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Madra Homestay focuses on providing quiet accommodations with a remarkable Balinese family in a large traditional compound with an unusually spacious garden, with plumeria, hibiscus, and bougainvillea and mature coconut palms and avocado and banana trees.

The late Ketut Madra, internationally known as a masterful painter of Balinese legends and stories and also a masked dancer of local renown, built the first bungalow for the homestay in late 1973. The first guest moved into the new cottage, or pondok, at the edge of the rice fields in January 1974.

Since then, Madra Homestay has served individuals and small groups, especially those eager to learn about aspects of Balinese culture, as a welcoming home in Bali. Until his retirement in 2018, Madra taught painting and rebab (the two-stringed lute that accompanies a gamelan) to two generations of guests and introduced scores of visitors to teachers of Balinese painting, gamelan, wayang kulit, woodcarving, mask making, and much more.

His son Pak Madé Berata, who now runs the homestay with his wife Ibu Komang, is also a deeply accomplished wayang artist, gamelan musician, and masked dancer, as well as a banjar leader. He has expanded the homestay’s ties to teachers and artists throughout South Bali, and also in the academies of Denpasar, and connects interested guests to lessons they are seeking.

For almost 50 years, visitors from all over the world have included musicians, writers, artists, and scholars; families with young children; and budget-conscious travelers, as well as study groups and volunteers in Balinese schools. The home-stay’s 12 rooms all have bathrooms with hot showers. The luxury of the homestay lies in the friendliness of the family, the warmth of their welcome, the openness of the garden, and the uncrowded peace that feels so far removed from the traffic and noise of 21st-century Ubud.

Pak Madé has recently renovated two of the rental cottages in the compound to include kitchens with two-burner gas stove and fridge. Uma Dangin has two bedrooms and bathrooms. Each bungalow can serve one person with a bedroom and separate workspace, or as a two-bedroom combination that works well for a family or small group.

While the homestay has served for almost 50 years as the family’s “window to the west,” Pak Madé and Ibu Komang remain deeply in and of their culture. Their guests have the opportunity to attend nearby temple and family ceremonies that are rarely open to tourists. They can also easily secure front-row seats for the weekly performances of Peliatan’s renowned Tirta Sari gamelan ensemble.

Reservations and further information

Reservations are available on booking.com by searching for Madra Homestay. For direct contact, please call Madé Berata, +62 812 3956 1165, mobile and WhatsApp or 0812 3956 1165 within Indonesia. Email: berataoffice (at) gmail (dot) com.

We love to connect guests with Balinese artists and teachers across all genres: gamelan musicians, performing artists, painters, mask makers, wood- and stone-carvers, metal workers, and myriad others with all kinds of local knowledge.

We can also help guests with airport connections, vehicle rentals, and in hiring knowledgeable drivers and guides.

Free WiFi is available.

Location:  Madra Homestay is in Banjar Kalah in the southern part of Peliatan. Ubud and Pengosekan are just to the west and the village of Mas is nearby to the east and south. Peliatan is about one hour north of the airport, 40 minutes from central Denpasar, and 20 minutes from the regional capital, Gianyar. It is a convenient location from which to visit other parts of Bali.

The Madra Homestay’s guest rooms overlook a well-maintained tropical garden with a stream running through it and three small bridges connecting to the lawn with coconut, avocado, and banana trees.