I've stayed at many different hotels in Bali. There are places to suit everyone's tastes and budgets. Here are the hotels I've stayed at and my thoughts:
Kuta/Legian/Seminyak
Grand Balisani Suites (June/July, 2012) $$
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| Images are my own |
I stayed here with a friend in June, 2012. Grand Balisani Suites is a beautiful hotel at the North end of Seminyak. It has direct beach access and a single, but beautiful pool. Reasonably priced, it includes breakfast- quite a sufficient one at that- and has very comfortable rooms. I stayed in a Garden View room which was on the 3rd floor of the hotel, had a huge sized room, very comfortable bed, a fantastic bathroom with seperate bath and shower and a nice balcony. They also have interconnecting rooms and a couple of private villas on site.
The only things that I thought let this hotel down were, firstly, its location. Although central Seminyak and places such as Ku-De-Ta and Potato Head are only a short taxi ride away (or a 10-15 minute walk along the beach), there is not much within walking distance and no footpath along the main road. Secondly, the hotel has no lift, but a lot of stairs. This wasn't an issue for a younging like myself- except when I was carrying all my shopping- but for those that may be a bit older with bad knees or have kids in tow, the stairs can be a bit treacherous. Thirdly; the hotels WiFi was very,
very slow. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those people that goes on holidays spends all their time uploading photos or updating their FaceBook, but when you're trying to keep your family up to date with the trip and letting them know you're safe, WiFi is needed. And lastly, there was a big inconsistency in the friendliness of the staff. This is not something that effected my stay here at all, but friendly staff is always a plus.
The Pearl (July, 2013)
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The Pearl is a fantastic little hotel tucked away off Jalan Double 6 in Legian. It's in a fantastic location with so many great restaurants on its doorstep and the beach just a 5 minute walk away. The rates are very reasonable and include breakfast. The hotels has only 16 rooms, which are beautiful, and a no under 15's allowed so you're guaranteed peace and quiet.Free WiFi is available in the hotel and it could be reached from our room. There are a few little things that wouldn't go amiss in the hotel, but also do not detract from its standard. The towels were a bit on the old side, there is no service around the pool and also no tables next to the pool lounges. As I said, these are little things but regardless of these, the hotel is excellent.The hotel also has an amazing French restaurant of the same name. Whether you're staying at the hotel or not, it's an absolute must. Set in a beautiful, dimly lit garden, the food is delicious and the service is exemplary. It deserves its high rating on TripAdvisor.
Villa Coco (November, 2013) $$
Villa Coco is in a great location off Double 6 and is reasonably priced. My friends and I loved having the privacy of our own villa with a pool, loved the service of having breakfast delivered to us each morning as well as the safety of being in a complex and therefore having the necessary security. The villa we stayed in was lovely; a perfect size with a great outdoor living area, beautiful semi-outdoor bathrooms and a plunge pool. We enjoyed our stay but were let down by the management, who wouldn't hold themselves accountable for a miscommunication that effected our check-in. We were given a discount after I chased down management to follow through with the promise of making it up to us. Despite our enjoyable stay, the poor management has me not wanting to return.
Poppies Cottages (November, 2013) $-$$
Poppies is an oasis located in the middle of busy Kuta. Step in off the busy Poppies Lane 1 into a tranquil setting that would have you believing you were miles away from the tourist centre of Bali. Restaurants, spas and shopping are right on the door step and when you've had enough, you can return to the peacefulness of the hotel. The property is bigger than you would think, with the cottages spread throughout. Lovely gardens, a beautiful pool and a great price to match. Despite being in the middle of Kuta, it's definitely a hotel I'd return to.
Rama Garden (March, 2014) $
A lovely boutique hotel located on Padma Street in Legian with plenty of dining and shopping options right on the doorstep. It has no more than 30 rooms all surrounding the beautiful pool. The hotel is great value for money. The rooms are recently renovated making them very comfortable and spacious. They have a huge flat screen TV that faces the sitting area but can be pulled out from the wall to face the beds. The bathroom is very well designed with a huge shower. The nightly rate includes breakfast, which is nothing special but sufficient. For a budget hotel, it's a great standard. I would definitely stay again.
Sanur
Bumi Ayu is a small, budget hotel located down a lane way just off the main street in Sanur. I stayed in a Deluxe Room when here in February 2012 and I, and the rest of my family, found them very comfortable. The rooms are spacious, good airconditioning and have mosquitoe nets around the beds. The bathroom was sufficient, with a joined shower/bath, but the lighting could be improved- a girl needs good lighting in the bathroom. Breakfast was included in the room rate and room service is available. What my family and I loved was the big verandahs and the towel racks that are supplied with the room; a great idea!
Being a budget hotel, you get what you pay for. There was definitely some cosmetics that could be taken care of around the hotel, such as the overgrown garden (felt very jungle-like) and the pool having tiles missing from places, but it really is all you need. It's in a great location, which plenty of restaurants just down the road and the beach just a short walk away.
A couple of things that I do think need to be improved are the pool towels. The hotel states that towels are provided but if you could get your hands on them, they were small and dingy. My family ended up buying our own from Hardy's. There was also a fight for the pool lounges some days, but this is an issue at most hotels.
