The Sintesa Jimbaran Hotel

The room was very spacious, but service was really poor. We stayed nine nights, and although someone came daily to take the rubbish, leave bottled water, and replace towels, they never changed the sheets. We also tried eating at the restaurant once. No one came to take our order after we sat down, so we left and didn't try again. Ordering coffee to the room around 10am wasn't possible either, as we were told coffee service only opened at lunch, which seemed silly. On our first day, we asked to borrow cutlery, but the kitchen was already closed and they couldn't provide any. The menu barcode on the wall wasn't easy to use. It required downloading an app, and once I did, it gave an error.

The hotel has a huge amount of space, with indoor and outdoor pools, a restaurant, lobby, park, and a kids' playroom that didn't feel fresh inside. It seems built for big family groups and gatherings, with hundreds of rooms. The hotel is close to the GWK tourist attraction. My deluxe room was clean, the sheets smelled fine, and it had the usual things we needed: a hairdryer, towels, coffee, water, and a bathtub. The food wasn't bad, but breakfast wasn't luxurious. I liked the pie susu bali, which seemed like an authentic dessert, sweet and crunchy. The balcony was the main disappointment. It faced the security area and the main entrance road, so it didn't feel private. I booked a balcony room hoping to get some fresh air outside the window, and wished I could have moved to a more secluded one. Ask for a pool or park view at the side if you can. The hotel seemed short-staffed, perhaps because of Covid 19. Some rooms and areas looked poorly maintained, and the elevator we used was dusty and dirty. The lobby staff didn't smile, say good morning, or ask if we needed anything. They chatted and laughed loudly as I walked through, which made me feel as if we didn't exist during our three nights. The staff member who made up our room was a little nicer and asked what I needed when I didn't want the room cleaned for three nights. It's a quiet, not very expensive option with large rooms and a luxury feel, though old-fashioned. Things were good, but not excellent. I appreciate what the hotel offers, and hope it gets better and attracts many more visitors.

The rooms were okay and the air conditioning got reasonably cold. It's a very quiet location, though the drive in at night felt dark and spooky, and it's far from everything. The hotel is so ambitious in size, but run down and sad-looking, almost as if it will be abandoned soon. We waited more than an hour for four meals at the bar around 9pm. The chicken in my club sandwich smelled foul, and seemed far too old to serve. Given how they handled the chicken, I felt it was dangerous to eat there. I only had the toast and juice from the included breakfast. I'd had Bali Belly two days earlier in Ubud and didn't want to risk getting it again.

The room was definitely the highlight: spacious, with a luxurious design and feel, a separate shower and bathtub, a closet, and a bed and pillows that felt four or five star. The hotel is in a quiet part of town, with nothing really in walking distance, but taxis booked through a local app were easy and cheap enough for getting around. For a comfortable room, it was worth it, though the hotel itself has a long way to go to earn that same rating. It still felt quite deserted, almost like a ghost town. The restaurant was empty except for a couple of people whenever we saw it. The pizza and potato wedges were only okay and not worth the price, so we ate all our meals out. They wouldn't let us charge food to our room, either. I wouldn't book a taxi through the hotel, since it costs triple the going rate. Laundry took 24 hours to come back, which seemed crazy. The staff tried to be friendly, but I sensed they were depressed.