We miss you

Guest: Erika (Vilnius, Lithuania)
Date of Stay: 04/20/11 Review Submitted: 11/25/11

We came to Bill's house and felt in love still being on the way to it. Our plan at first was to stay here for a week, though we have occupied the house for almost a month. If you are still searching for a place to stay in Ubud, stop right here, you won't find better, cozier place with more than excellent breakfast and the most friendly person around. We and our parents miss you and Pasha very very much. Thinking of you very often :) Erika and Andrius

Recommended for:Age 55+, pet owners, adventure seekers, sightseeing, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Best nights of Sleep

Guest: mOnsterbite (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 04/30/11 Review Submitted: 05/12/11

What a great few nights in the rice fields. Best sleep I had during a three week vacation. Feels remote but surrounds by tons of cafes, restaurants, galleries and activities. Fantastic host and staff. Private, peaceful and genuinely serene. Thanks for sharing your home, Bill.

Recommended for:Age 55+, adventure seekers, sightseeing, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

My heart is still singing Madrigal's song

Guest: Michelle (Calgary Alberta Canada)
Date of Stay: 02/26/11 Review Submitted: 03/09/11

I feel a sense of duty to Bill, Made & Wayan, as well as prospective renters to relay my interpretation of this property, however I find myself at a loss for words that can adequately describe the experience of staying at Madrigal. My husband & I rented the lower apartment for 8 days between Feb-March 2011, and that first impression nearly brought me to tears of pure joy. I have travelled to many countries, and stayed in several other VRBO properties, but this one far exceeded any expectations I had prior to my arrival. The apartment itself is the stuff of "Destinations" reading material, a magical blend of quaint & classy with beautiful furnishings & decorations and the most unique open air bathroom area (you can lay in your soaker tub at night with the warm, tropical breezes and the stars to keep you company). The photo's included on this website don't do it justice. And if you should feel the need to come back to reality during your stay, Bill has included all the modern conveniences as well; a flatscreen TV and large selection of DVD's and WiFi access for your laptop. Made and her sweet daughter Kade keep the area impeccably clean, in addition to preparing and serving you a lovely breakfast every morning complete with lots of smiles & laughter. Make sure you ask Made to make you her banana pancakes....they are to die for! Bill has created beautiful gardens and fish ponds all around the property, which then extend directly into the rice fields. I miss starting my mornings sitting on the veranda surrounded by the flowers & lush greenery, sipping Made's fresh coffee and watching the birds and the local farmers busily working in the adjacent fields. Should you decide to venture away, the guest house is located within easy walking distance from several local warangs (restaurants). I would recommend Bubu's, Made's Warung and Lolo & Lili's......all very good food. You can also easily walk to the local supermarked (Bintang), Ubud centre and the starting point to several stunning rice field walks (highly recommended). If you want to see even more, then I would strongly suggest hiring Wayan as your driver and guide. He is incredibly knowledgeable, and will design tours specific to your needs and wants......be prepared for a full day!! We especially enjoyed our East island tour, which took us to the Elephant Cave and Stoney Temples as well as lunch overlooking Lake/Mount Batur (still active volcano). Thank you Bill, Made, Kade, Wayan & Pasha..

Owner response:It is now my turn to shed a tear,thank you from the bottom of my heart,both of you for the wonderful review. Guests like yourself are my best ambassadors,not only for Madrigal house but ultimately for Bali. As you know,I came to Bali to spend my retirement here and it is people like you that make me realize I did make the right desision. Thank you Michelle & Gerrie and do come back one fine day with your children Bill & the team

Recommended for:Age 55+, pet owners, sightseeing, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, families with teenagers.

Friendly Beautiful House in the Rice Fields

Guest: Dani California (California, USA)
Date of Stay: 01/11/10 Review Submitted: 04/25/10

