Our favorite stay in Bali”

I spent 2 weeks in Bali in May 2015 with my sister and Sanak was easily our favorite hotel we stayed at. The views are out of a painting. The restaurant and pool are situated facing rice terraces and a series of mountains which perfectly frame the sunset each evening. Its a sight that never gets old and makes it easy to not leave the hotel at all during your stay. (Pro tip: the upstairs lounge is best for both wifi and sunset photography.) The entire hotel, down to every fine detail, is carefully selected, primarily/exclusively from Balinese/Indonesian designers. This makes for beautifully designed rooms decked out with exquisite woodwork and local crafts. The food was some of the best and most consistent we had in Bali. (And this is important because the hotel was quite isolated.) Despite some of the complaints in other reviews, we found the prices to be very reasonable - certainly more than what you'd pay at a local warung, but at a much higher quality and for a far lower price than what you'd pay for a comparable experience in most countries. Perhaps our favorite element of Sanak though was the staff. In a country known for its friendly service, Sanak still managed to stand out with its uniformly incredible staff. From the helpful advice and banter from the manager, to the extremely attentive restaurant service, to the proactive providing of towels and water at the pool, every member of the staff at Sanak made us feel welcome and at home. Sanak also has an excellent on-site spa, which even offers couples' lessons in massage! Perhaps the only drawback I can think of is that activities looked to be quite pricey. But that said, walking in the nearby rice terraces is free, and we didn't want to leave the pool and lounge anyways, since we loved the hotel so much, so this wasn't a problem at all for us. In summary, Sanak is the first place I would return to on a subsequent visit to Bali and I cannot recommend it more highly!

Sanak Retreat the whole story ”

Sanak Retreat, rest of the story Sanak Bali Retreat is the definition of a boutique hotel. It is elegant, beautifully detailed, carefully designed, eco-friendly and crafted right into the rice patties near Munduk. All of the 5 star reviews on this website can attest to the virtues. But before you book you need to be aware of the rest of the story. 1. there's no air conditioning. And while this is not a problem at midnight, it is a problem from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. when the late afternoon sun cooks through the picture glass windows and heats interior of your room up to a very uncomfortable temperature. Your only option is to turn on the fan and opened all the doors which leads me to item number 2. 2. There are no bug screens. The bugs are generally not a problem, but there are some flies and mosquitoes at dusk. So your choice is either to sweat in the heat or put up with bugs. 3. The Wi-Fi is slow and sporadic. Often it doesn't work at all. 4. The hot water is sporadic. 5. Because of your remoteness from the town of Munduk or any other village, you are completely dependent upon the hotel for all food activities and transportation and they charge accordingly. Expect to pay four times what you would pay with the same goods and services as in Munduk. 6. While the staff is very friendly and helpful, some of them do not speak English well and communications can be difficult. 7. All the rooms are nicely private and beautifully landscaped but they are small, not much bigger than a hotel room. The room has none of the usual amenities, air conditioning, TV, phone, coffee maker, or even facial tissue. They do have a mini refrigerator. The location, the views, the sunset and decor are all five star. But the basic functions and value are two star. We enjoyed our time there but it would have been nice to have a more balanced review before we booked.

Perfect retreat in beautiful surrounding”

We had a perfect relaxing stay at Sanak retreat. Loved the place, the building, the rooms, the pool, the fresh food and the staff. Everything was lovely decorated. A quite and peaceful place to stay and relax. Only thing which could be improved is information given concerning activities and offerd tours (prices were to expensive compared to local guides)

Heaven on Earth”

We assume that when Belinda Carlisle sung that Heaven is a place on earth she was talking about Sanak resort. With a beautiful breathtaking view that enchants you time and time again, super friendly staff who tend to your every need with a smile and panche, beautiful spacious rooms all beautifully decorated and an on site spa this place is perfect. We also took one of Sanaks 3 hour walks with a local guide who walked us through his village and community down through rice fields to a waterfall to bathe in. Self taught at English his English was brilliant. He was very friendly and helpful. The resort is carved lovingly into the landscape without spoiling it. Using natural materials and with and eco friendly aim Sanak was really a paradise that felt that we were only making a small touch on the earth yet enjoying luxury. We will definitey return for a longer visit.

Beautiful and Peaceful”

We really enjoyed our stay at Sanak Retreat. The location is away from the more busy downtown Munduk area so it's very peaceful and the views are great. The rooms are very well decorated. The meals and activities are a bit pricey, but of good quality.

Perfect”

If you don't like Sanak, you should have stayed at home! Sanak offers a bit of traditional Bali in a full-service, pampering inn located in a spectacular spot. We are looking forward to returning to Sanak.

