Home Sweet Homestay

“Lynnie!” Nyoman, who is dressed in a sarong, bellows when he spies me walking into his family’s compound. He rises from the covered platform on which he serves guests cups of kopi, cookies or fruit and grasps my hand, massaging it. I feel the tension that is my usual status quo drain from my head and chest. I smile.

“You always happy, always smiling,” Nyoman tells me. This is not nearly true, but I’m delighted he sees me this way.

Nyoman Sudana and his wife, Wayan, run Sandat Bali, a homestay in the center of bustling Ubud. Nyoman, who teaches painting and drawing to college students in Denpasar, is also a renowned Balinese healer. His speciality is reflexology. Nyoman is the healer locals see when they need healing.

Before moving into the second story guest room, which is spacious and newly constructed and features a kitchen to die for, I’d visited Nyoman for reflexology. I was expecting something along the lines of a super foot massage. What I received was Nyoman intensely manipulating my feet with his hands, a smooth, thick stick, various oils. It was painful. But my chronic stomach discomfort eased. So I came back for a second session. And then I moved in.

Sandat Bali is the seventh place I’ve stayed during my 3.5 months in Ubud; it is far and away my favorite. Despite its proximity to a neighborhood temple, Ubud’s three main streets (Jalan Jaya, Jalan Hanuman and Monkey Forest Road), Sandat Bali offers a bit of respite from the din that is Ubud. Set far back from the street, Sandat Bali’s sole noisiness comes from the Sundana family. Literally dozens of them live next to each other in a neat row of bungalows below my balcony.

I feel like a part of the family here. Nyoman and Wayan, who are most likely younger than I am, are like my parents. “Where you going?” they call out as I leave for yoga or to meet a friend. “Busy, busy,” they say, clucking their tongues in mock disapproval.

I hesitated writing this post. I want to keep Sandat Bali for myself, my secret, my room on the second floor with the granite countered kitchen and brand new refrigerator always available for me. But I also want Nyoman and Wayan to prosper. My gratitude to them for a lovely living situation won out over my self-centeredness.

If you go: Sandat Bali Homestay, Jalan Sugriwa, #21, Ubud, Bali. Ask for the second floor room—150,000 rupiahs per night. Room is well appointed with new bathroom and fixtures, comfortable bed, beautiful linens, large balcony. Fantastic double kitchen next to room is shared with another unit on the second floor. Best homestay in Ubud, hands down. Tell them Lynnie sent you.