Great little gem outside of Ubud

100   Recommended
Riverview Room
December 23, 2016 by

 Map | 2 Reviews | 100% Recommended
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Sthala, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel
 Map | 2 Reviews | 100% Recommended

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Riverview Room

Liked:
Location
Service
Food
Amenities
Room
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Room
Riverview Room

Check In

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Hotel Facade at night

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Hotel entrance at night

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Hotel entrance from lobby - bicycles for borrowing (free)

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Lobby seating

Check-in was not the smoothest of operations, it was immediately obvious from the get go that the hotel is new and so is its staff (a month plus since opening). There was a forgettable welcome beverage and everything felt awkward from the processing of credit cards (the staff member left me hanging to take a phone call - what?) to answering some non-standard enquiries but I could tell they were trying. What made up for it is probably how distracted I was from admiring the goergous lobby area.

The local activities are presented in a book on the tables in the lobby area but I was not introduced to any of them. I only found out after I checked out while waiting for my Uber to arrive. Lacking in polish.

Room

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Riverview room

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Balcony facing panorama pool

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Bathroom

Standard rooms were a bit on the small side with very efficient use of space. You can "feel" the tightness of it. Mirrors that run the length of the room help a little. As far as I can tell all rooms have a balcony. Amenities included in the room are from "Aigner" (I didn't know they made toileties) and were mostly complete. There was even a loofah. Otherwise everything was pretty standard with nothing to write home about.

Dining

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Sungai Restaurant View

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Sungai Restaurant Breakfast

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Naga Bar outdoor seating/view

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Naga Bar main area

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Naga Bar outdoor seating

Breakfast is served in the ground floor restaurant. Standard buffet with an ala carte menu. I had the "Nala bowl" which was some fancy granola with fruit and yoghurt. Restaurant setting was real nice. We had afternoon drinks at Naga Bar on the 7th floor, taking advantage of the happy hour 1-4-1 from 4-7pm. Drinks at 90k IDR for cocktails were tasty and strong. Recommended.

Location

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Stairs leading to on-site local temple by the river

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Stairs leading down to river, future farm/"kebun"

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Another shot of the lobby/check in area

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Stairs leading up from river

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View of hotel facade from river

Sthala is located in the village of "Lodtuduh", a ways away from the main area of Ubud (about 7km away). This makes for a more local authentic experience of what Ubud seems to be about - villages, rice fields, healthy organic holistic living, yoga, mediation, temples, spirituality. The hotel seems to be built to cater to people who seek these things. The hotel offers activities as part of your stay to enhance the experience. Bikes are available to get around to the nearby village and temple (pura).

There is a small temple on-site that the locals visit. One morning while I was wandering around I came across some locals collecting rocks from the river and carrying them up in a basket to the road above. I feel this speaks miles about how the hotel has tried to integrate with the locals instead of running a bulldozer over existing practices.

Pool

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Panorama pool on the 3rd floor

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Matahari pool on the 5th floor

The hotel has two pools in case one or the other gets too crowded. The panorama pool is the one that overlooks the river and the surrounding jungle. One weird thing I found missing was the lack of an outdoor shower. After a dip I had to make a trek indoors to a shower room, which seems to be an odd design.

Overall

Talking to one of the hotel associates late one night I found out the hotel was previously built by a local property congolmorate group ("Permata"?) but management was handed over to Starwood due to "issues". As such it was branded "Tribute Portfolio" as the aesthetics did not fit into any of the existing Starwood brands.

The vibe of this place was pretty good and once the staff gets over the initial teething issues I bet this place would be a pretty good option for those seeking an authentic experience of local culture and/or a quiet retreat in the highland forests of Bali.

Recommended, would return.

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