Hidden by the mist of the lush jungle, for more than a century, coffee and nature breathe together in the highlands of Central Bali, Indonesia. The production of coffee in the villages of Munduk and Gobleg may not be as lucrative as before other cash crops took over. Nevertheless, some farmers persist! The island’s past with the Dutch was not always bright, but when Irene Roozen and her family invested in the abandoned five hectares in 2007, the coffee plantation resurrected and thrived. For a decade now, this place is also home to Munduk Moding Plantation Nature Resort & Spa. The fans of this beverage can now enjoy their Bali holidays in a nature resort inspired by coffee.
Munduk Moding Plantation offers infinity pools and infinity coffee cups
If you’re looking for a 4-star hotel in Bali, consider plantation villas in Gobleg village as your choice. They will stun you with natural surroundings and infinity pools, fill your days with loads of possible activities, and your cup with fine organic coffee. Read the Munduk Moding Plantation review and learn all the pros and cons of this unique mountain accommodation in Bali, Indonesia!
History of battlefields and coffee fields
The first Dutch explorer stepped on the island in 1597. Cornelis de Houtman called Bali “the young Holland”. He began the Dutch spice trade with Indonesia. In the following centuries, the trade focus moved to opium and slaves.
Dutch military expedition against Buleleng in Northern Bali in 1849 made the local king and his followers undertake a mass ritual suicide (puputan). Such an expression of revolt against the humiliation of surrender in front of the Dutch invasion was not the last one. Events became quite bloody at the beginning of the 20th century.
Stationed in Singaraja, the colonial center of Bali, the Dutch colonists were looking to escape the tropical heat. In Munduk mountains, about 1.100 meters above sea level, they didn’t find just a perfect climate for themselves. They also discovered that the volcanic soil provided the ideal conditions to develop coffee production. They brought the trees from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
From the 1880s until the 1980s, Munduk hill stations were prospering as Bali’s most productive coffee plant growing area. But in the 1990s, the prices fell dramatically. Many farmers switched to oranges, cloves, flowers, and other cash crops that were bringing higher revenues. This caused soil erosion and falling water tables.
Roozen family found this Munduk plantation as one such failure site in 2007. They mortgaged their house in Europe, bought the land, cleared the old growth, and planted the shadow trees. The wildlife returned, and the coffee plantation was back as well.
If you love exploring the world through coffee, these are the coffee destinations you should visit!
From calm nature resort to an Instagram sensation
In two years, they built the resort from scratch. Munduk Moding Plantation owner employed the prominent Bali architect Popo Danes (the creative mind behind the Lelewatu Resort and Ubud Hanging Gardens). Munduk Moding Plantation Nature Resort and Spa opened in 2009.
The idea was to build a very low-density resort. That way, the guests could enjoy the natural environment but also have unobstructed privacy. Today, this Bali plantation hotel has only 21 rooms.
The buildings blend into the surrounding nature. Bali nature also blends into some of the buildings! The use of bamboo in constructing the unique elliptical activity hall, the spa, and the front office, pays respect to the ancient traditions in a modern context.
Many villas in Munduk Moding Plantation have private rim-flow swimming pools. But the main infinity pool quickly became the perfect backdrop for Instagram storylines that couldn’t go unnoticed.
The infinity pool at Munduk Moding Plantation
Munduk Moding Plantation infinity pool turned into the resort’s most excellent ambassador on social media! With some clouds in the background, the iconic pool looks surreal. As if it would be floating between the skies and the earth.
The panoramic view of the green hills and mountains, distant brown volcanoes of Java, and the blue Java Sea becomes magical, especially when the orange and pink colors of sunset and sunrise join the palette.
Golden hours are the most popular for shooting the reflective infinity pool, so be prepared for queuing! Instagram influencers and influencer wannabes wait for that “perfect” picture since the youngest minutes of the dawn. Stylists run around, yelling instructions. Cameras are on the stands. It all looks like a professional shooting set! Here, people check in prepared.
During the daytime, the pressure on the pool is much lesser. Most of the early risers are probably sleeping or editing photos (as if they truly need any filter). So if you just want to enjoy the pool’s 18 meters in length, you can take a swim when you don’t intrude on anyone’s shot, and nobody imposes on your swimming joy either. With often floating clouds in the mountains, the views get equally enchanting as in the first minutes of the day.
Just several steps downhill, Jacuzzi-deck offers another point to enjoy the spectacular landscape. Alternatively, you can consume your luxury hotel escape while resting in the sun lounger and reading one of the many available magazines and books.
While we can still claim that breathtaking views from the photogenic Munduk Moding Plantation infinity pool are unique, soon this will not be the case! Just a dozen meters downhill, the resort is building ANOTHER infinity pool that will blend the sky and the water!
