Akarsa Kokoro Sanur Bali

The staff were friendly, the bed was comfortable, and the location was good, not far from the beach. But I can’t recommend this place. The room was dirty and seemed not to have had a proper clean for a long time. When I arrived, it looked like someone had just made the bed. The shower had hair from previous guests, the kettle was unusable because of mold or something growing inside, and the balcony, floor, and fridge were dirty. It wasn’t cleaned at all during my two-night stay. I didn’t try the pool for those reasons. Wi-Fi was slow or completely down, there was noisy construction next door, the balcony lights didn’t work, and the TV remote batteries were dead. Red ants and marks on the walls and sheets are common at this price, so I’m not counting those against it. The online photos and positive reviews didn’t match my experience.

The hotel has a small pool, and the staff were very helpful. For the price, it’s decent, but the insect problem needs to be addressed, and the Wi-Fi isn’t very good. I stayed here while renewing my visa and visiting the immigration center in Denpasar. The location worked well: there’s a cafe downstairs with excellent goulash soup and tuna steak, and the waiters were very nice and attentive. There are plenty of other cafes and restaurants nearby across different tastes and budgets, plus laundry service and a nearby beach. The rooms are nicely designed and come with air conditioning, a hairdryer, TV, refrigerator, tea set, and kettle. The plumbing is old, though, and cockroaches got into the room through cracks in the shower. The linens and towels were clean but not new.

Google Maps showed two different addresses for the property, and I met other people who couldn’t find it either. I couldn’t locate the hotel and therefore couldn’t check in. That night, all the hotels were full, and I nearly had nowhere to stay. I contacted Agoda to request a refund, but they refused because the hotel told them I had checked in and was staying in Room 33. That wasn’t true. When I eventually found the place and tried to speak with the manager, he avoided me for two days, didn’t answer calls or messages, and even the front desk staff couldn’t reach him. I went to Room 33 myself and saw that it was empty.

There are cockroaches, and I took a video as proof. The staff were very inflexible and seemed used to lying. Their recommendations were all wrong. Stay well away.