Amazing setting, lacking in privacy/food options”

My husband and I stayed here for 2 nights during our honeymoon in between stops at Ubud and Seminyak. The peace and quiet, well thought out design, and beautiful setting were major pluses. The hotel was beautifully done and set against an amazing view of mountains and rice fields. The sound of the breeze, the trees, the ducks and frogs were amazingly relaxing. The staff was very friendly and attentive. We did, however have a few concerns. For one, the bungalows are not air conditioned but there is a nice cross breeze if you open all the doors (on all 4 sides of the bungalow)-- this gives you a lovely, breezy "living outdoors" feel however the bungalows are very close together so you can see each person that walks by (I.e. No privacy). Our bathroom faced out to the pool which meant I couldn't even use the bathroom without worrying that someone might walk by. There was basically not a single area of our bungalow where I could change without worrying about people seeing me. Our bungalow also happened to be right next to the kitchen so we could hear every dish being washed or espresso being made. Also, the restaurant was a little hit-and-miss, very overpriced, and not a lot of selection. That might have been ok, but the hotel is in the middle of a mountain village so your only real option is eating at the hotel. After 8 or so meals there, you find yourself running out of things to order. Prices are about what you would pay for meals in Los Angeles, which you can imagine is about triple what they would normally be in Bali. I don't mind paying a premium for food in a high-end hotel, but I did not think the quality warranted the price. Lastly, the bed was not very comfortable. Despite all of that, we had a very lovely, relaxing stay & would recommend it if you are looking for a quiet retreat off the beaten path!

A comfort journey to the village”

We really enjoyed staying at Sanak, a place we can feel village living with all such creatures around : fire flies at night on rice fields :) ... love the antiques as well ...

Retreat it is not”

We were quite disappointed in our stay at Sanak, the bungalows are beautifully designed and decorated and so is the restaurant BUT there are 10 bungalows on a very small plot of land, they are very close to each other and not private. We were unlucky and we got a bungalow squeezed between the restaurant and one of the family bungalows. The worst thing was that we were facing the back of the property. They were mostly family with small kids staying, i would avoid if you are a couple looking for peace. The restaurant was the worst food we had in our 2 weeks trip in Bali, they have a mix of western and indonesian dishes, the indonesian dishes like ikan and ayam pepes were very bland, not authentic. Breakfast was good. For the price we thought it’s not worth it.

Very expensive Kuta style retreat with noise and average food ! ”

I booked in sanak for a relaxing trip after a hard week of work. I knew the place before so i though definitly i will relax in this retreat nestled in the ricefieflds off the noisy place. Well in fact i didnt relax at all and my whole week end has been ruined by others guests staying...... 2 famillies who rented the familly villa hang out all day at the main swimimng pool with 7 kids, they hang out all evening time at the restaurant until super late..... The staff told me that was not the first time but they wont say anything to ask them to respect the other guests. I wasnt the only one super disapointed.....it is very sad that the manager didnt do anything... I felt like actually i booked an hotel in Kuta with noise, kids screaming at each other...awful week end. I wrote to the hotel before leaving a review and they didnt care...so honestly i wont go back No point to take a risk to spend the whole week end close to noisy neighbour for such an expensive price !

Very nice place to stay for hiking and relaxing. ”

Great place to stay in the Munduk area. Food was great and the staff was great.

Loved everything, but average food. ”

I was very happy with everything besides the food. For the price and overall room and grounds standard, the food was very averae.

Very relaxing holiday with young child”

The stay was very relaxing and very good value for money in a very stylish environment, beautiful authentic setting, catering towards families with kids and couples alike. although the menu was limited, the chef could prepare almost anything with a day's notice. Staff are very accommodating and welcoming

Great place as for backpackers as for relax”

The whole resort is beautyful, surround by rice fields, bungalows are realy amazing, everything is superclean, there is meny facilities included in prise, the staff is excelent. For the first time I've got mor then I expected.

A perfect stay...from A to Z”

We had the most perfect stay, and fell in love with the place the minute we arrived. The scenary is breathtaking : the rice fields, the pool... the charming little houses... A dream! The staff is also really charming!

Stunning retreat”

Relaxing place to stay. Staff were friendly and helpful. Need to be there for more than one night. Massages good too.

Great location but food limited and very expensive”

Location was great but you are stuck there if you don't have constant transport. Menu was very limited and very expensive. No restaurants in walking distance. Great three hour guided tour!!! Guide was amazing. Included breakfast didn't work out at all. No milk at all and no butter :(

Great, fantastic, relaxing ”

Wonderful

relaxing, calm, nature”

Perfect

Exceptional”

Trekking 3heures exceptionnel avec guide local parlant français