If you are a swimming pool addict, check the unique silver pool at Jaya House RiverPark in Siem Reap, Cambodia!
Munduk Moding Plantation rooms
Only nine villas (1-4 bedrooms) and three suites are available to guests. With similar decoration, they mainly differ in size. The more luxurious ones can come with a private infinity pool, Jacuzzi, and always available butler, or even free minibar and laundry.
We stayed in one of the Garden Suites (precisely, Garden Suite number 5), which was the smallest available option. I can imagine that the oversized furniture looks very imposing in the more spacious villas. But in these 35 square meters, the organization of space felt a bit strange.
The room comes with a vast bathroom made of Sulawesi cream marble, with a large terrazzo bathtub in one corner, a partially walled toilet in the other corner, and a central open shower that can be curtained off. Above the shower, there is a skylight providing natural light.
Next to the small stone sink, there are luxurious bathroom amenities. They include mosquito spray, which I thought one wouldn’t need in the mountains, but surprisingly, it came in handy.
The poster bed comes with a canopy, which was also not just decorative. The fantastic views from the balcony are inviting you to keep colossal glass panel doors open all day long, and mosquitos feel invited.
The king-size bed seems gigantic in this room. While a small family could certainly snuggle up in it, that family wouldn’t have much space out of the bed. An additional massive couch made of tropical hardwood, facing the landscape views, looks lovely. But it is clear proof that one size does not fit all.
Equally, the balcony is unusually narrow. There is not much more space than to sit straight in the chair. Luckily, those sliding glass doors extend the balcony visually and functionally, so one can enjoy the view while eating welcome fruit on the couch.
Munduk Moding Plantation activities
There are plenty of available activities at Munduk Moding Plantation Hotel so your room hours can stay reserved just for the nighttime. Many of these are a part of the complimentary Munduk Moding Plantation Experience program.
I’d suggest you start your visit with a guided coffee plantation tour. A member of the resort staff leads you through the property, shows you the garden with fruit and vegetables, and teaches you the difference between Arabica and Robusta coffee that grew on the plantation. Traditional coffee processing demonstrations give a great insight into how it was all done before the advanced machinery era. It ends with the coffee tasting!
If you want to learn more about Bali culture, the MMP Experience program will teach you how to wear Balinese attire, how to make and fly a kite, how to make an offering, or how to play traditional music with bamboo gamelan. There are also kids’ activities on the plantation; they can watch movies, join the dance class, or learn how to play the spinning top game (gangsing). From bird watching to massage demonstrations, daily activities at Munduk Moding Plantation are numerous.
There are many exciting things to do in Munduk and North Bali too. The resort provides a free daily shuttle service to Bedugul, where you can visit the famous “floating” Ulun Danu Beratan Temple, Candikuning Market, and Botanical Garden. Another complimentary shuttle brings you to Tamblingan Lake and the magnificent Munduk Waterfall, where I recommend taking a dip. MMP also secures a car that brings you to Brahmavihara-Arama Buddhist temple (with scenic gates), Banjar Hot Spring (the water with supposedly healing minerals), and Lovina Beach (the black sand beach I personally don’t find that attractive, but it is a departure point for dolphin-watching if you’re into that).
What to do in Munduk for active Bali holidays
Munduk Moding Plantation Nature Resort & Spa can organize other tours for your active holidays in Northern Bali. Various treks will make you explore the rainforest. Waterfalls are always a good excuse for hiking with a refreshing mountain swim waiting for you at the end. Besides Munduk, the trek can lead you to Golden Valley Waterfalls, Melanting, Empelan, Banyumala, or Sekumpul mystery waterfall.
One can discover the area on foot, but also by riding a bicycle or a horse, canoeing on the lakes, diving in the sea, or even playing golf in the crater of an extinct volcano.
You can also hop on the tours that include trekking through the rice paddies, orchid or orange plantations. You can visit the remote villages whose inhabitants still practice animism. Or join the tours that bring you to the iconic selfie spots for that perfect holiday Instagram flow!
If you prefer to sweat ‘at home’, MMP has its own tennis/badminton court (one-hour use is free for all guests). There is also a small gym with weights, a treadmill, a stationary bicycle, and similar basic exercise equipment. For the playful and competitive guests, there are darts, billiards, table football, and table tennis.
If you are looking for more ideas on where to stay in Bali, check these resorts that will recharge your batteries!
Regain strength in the plantation spa
Munduk Moding Plantation resort spa has a modernist interior but is built mostly from bamboo, with alang alang (palm frond) roof.
