Taruna Homestay review

Taruna Homestay is a family run bed and breakfast in Pemuteran, North Bali. We stayed there for two nights during our trip to Bali last month (wow, has it only been that long?). Of all the places we've been and stayed in, Taruna was in one of the least touristy and developed area, which suited us just fine.

Each of the twelve bedroom is designed as an individual villa, with their own private entrances and terrace via the courtyard (which leads to a small but nice swimming pool). The bedrooms comes with their individual outdoor shower and toilet area, which we found unnerving at first.

Pemuteran beach

Our room has air conditioning but we did not use it often preferring to use the ceiling fan instead. The room was clean, if a bit outdated in decor and dark. As a budget homestay, there isn't such luxuries like a TV (why would you want one?), but you do get a kettle, daily mineral water and free wifi access for your Instagramming needs. You won't get much privacy as each rooms are on the ground floor unless you have the curtains shut at all times.

Breakfast was included in our room. For the first day we received a pack breakfast (we will go back to that in a bit) and on the second I ordered Mee Goreng (fried noodles), which was fantastic. Taruna also has a bar and restaurant, which serves reasonably priced home cooked Indonesian and Balinese style cuisine. We ate there for both nights and were never disappointed with the food.

Finding Nemo at Pulau Menjangan

When we first arrived at Taruna, the staff spent 15 minutes with us with a map, highlighting the areas we could visit in Pemuteran (including the monkey caves and temples we weren't aware of) and beyond. We found them helpful and friendly at all times.

We also pre-booked two excursions with them - on to Lovina to see the dolphins, and the other to Menjangan Island for a snorkeling trip. Taruna handled everything, providing the packed breakfast for our 5am trip to Lovina, as well as lunch for the snorkeling trip.

All in all, we enjoyed our stay in Taruna and Pemuteran. Its budget nature suited us well, and while it isn't located by the beach (hence the great value - we paid about £25 per night excluding dinner and excursions), it is only 10 minutes walk away. We regretted not staying in Pemuteran for longer as there were loads more things to do and see than we imagined, but we will be back.