Atmosphere: A peaceful oasis within a residential area surrounded by paddy fields. We rented the villa for four days through vacation rental agency Villa-Bali.

Rooms: Designed like a traditional Javanese joglo residence with pyramid-like layered beam roofs, the villa is not a single house, but three separate “buildings” located along the three sides of a garden with a pool in the middle. One building contains a single room and en-suite bathroom, another contains two bedrooms with en-suites bathrooms connected by a sliding door. The largest building is where the living room, dining area and kitchen are located. Villa-Bali offered guests the option of renting three bedrooms or two. We rented two.

Dining: There is a kitchen with a stovetop, refrigerator, coffee maker, water dispenser and cooking cutlery and utensils, so you can do your own cooking or pay extra for a cook to prepare a meal for you. There are a number of local restaurants, but walking to get to them isn’t very convenient as the roads are narrow and not pedestrian friendly. We rented a moped, which is available from Villa-Bali at US$4 per day and drove for just under ten minutes to nearby Warung Tepi Sawah for nasi campur (mixed rice with cooked Indonesian dishes) and Warung D’Carik, which does a variety of Indonesian and international dishes.

Location: If you’re looking for easy, walkable access to shops, restaurants, cafes, bars or the beach, then Villa Du Ho is not for you. Tucked away off a narrow lane in a sleepy and unexciting residential area, this villa is only a good if you are looking to simply stay put, relax, swim and take it really, really easy!

Service: While the villa was tastefully furnished with a very relaxing atmosphere, the service from Villa-Bali and the villa’s owner left much to be desired. The water system broke down leaving us without any water on three separate occasions. There wasn’t any English speaking staff there to orientate us when we arrived, only a security guard. If there are party animals renting the villa next door (as we experienced, thought thankfully only for one night), expect to hear techno dance beats as you attempt to fall asleep. The property listing stated that the villa would have a DVD player and DVDs, but neither was available.

Though we were very happy with the layout, size, garden, pool and the quality of the interior finishings, we would have been much happier if the service had been better. Overall, Villa Du Ho is a great alternative to a hotel and a good choice for those who want to escape the hectic, tourism-saturated parts of the island.

Things to do while here: Relax by the pool, dine at restaurants overlooking paddy fields, take afternoon naps and perhaps venture to Seminyak in the evening.

Room rate at time of review: US$185 per night

Address: Villa Du Ho. Jalan Merta Sari, 78 Kerobokan, Bali, Indonesia. Tel: (62) 855-7467-0067, contact@villa-bali.com