In one of the two spacious massage rooms, various treatments with Indonesian herbs and spices as key ingredients are available. The homemade coffee body scrub sounds unmissable when visiting the coffee plantation resort. The scrub’s antioxidants supposedly soften the skin and remove its impurities. I wanted to try this two-hour treatment, but sadly, the spa was busy! There was no chunk of two hours available during my stay.
Instead, I opted for MMP Signature Massage, a one-hour combo of aromatherapy, hot stone, and traditional Balinese massage. The treatment cost me 30 USD (28 Euros), with tax and service charges excluded.
No aromatherapy could have covered the pungent smell invading my nose
My Munduk massage sadly didn’t start right. After laying on the massage table, I buried my head into a sweat-soaked headrest. I couldn’t blame anyone, as the towels were clean. But it seemed nobody was checking the equipment which over time took over the whole sensation. No aromatherapy could have covered the pungent smell invading my nose. I had to stop the treatment at the very beginning, as I couldn’t ignore the unpleasant odor. The masseuse was very professional and offered to move to the other table. The situation there was causing a bit less discomfort. This thing just didn’t fit the excellence of service MMP was aiming for. Luckily, it was fixable! I was sure they would pay more attention to these elements of the experience in the future.
The massage itself was very good and relaxing. So relaxing that I even fell asleep, which is always a good sign.
If you’re up for something different, MMP can provide a healing massage by a local healer who uses traditional medicines and holy water with a “mantra”.
Mountain resort blending ecology and luxury
Munduk Moding Plantation implements the idea of an eco-lodge in Bali, the island that banned single-use plastic in 2019. The resort led the way in replacing plastic straws with bamboo ones. Guests can even learn how to make them! It provides glass bottles of water in the rooms, uses natural water sources for bathing, and recycles waste. They also promote nature topics through movie screenings for kids and adults. The hotel practices sustainable agriculture on the plantation. Munduk plantation restaurant offers the organic Bali meal experience as much as it can.
If you want to check another mountain eco-luxury resort, read about the Limalimo Lodge in Ethiopia!
The responsibility towards the surroundings does not stop at maintaining the lush gardens in an environment-friendly way. The owners have also set up the Munduk Foundation, to support local schools, provide dance and English classes for Munduk children, as well as scholarships to talented but poor students.
At the same time, Munduk Moding Plantation is not just an idyllic hideaway behind the sights of the plant tunnels and sounds of the birdsongs deprived of modern traveler needs. The rooms have a CD, iPod, and DVD player (a large selection of DVDs is available). All guests receive a mobile phone for communication with the reception. The Internet connection was not always stable in my experience, but it does cover all areas of this award-winning eco-luxury resort.
Munduk Moding Plantation menu
MiMPi Restaurant is set just in front of the iconic infinity pool. It delivers beautiful views, both from the first-floor dining room and second-floor verandah. One can also enjoy the meal under the frangipani trees on the terrace. Private bale bengong (gazebo) is most popular among couples, where the heart-form-displayed candles lighten up their romantic dinner.
The coffee plantation menu offers Balinese, Indonesian, Asian, and some Western Fusion food. However, I feel that there is a discrepancy between Asian and non-Asian dish quality. Chocolate brownie so hard that one cannot cut it with a knife, or a truly oversized portion of spaghetti give an impression that someone is tapping into unknown territory, even if with the best intentions. On the other side, local dishes, and especially vegetarian and vegan selections are surprisingly excellent.
I like their Mimpi breakfast in particular! Try it if you want to have an overview of various local breakfast options, including the tropical fresh fruits, Jaffle with strawberry, tomato, banana, or cheese, Nasi Goreng or Bakmie Goreng with fried egg, toasted bread with onion, avocado, and tomato, Lak Lak, Biu Mekukus, and a pot of tea or coffee, of course!
Coffee – the resort’s darkest pleasure
Being the only Bali resort set on a working coffee plantation, Munduk Moding Plantation is an ideal destination for those who cannot start a day without a good cup of the dark booster.
If you want to immerse yourself in Bali coffee culture completely, you should visit this Indonesian hill station in July or August, when you can participate in the coffee harvest! For all other visitors, rooms come with Munduk coffee packs, so you can still enjoy drinking coffee in nature at your leisure.
For those who love afternoon rituals, every day, the hotel serves complimentary ginger tea or Bali coffee with homemade cookies by the pool.
If you are willing to experiment, you can try the pricy kopi luwak. The famous luxury coffee beverage comes from beans eaten and digested by Luwak fox (civet). Unlike in other facilities which cage and often force-feed this nocturnal animal, Luwak here is free and wild. The resort can barely harvest 2 kilos a year, in comparison to 1,5 tons of other processed beans.
