Puri Lumbung Cottages in Munduk are cottages built from authentic 80-year-old Balinese Lumbung barns, relocated from villages to preserve disappearing architecture.

Each cottage at this north Bali mountain hotel was once a genuine rice storehouse – not a vintage facade, but an authentic building around 80 years old, relocated from a village where farming had already transitioned to modern grain storage methods. Puri Lumbung Cottages in the mountain village of Munduk is a rare example of a hotel built not in the style of disappearing architecture, but literally from it.

Briefly. The hotel was founded in 1992 by former tourism teacher Nyoman Bagiarta specifically to preserve disappearing Balinese architecture – the Lumbung, traditional rice storehouses. The cottages are built from genuine, old Lumbungs around 80 years old, relocated from north Bali villages where farming transitioned to modern grain storage methods and the storehouses lost their function. It’s located in the mountain village of Munduk, far from southern beachside Bali, near Munduk Waterfall and Lake Tamblingan. Guests describe the grounds as very beautiful but honestly warn: proximity to rice fields means proximity to their inhabitants – mice, frogs, and insects.

Architecture Saved From Disappearance

A Lumbung is a traditional Balinese rice storehouse on stilts, which for centuries remained an integral part of the island’s village landscape. By the end of the 20th century, with the spread of modern grain storage methods and changes in agricultural practices, Lumbungs began to go out of use en masse – they were either abandoned or dismantled due to lack of need, and along with them disappeared a whole architectural tradition.

In 1992, Nyoman Bagiarta, a former tourism teacher, saw in this process not just an economic detail, but a threat to the island’s cultural heritage, and founded Puri Lumbung Cottages with the direct purpose of preserving disappearing Lumbung architecture by accommodating guests in genuine storehouses, not recreations. The age of the relocated buildings is around 80 years old, meaning each cottage is almost twice as old as the hotel itself.

Genuine Storehouses, Not a Stylization

The difference between Puri Lumbung and many hotels on the island exploiting Balinese aesthetics decoratively is fundamental: here guests literally live inside authentic peasant buildings relocated from villages in northern Bali, not in new buildings designed “in the style” of traditional architecture. This same principle – using genuine old structures instead of stylizing them – connects Puri Lumbung with another hotel featured in our section in the same region, Munduk Moding Plantation, a working coffee plantation in the mountains of northern Bali.

Mountain Village, Not Beach South

Munduk is one of those parts of Bali that most tourists skip, heading straight for the southern beaches or Ubud. Located in the mountains, the village offers a fundamentally different climate and landscape: Munduk waterfall is 3 minutes away by car, Lake Tamblingan is 11 minutes away, and hot springs Banjar and Ulun-Danu temple are respectively 17.5 and 19.5 km away. For travelers who have already visited southern Bali and Ubud and are looking for a quieter, cooler alternative, Munduk with Puri Lumbung at its heart remains one of the least touristy corners of the island.

The hotel itself is arranged like a small village: 45 cottage rooms are scattered throughout the grounds among rice terraces, rather than built in one block, which enhances the feeling of living in a mountain settlement, not a classic resort complex. The property features a spa with massage and body treatments, Warung Kopi Bali restaurant overlooking the garden, and two bars, as well as airport transfers available around the clock for an extra charge – a logistically important detail considering the distance from Munduk to the southern airports of the island.

What Guests Say

  • “The grounds themselves are very beautiful, with clean cottages right in the middle of rice fields. Be prepared to sleep next to all the creatures inhabiting this natural environment: mice, rats, rodents, frogs, birds, insects, snakes and everything else that lives there. It felt a lot like camping. The staff were very friendly and helpful.”
  • “Very pleasant boutique hotel with wonderful style. They managed to create a village atmosphere thanks to the cottages located among rice fields, which gives them even more individuality. The staff was responsive, and although the accommodation was slightly more expensive than in some other places, we really enjoyed it.”

There’s not much data yet – the hotel is niche and caters to travelers specifically seeking a format far removed from the standard beach or villa vacation in Bali, rather than a mass influx of tourists. Both available ratings honestly agree on the main thing: an authentic village atmosphere—a reality, not marketing—but requires a willingness to accept what that means, living literally among rice paddies.

What’s Next

Another hotel in the same mountainous region of northern Bali, also built around genuine agriculture rather than a decorative facade, is Munduk Moding Plantation, an operating coffee plantation in the mountains.

Prices, room availability, and service inclusions may change—check for updated information before your trip.