at Umalas Retreat in one word, it will be, “fabulous”!
My wife and I with two kids and our helper found the place so thoroughly enjoyable that even arriving home two days ago, my wife remarked she could imagine herself still being there. The villa is allocated in Umalas district very near Seminyak. The three bedrooms are spacious with their own attached bathrooms. Although it is located in an urban area, the high wall surrounding the villa made us feel that it was our own little swathe of paradise. The villa looks as good as the photos on the page, but what really made the difference was the staff at the villa. Juwini is the house-keeper and cook. While we were there, we thoroughly spoilt by her excellent cooking and her very gracious manner in seeing to all our needs. Her culinary skills meant that we stayed in for breakfast and made sure we come home in the evenings for dinner. As Malaysians, we are very familiar with Indonesian cuisine, but Juwini’s cooking was something else. Her husband is a member of the 24/7 security staff at the villa and they were careful enough to walk around even at night just to check if everything was fine.
The only unfortunate incident during our stay was the brown-out on the afternoon that we arrived. It was not the fault of the owners of the villa or their staff. Indonesia does not have sufficient electricity generating capacity during the dry season and hence, the authorities implement a rolling series of brown-outs to help ration what they have. It was the turn of Umalas that afternoon. We had to wait till 10:00 PM that evening for power to be restored. Despite that, Juwini cooked our first dinner that evening at the resort, and it was great! Fortunately, brown puts do not happen often
What we really appreciated was the extra care Kay and the staff put into helping with my daughter, who is autistic. Kay made sure that there were some French fries in the resort for her and Juwini cooked for her and our helper on days they stayed in the villa instead of joining us out.
In all, our stay at Umalas Retreat was the holiday that we needed. I’d recommend it to anyone, especially those with families.
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Thanks for your review. It was our absolute pleasure having you stay, and we're so glad that you got the relaxing holiday that you were after.
We really appreciate your kind words about Juwini and Morris. We are very lucky to have the staff that we do, and it's lovely to hear that others appreciate their efforts as well.
Please come back and visit again soon.
Kindest regards,
Anthony & Kay Shearn
4 reviews
3 hotel reviews
1 helpful vote
Happy to review this beautiful villa my friend and I stayed at for 7 nights.
The villa was clean ,,comfortable, and above all safe , with a full time guard posted outside 24/7 . Wonderful staff, especially the lovely Juwini, who was full of information about where to eat, shop and best places for massages. She also made us the loveliest breakfasts ,and the odd lunch and dinner when required ,, and as she has been chef trained , they were our best meals in Bali ,
The villa is about a 8 minute cab ride into the centre of Samui which was never a problem as the guard always calls for them $3.00 - $5.00 NZ dollars , but nice to be out in the pretty Umalas area .The pool and outside area was beautifully clean. And very pretty . Can't wait to go back , will definitely stay here again .
| How easy was it to book the property? | How helpful were the directions to the property? |
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| Friends getaway | People with disabilities |
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- Was the property as advertised?
- Would you recommend the location of this property?
- Was it a good value for the price paid?
- Did the property offer wi-fi/internet access?
Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. We're so glad that you were able to stay with us., and that you had such a great time. I'll pass your compliments onto our staff.
You're welcome back anytime.
Kindest regards,
Anthony & Kay Shearn
24 reviews
12 hotel reviews
28 helpful votes
We booked Umala's because of great reviews & it really exceeded everything we hoped for. The attention to detail is exceptional...beautiful furnishings, great food...Juwini the gorgeous cook & house keeper, Putu the ever reliable driver, fantastic security & very private location... Don't hesitate to stay here..
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Thanks so much for your review. You have a beautiful family, and we loved having you stay.
We're hoping to come and enjoy a visit to your accommodation in Tassie soon.
Kindest regards,
Anthony & Kay Shearn
12 reviews
6 hotel reviews
4 helpful votes
We arrived late evening, coming from Australia & Holland with a beautiful welcome drink.
It's a hidden villa that is close to Seminyak (short taxi ride). The bedrooms are spacious and the beds are very comfortable. We used the pool for a morning dip or to relax after all our shopping in Seminyak. We had breakfast, lunch & dinner at Umalas and it was so beautiful, everything was freshly made and better then any restaurant!
We would love her to cook at our home!
| How easy was it to book the property? | How helpful were the directions to the property? |
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| Friends getaway | Older travelers |
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- Was the property as advertised?
- Would you recommend the location of this property?
- Was it a good value for the price paid?
- Did the property offer wi-fi/internet access?
Kindest regards,
Anthony & Kay
5 reviews
3 hotel reviews
3 helpful votes
Stayed for 10 days with a group of friends, had an awesome time, very clean, great pool, nothing was too much trouble for the very competent staff! Food prepared by Juwini is magnificent would highly recommend this villa
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Thanks for leaving us a review.
I know Juwini loved having you stay at Umalas Retreat.
We're glad you had a great time.
Kindest regards,
Anthony & Kay Shearn
13 reviews
4 helpful votes
From the moment we arrived we were made to feel very much at home. Nothing was any trouble for Juwini who made our stay so very enjoyable. Juwini would make a daily shopping list at our request and the food she prepared was so fresh and delicious. The extra task of making separate meals for a fussy 7 year old was no trouble. The villa is beautifully decorated and the areas for relaxation are comfortable and enticing. We felt safe at all times and being able to utilise our own driver when needed was convenient. The surrounding rice fields added to our stay, we just loved Umulas Retreat, it was a very memorable holiday.
Thanks for your kind words.
We're so glad you enjoyed your long awaited holiday.
Come back and visit again soon.
Kindest regards,
Anthony & Kay Shearn
1 review
From the time we arrived at the airport through to the Villa everything was seamless. Nothing is to much trouble for Juwini & Putu.
The villa is beautiful and kept to a very high standard. Juwini does a fantastic job and is an amazing cook.
My family loved their stay and we would all love to come back again.
| How easy was it to book the property? | How helpful were the directions to the property? |
| How easy was key pickup/access to the property? | Overall condition of the property |
| Bedding & mattresses | Kitchen & utensils |
| Bathroom cleanliness | Other facilities & amenities |
| Service |
| Friends getaway | Large groups |
- Was the property as advertised?
- Would you recommend the location of this property?
- Was it a good value for the price paid?
- Did the property offer wi-fi/internet access?
Thanks again for choosing to stay at Umalas Retreat.
I'm happy to hear that you were well looked after, especially by Putu and Juwini.
We look forward to welcoming you again soon.
Kindest regards,
Anthony & Kay Shearn
