Bucu View in Ubud
The green, green rice field of Ubud
Hubby and I had a second trip (or honeymoon, if you will) to Ubud for Christmas/New Year’s holiday last December. We flew with Mandala air and unfortunately got delayed so badly we ended up arriving in Ubud at two o’clock in the morning. But all that exhaustion was gone the day after, when we woke up, rested and refreshed and found the amazing rice field view and greenery just about everywhere we turned our heads to.
Bucu View's entrance
Bucu View is a small property consisted of eight bungalows; all double-storeyed bungalows with some that provided two separate rooms. I heard of this property from a student who responded on my need of a low-budget but private place to stay. I googled the name and came up with small findings of images but I was somewhat convinced after much coaxing from the student’s part, to give this place a go.
Bucu View is located on Jalan Bisma, about fifteen minutes walk to Jalan Raya Ubud, which is the main street where you can find adorable shops selling silver jewelry, fragrances, essential oils, traditional Balinese summer dresses and the traditional market which one definitely should not miss.
However, the road that leads to the main lobby is quite hilly and far, as it shows from the above picture, 80 meters far. On the second day we decided to rent a motorcycle and go totally low-profile. We asked one of the hotel staff to help us get a motorcycle and appreciatively so, he tried his best to accommodate by ringing different rental services, since the specific type of the motorcycle that we asked was not available, he did provide it the following morning.
Remember that riding motorcycle in Indonesia requires helmets so we had to put on those grimy helmets on. Lucky I brough my hooded Quiksilver top along, so I wore the hood on everytime I had to put on the helmet.
A unique stone carved statue in Bucu View
The steps from our bungalow lead up to the main lobby.
On our first night at Bucu View, we were placed on the Deluxe Room, which was actually a separate, double storey bungalow. The receptionist/admin/cook/pretty-much-multipurpose-girl, Kadek, called me while I was waiting for our flight, very apologetic and all, and told me that the guest staying in our room had his flight delayed so she had to place me there. I agreed because she sounded very sorry and she promised me that the room was nicer and more expensive but I didn’t have to pay more.
We stayed on the first floor and the room was clean, somewhat minimalist if you will. There was a king-sized bed, bedside tables on each side, a television, a coffee table and chair, and in front of the bed there was a huge floor-to-ceiling glass that opens out to a spectacular view of tropical plants and a partial view of the villas from Komaneka Bisma. That’s right, the property is right next to each other. The bathroom was huge, the bathtub was spacious; it was one of those tubs where you could sit and shower at the same time. However I couldn’t get comfortable staying at this particular room.
The kingsized bed with mozzy net. Cozy.
Windows on every side offering spectacular view of tropical plants
On the next day we were moved to a different bungalow, as pictured above. This was a double-storey bungalow but connected with stairs inside, unlike the first bungalow where the stairs were outside. This bungalow had the bathroom on the first floor, and the second floor was pretty much the bedroom/living room. The kingsized bed was adorned with mozzy net, and there was also a coffee table with chairs, television, mini fridge and a vanity. I had to say, the bedroom/livingroom was extremely cozy and comfortable, I had no problem sleeping there, unlike the first bungalow that made me feel a bit uneasy since the bed was positioned straight to the huge window where the morning sun would glare right into your face.
They didn’t provide glasses nor drinking water, so we had to call room service and they would charge us for it. However, hot drinkable water was free of charge.
The view from the windows were beautiful – there were days when we just sat on the chairs, and were totally chillaxing. There were three papaya trees around the bungalow and the fruits were so ripe, if we were in Jakarta they’d probably be stolen already.
For Rp. 600,000 a night, this place was worth it. It had the same view that Maya Ubud could offer in their Rp. 3,000,000 a night villa with plunge pool that we stayed in our first honeymoon trip.
The downsides were that the bathroom was old and needed renovation badly. It was clean, but the old, unmaintained feeling just wouldn’t leave.
The toilet and the sink were very nice and clean though.
The stairs were also hazardous, depend on how you see them. They were uneven I dubbed them “tangga sinting”; since one could easily trip if they didn’t watch where they’d go.
They were also narrow so I couldn’t imagine how it would be for someone on the plus-size side to stay there.
Most of the lights in the bedroom were not working, and the fan was already gone, unlike what we saw from the photos on Visit Ubud website here.
On their in-room dining menu, it stated that we could order food in but when I enquired one of the hotel staff, he said that the chef had taken off without saying anything so I guessed in-room dining was really out of the question.
This place could do with a few renovations and service-training, though.
If we owned the place and had the money to renovate, we’d do a nice job for each bungalow – really pay attention to the details, change the bathrooms into outdoor ones, provide dramatic lightings, complete with the bathtubs and everything. It’s the little things that really make a huge difference. That way, we could probably charge more and really compete with places like Maya Ubud or Ubud Hanging Garden.
Breakfast was free and served every morning. They could also be delivered to the bungalow upon request, but the menu was limited and always the same: different types of egg dishes, with tea or coffee as the beverages.
The bungalow got cleaned everyday, and you could really tell that the staff really compensated by cleaning meticulously even the floors were squeaky.
Would we come back here again? Maybe, especially because we stayed there during the high-season (December-January). But there were so many bungalows in Ubud offering the same price and perhaps better service that we would like to explore.
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