Munduk Moding Plantation review – conclusion
From the flower leis with a welcome drink (coffee with lemongrass) to the evening chocolates with a bedtime story (well, one that ends with the king running around the palace and killing everyone was an unusual way to wish a sweet night), Munduk Moding Plantation overflows with attention.
The pampering starts with a golf cart-type vehicle for the short ride between the entrance and the reception. It does not end with any of the experience programs generously offered to the in-house guests. Sometimes, six employees stand behind the small reception desk, all eager to help, which may make communication confusing. The intention here is excellent; it just needs some polishing to make the resort staff equally relaxed as the guests they are taking care of.
The most rewarding part of staying at this remote Bali mountain resort is its design for privacy. Even if one building can house several suites, they will still have the preserved feeling of seclusion, all the way from the entrance to the balcony views. This makes Munduk Moding Plantation Nature Resort and Spa the perfect honeymoon or wedding place in Bali, away from the crowds. Private dinner or just a warm hug by the bonfire under the night skies of the Southern Hemisphere can indeed be romantic.
Finally, this Munduk hotel offers impressive panoramic views, but also hidden photogenic treasures at the plantation, with its infinity pool reaching the greatest Instagram stardom. It can be cloudy above you, and it can be cloudy beneath you. The visual setting will instantly catapult you into the dreamlike atmosphere that will fill your social media and your own memory feed with countless moments to cherish.
MMP essential info
Munduk Moding Plantation location
Munduk Moding Plantation Nature Resort and Spa is located in the hilly countryside of Northern Bali. It is the authentic corner of one of the most popular islands in Indonesia (and there are 18.000 of them!).
The resort site is just on the edge of the plateau at more than 1.000 meters above sea level, and close to the three central lakes of the island (Beratan, and the twin lakes of Buyan and Tamblingan).
Even if administratively belonging to Gobleg, the resort got its name from the neighboring Munduk village which offers excellent trekking, if you ever get bored with 5 kilometers of walking path through the plantation.
Lovina Beach is half an hour’s drive away, and going from Ubud to Munduk can take up to two hours by car.
How to get to Munduk Moding Plantation from the airport
Most of the tourists arrive in Bali through Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, in Southern Bali. The ride from Bali Airport to Munduk Moding Plantation should not take more than two and a half hours.
Taking public transport between the two locations is not easy, so your best options are renting a vehicle, or asking the resort to organize the pick-up/drop-off. The airport transport fee will be 50 USD (45 Euros).
The best time to visit Munduk, Bali
The proximity to the equator makes Bali’s year-round temperatures high. Munduk has its own microclimate. Even if you can expect warm weather during the day (22-26 degrees Celsius), prepare for the fact that nights can be chilly here (14-19 degrees). Bring an extra sweater!
Munduk weather is characterized by more rain than the rest of the island, especially in the wet season between November and March. August is the driest month, but October is the warmest one.
Munduk Moding Plantation day pass
If you are not staying in Munduk Moding Plantation, but would still like to visit it, the resort provides non-staying guests with day passes. Their availability depends on the occupancy. The priority to enjoy the resort and the spa is given to the overnight guests.
In case a day pass is available, an external guest will have to pay 500.000 Indonesian Rupiah (32 Euros) for the Blue Voucher. It will entitle you to a welcome drink, two-course lunch, and access to all facilities and activities, except the infinity pool and Jacuzzi. Those two are often the main reason for a day visit, so if you want to include them, you will need to purchase a Green Voucher for 900.000 Rupiah (57 Euros). Children younger than 11 have a 50 % discount on these prices.
Munduk Moding Plantation contact: [email protected] or +62 (0)81 138 5059 (Whatsapp)
Website: www.mundukmodingplantation.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mundukmodingplantation
Munduk Moding Plantation booking: for the best prices, check Munduk Moding Plantation on booking.com
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Disclosure: My stay at the Munduk Moding Plantation was complimentary, but all opinions are my own. Also, this post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, Pipeaway might make a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting our work!
Wow, what an amazing place and a thorough article. Beautiful pictures too.
Thanks! Bali is always inspiring, exuberant with both stories and images!
I love my coffee so this would probably be an ideal holiday destination for me, although I’m not too sure about sharing my pool time with visitors who go there ‘for the Gram’.
Thanks for sharing this interesting and eclectic Balinese destination.
Thanks for your comment!
It’s true that you can always find moments in the day when Gram-people are editing their photos 🙂
Luckily, these pools are not so widely available to the general audience, so it is hard to imagine they will ever get overcrowded.
As long as you can close your eye on YET ANOTHER social media poser taking some time to find the best pose on the pool edge, you will be able to enjoy this very special environment of nature!