Royal Pita Maha is a lovely-looking resort in Ubud. You'll come from the airport and wonder, where is this paradise? Be patient. It'll come. My wife and I were here for my honeymoon and the beginning of the trip did not go as planned due to the airline notifying us morning of that the connecting flight in Doha would be pushed back due to a plane arriving late to NYC. I emailed Royal Pita Maha right away to notify them that we would not be able to arrive until the following morning, but they had refused to refund nearly USD $400 in the nightly cost! A 26-hour journey turned into a 35+ hour journey from America, and they could not take immediate notice of our inconvenience and return the one-night credit to us (1 month later!). But let's continue this review, knowing that the resort is unreasonable (some might say greedy) and not as hospitable as their counterparts elsewhere (from what we experienced in Nusa Dua). To-date, the hotel management is 100% uncooperative with credit card issuers and guests alike, so hope you don't fall into similar circumstances. To me, this is terrible hospitality for a country that relies on tourism so heavily (shame on you!). Back to it ... all of the folks on the staff responsible for luggage, cleaning up the room and premises, and preparing breakfast were great! Only exception was noticing the dozen empty wine bottles on the side of the path to our villa each day. We tried to spa and were disappointed due to faulty doors to the sauna, a mediocre massage with masseuses who did not provide disposable clothing for our swimwear, and freezing pools (and "jacuzzi") that had no heat. We loved the brunch buffet, the lunch was just okay, and dinner left much to be desired. People staying elsewhere aren't going to RPM to eat or enjoy the spa, at least if they have done their research. The resort was pretty empty in early September but it's vast and beautiful. Views from our villa pool of the Uyung River and jungle landscape were great. Again, if only the pool was heated in the slightest bit, we would've been able to enjoy it more. You'll hear roosters each morning, which is nice if you're from the city, but then hearing the birds on the bamboo/straw roofs above where you sleep peck their way through was not something we needed to encounter. Lastly, they provide a shuttle service but it's very limiting with their schedule and capacity. You'll want to be in touch with a driver, because it's really challenging to get around Ubud without a motorbike. Would've been nice if this place didn't nickel-and-dime guests as much. But hey, you live and you learn... and then try out other neighborhoods like Nusa Dua and discover that on a scale of 5 (being great), Royal Pita Maha gets a 2 for gorgeous facilities, a great complimentary breakfast buffet, and an incredibly lackluster hospitality. I don't always write reviews, but when I do, it's to express truth to fellow travelers in order to help them mitigate a poor experience. Looking forward to management's comments of denial!
