Batukaru Eco Retreat - Adults Only

We booked the canopy room, a short walk from the dining area. It is luxurious - on two levels - and has great views to the valley. While open walled, it is sufficiently private and away from other accommodation. Meals are vegan (although we did score eggs for breakfast one morning) and themed around nasi campur or soup for dinner (if you're too full from lunch). Up here - 1,000m above sea level - you're away from the noise of Bali's tourist areas. Service is attentive and the coffee is great!

When we booked this property, there were only 8 reviews on Tripadvisor, so it was a bit of a gamble. We are glad we took the gamble as it turned out to be the highpoint of our trip to Bali. We travelled with a 8 year old. The description of the property is accurate - nestled in the Batukaru mountains, the property is part of a coffee plantation in what was apparently a forested area earlier. The rooms have an amazing view into the Jatiluwih rice terraces and have an open architecture that makes you feel part of the natural surroundings. The bathrooms also have an open architecture (with your privacy protected of course). As the property is at an altitude, the temperature is much cooler and there is no need for an air conditioner (and there aren't any). You can wake up early to see the sunrise - the mound next to the Yoga shala is the best spot to see the sunrise (because in other places the sun can be obscured by the vegetation). Water is natural water from the mountains and apparently has been tested for purity, so is potable. All the food served is foraged from the property, so its only vegetarian food but eggs are also available upon request. Yogurt is not available but if you need it, you could get it with you and store it in the refrigerator in the common area. The property is owned by Kentri, who is an extremely kind, generous and unassuming person. She is extremely passionate about preserving the natural surroundings and keeping it clean (which must be a challenge given the forested nature of the area). She is also very passionate about animals and has fostered several abandoned animals (including, when we were there, a sickly puppy that had been nursed back to health with necessary veterinary support). Most of the team at the property are from around the Jatiluwih area and are extremely friendly, polite, hard-working and helpful. We stayed for 2 nights, one of which we were the only guests. We were told we were lucky to have the whole property to ourselves, as the estate hosts corporate retreats and can get busy when large groups come for a retreat. One can either hike to the nearby Yeh Ho waterfall and to the Jati Luwih rice terraces or hire a car to get to these places. Both places are worth visiting. We also went to a nearby hot spring place, which was so-so. We will definitely be back when we get a chance. PS: At least one of the reviews relate to Batukaru Kopi which is a coffee shop near the Jati Luwih rice terraces, owned by the same management. At Batukaru Coffee Estate, you do get sugar (I believe palm sugar syrup) with your coffee!