This was my third trip to Bali, I've now spent almost 3 months on this island paradise and love it more each day. You can pay a lot more money to stay somewhere on Bali but why would you? We had everything we needed here and it''s been my experience that the more you pay the less friendly the staff and the less 'Balinese' the experience. We didn't come all this way to stay in a walled off resort. My Son Brook and I stayed in the top two floors of Bill's beautiful guest house for a great month in January and February. I was a little worried coming this time of year because it's the 'rainy season', but was not bad at all, every morning was beautiful only raining for an hour or two in the late afternoon or night maybe 4 days of the week. (Admittedly one night the thunder did keep me awake for a couple hours, it was like canon fire, but I enjoyed it.) Lots of room and beautiful views of the volcanos the house is situated in the rice fields in the friendly village of Penestanan. Downtown Ubud only about 5 minutes away on my rented motor-scooter. Bill's house-keeper Ebu Made would take care of us 6 days a week making us whatever we wanted for breakfast and helping me with my Bahasa Indonesia and I with her Bahasa English. She's a great cook and so friendly, always smiling and laughing, but that's not surprising for Orang Bali probably the friendliest people on Earth. She also kept the place clean for us, made our beds and did our laundry. Our host Bill was very friendly and helpful living in his own house right next door. I miss sitting on the porch enjoying an Arak and soda with him or some great food delivered from one of the local Warungs. He's been coming to Bali for over 20 years and living there for several years, very informative about the local area and people + great stories of his life before moving to Bali. He's a Dutchman who spent most of his life in Australia so, of course, his English is probably better than my American version. Hopefully I'll be back this summer - don't worry Bill I won't forget that bottle of Bourbon I promised you and I'll bring a bottle of great California wine as a bonus.

Recommended for:Age 55+, pet owners, adventure seekers, sightseeing, tourists without a car, girls getaway, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Guest: Carmel (Canada / Australia)
Date of Stay: 09/13/08 Review Submitted: 09/13/08

My husband and I were fortunate to spend 2 memorable months at Madrigal Guest House in March /April 2008 and it truly was a “song without music”. We were transported to the villa by Wayan, Bills preferred driver, who became our preferred driver during our stay and who was a knowledgeable, well-spoken, cheerful, polite, lovely young man who was readily available every time we needed him for touring the island or just a taxi to or from Ubud. At the house we were immediately greeted with big smiles and a warm welcome by our housekeeper Made and she and her family and the owner Bill quickly became our Balinese family who provided many laughs and happy times and took care of all our needs so graciously. We stayed in the top two floors of Madrigal and were thrilled with our choice. Bill’s beautiful house has one of the best locations of many of the villas in the area. The more we walked and explored the area, the more we realized how lucky we were we chose it. Being perched in the middle of terraced rice fields on a ridge surrounded by big volcanoes and tropical jungle is an experience not to be missed. And yet Ubud with all it’s attractions and culture and restaurants and spas was within easy walking distance.Our apartment was big, breezy, bright and spacious with huge four poster beds, windows and light and the most incredible vaulted ceilings in woven palm and wood with outstanding views from every window. Gorgeous. The ceiling was a work of art and as far as we were concerned the big balcony off the upstairs bedroom on the third floor of the house was a stroke of genius. With it’s own vaulted ceiling, dark polished wood floors and furniture and views we lived out there. The house was sitting right on the vibrant green rice-fields and one of the highlights of our stay was watching the almost meditative growth and farming of this stunning crop as it went from seedlings sitting in water that reflected the sunrises and sunsets like a moat around the house, to waving fields of grass three feet high near the end of our stay. At night we watched the fireflies dance over the rice paddies and other villas dotted throughout the ridge above and below glowed warmly like lanterns.Everything we needed was within walking distance. There was an abundance of restaurants nearby, a hotel pool just a couple for rice paddies across, rice field walks, spas, supermarket and the Blueline internet office all just a stroll away. We would highly recommend

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Guest: Kaye1 (Melbourne)
Date of Stay: 09/11/08 Review Submitted: 09/11/08

We stayed at Madrigal house as a family of 5 (2 adults and 3 children) in Sept 2007. As I only found the accomodation online and had no previous recommendations to go by, I was a bit dubious as to what to expect. I shouldn't have had any doubts! Madrigal House is absolutely beautiful and we couldn't have wished for a better place to stay. We booked the 2nd and 3rd floors and it had everything we needed. The location is gorgeous, its not too far(walking distance) from Ubud central and there a plenty of places to eat nearby. My children (aged 4, 6 & 8) had so much fun playing in amongst the rice paddies and found the whole place a real adventure! Value for money was fantastic and communication with Bill during the booking process and whilst we were there, was simple and fast. I would highly recommend Madrigal House and I hope one day to stay there again.

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