Segara Urip

we wanted to stay a bit off the beaten track, loved the village roads and warungs in this area. good spot to stay if heading to Gili Manuk or just staying to experience homestay and authentic bali surrounds. feels like a little tropical paradise cute and cosy. you get your own cottage, reasonable facilities for the price point, clean. we found the restaurant on site though strangely over priced in comparison, small portions and basic things we asked for they didn't have..eg jam, bananas, no desserts eg basic banana pancake. Still, it is handy to be able to dine in.. meet cool travellers there it seems to be a bit of a haven attracting like minded others, so we enjoyed the conversations over dinner but were then told at a certain time that we have to leave the tables completely and they will switch off all lights !! never had that happen before, so it broke up our social time and we all had to run off to our cottages.. would be lovely if they could change that.. X

It has taken me a while to write this review as I wanted to be fair with a village-based homestay, but our experience in Segara Urip on the third week end of November was simply extremely bad, in fact the worst in the whole of Bali. We had our own transport - a car and driver - and had not made any pre-booking. As the next-door (both have rooms along the same footpath to the beach/sea) Jembrana Bali Homestay was already full we were referred to Segara Urip. The rate incl breakfast was high for what we were offered: a room for three with beds, pillows and (clean) bed sheets, but no mosquito nets - although there were many mosquitos. There was a toilet on one side and a shower on the other side of the room. No place to leave the luggage except for the floor where there was a lot of gecko sh. The room was difficult to lock from inside and it was the last on the lane before the sea; although it was most likely safe it did not feel very safe. The room was boiling hot throughout the evening and night as the air condition did not work - it was heating rather than cooling no matter what we tried. Plus the mosquitos. There was no fan. None of us could sleep! So this is definitely something to check beforehand if anyone gets stuck there. The staff did not bother about it. Instead the unfriendly lady who seemed to manage the place wanted the room payment immediately - and then she disappeared entirely. We told her that we would want the breakfast early (7 a.m.) the next morning and she agreed. In the morning no one was there. We had to wake up the staff and ask them to prepare the breakfast - they slowly brought something, but then said that they have no fruit. We gave them our fruit to cut... which they did ... and then we left; never again - this place! A pity, as staying another day/night in the area would have been interesting with the buffalo races (which took place that Sunday), the fishermen and the turtle hatching place. It is however worth mentioning that the lady who manages the Jembrana Bali Homestay along the same footpath and in the same reception area was extremely nice, spoke excellent English, took time (without benefit for her as her place was full) and answered all of our questions. On top of it we learnt that the Jembrana Bali Homestay charged less for the night than the Segara Urip.