The Griya Santrian is a popular hotel located centrally in Sanur. It has a beautiful beach front as well as a fantastic street location, with many great restaurant right on it's doorstep.
I stayed here in February 2013 with my family. We were in the Garden Wing rooms which were interconnecting and had one of the hotels three pools right outside. The rooms were very comfortable with newly recently refurbished bathrooms. Breakfast is not included in the standard room rate, but can be purchased on a day to day basis (cheaper than paying more when booking) or you can just go to one of the restaurants along the beach or street.
The staff at the hotel were all very friendly, drinks are reasonably priced but the food is a bit expensive, as it usually is at larger hotels.
The WiFi at the Griya Santrian is in need of an update. Although, it worked well, they had different connections for different areas of the hotel, and it was not reachable in our rooms. This was frustrating, but not something that effected the stay at all.
Segara Village is possibly my favorite hotel. It boasts beautiful gardens that are maintained daily, and fabulous pools. I have stayed here 3 times (so far), and loved every stay. The hotel is nicely spread out, and set-out in a village-like layout. Because of this, there is a constant breeze flowing through the hotel. Segara Village doesn't have interconnecting rooms, but they do have family rooms available. They also have Club Rooms (Village 2) that has its own pool, butler services and free cocktails between a certain time each day. Definitely worth the extra money if you can afford it.
Although the Club Rooms are fantastic, the Superior rooms are in need of an update. They have quite a modern interior, which for me, didn't feel right for the hotel. There were visible patches that had been repaired on the walls, the grouting was coming apart in the bathrooms and the rooms were generally just a bit outdated.
The WiFi here is great, the staff are all very friendly and helpful and breakfast, which is included, is definitely sufficient.
I stayed at the Tamukami for 3 nights in July, 2013. It's a fantastic little hotel and one that I would gladly return to. Consisting of only 18 rooms, it never felt crowded or like the guests were all on top of each other. Right from the start, the staff were all warm, friendly and very on top of everything. The hotel is obviously very well run and communication between staff members is excellent. The hotel is in a fantastic location in central Sanur. It's tucked down a well lit lane way, away from any noise, but with many great restaurants only a minutes walk away and a few minutes from the beach.
We stayed in a Superior room which was great value for money. The room was spacious, had a good sized bathroom with a separate bath and shower, and a lovely balcony overlooking the pool. WiFi was also good throughout the hotel. The hotel is owned by an older couple from Belgium and it's clear that they have quite an active role in the running of their business; they live on the grounds and can be found throughout the day, interacting with the guests and enjoying the hotels grounds. We had a beautiful stay here and look forward to returning.
I stayed here for 2 nights in July 2013 with my mum. After coming from 2 small hotels, it was a bit of a shock to move to a larger hotel where we found the staff weren't as friendly and we felt more like a number than a guest. We even had to walk more than 10 steps to get to the pool. There is nothing wrong with the Mercure, but it wasn't to my personal tastes. It had great pools, a huge beach front and plenty of places within walking distance along the beach, but the street location is a bit of a dead end.
The hotel was having issues with its WiFi and although I don't know what the issue was, but it was very frustrating. Our room, a deluxe, was nicely renovated, spacious and had a good bathroom with lots of storage, but Mum and I were surprised to learn that it's actually the Superior rooms that are closest to the pools. It's not a hotel I would rush back to.
A great priced villa located in central Sanur with plenty of restaurants, spas and the beach on the doorstep. The villa is a 3 bedroom 3 bathroom with an open living area and private pool. The bedrooms (2 double and 1 twin) are a great size and very comfortable. The master bedroom ensuite was fantastic, with 2 showers (free standing and over the bath) but the other ensuites were quite impractical, with the shower soaking everything in it. It was a fantastic price, especially when divided between 4 people and somewhere I would gladly return to again, if travelling in a group.
Note: the current owner of the villa has unfortunately lost the lease as of August 2014. You can expect the price to go up significantly from that date.
Ubud
If you're looking for a hotel with a breathtaking view, this one may be for you. With 5 pools scattered throughout the hotel, it's not hard to find peace and quiet. The hotel and a few of its pools have an amazing view over the valley. It's located about a 5 minute drive out of central Ubud, but offers a free shuttle bus 3 times a day. Our rooms (garden view) were fantastic; very spacious, a huge bathroom with seperate shower and bath as well as a dressing room area in between. Although I didn't get the chance to explore the surrounding area, I would have loved to, which can only mean one thing; I must go back!
Candi Dasa
COMING SOON
Candi Beach Cottages - October
Images from www.candibeachbali.com
Nusa Lembongan
Harmony Villa's (March, 2014) $$
Beautiful villas with an unbeatable view over Jungutbatu Bay and Bali in the distance. The villas have private plunge infinity pools to make the most of the view and nicely furnished verandah's. With 2 villas, a 2 bedroom and a 1 bedroom, you can enjoy the beautiful view while on a romantic stay or have them both if you're on a trip with family or friends. The villas are both well furnished, with kitchenettes, spacious bathrooms and tv's complete with DVD player and stereo with an iPod dock. Unless you're going to hire a scooter, the stairs to get down to the main drag are not suitable for people with bad knees.
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