White Palm Hotel Bali

Asier went above and beyond to help us throughout our stay, making everything feel seamless. Agus, our driver and guide, was simply the best, and we loved every moment with him and the wonderful places he showed us. White Palm Hotel Uluwatu White exceeded every expectation, from its world-class facilities to the exceptional service and attention to detail. It's hands down the best hotel I've stayed at, and I highly recommend the hotel and its team.

We arrived to find a construction site next to the hotel, and the workers kept looking over. My girlfriend felt very uncomfortable and kept the blinds shut. There were gaps in the doors that let insects come and go, including cockroaches. They offered another room, a nicer apartment, but hundreds of red ants were going from the door to behind the fridge. The woman showing it to us hadn't even thought to get rid of them first. I didn't feel I could trust the place or stay there. In Bali, we wanted to feel safe and happy where we were staying. We didn't spend a single night there, only an hour, but they refused a refund. Other providers wouldn't accept a refund request either. We lost a day in Bali because of this. Don't make the same mistake. Go to Mahameru hotel instead, it's cheaper, closer to town, and more luxurious.

Six months before our flight, we changed our reservation by one day. Their system then showed two bookings, so I deleted the first one because I was worried about being charged twice or confusing the hotel. I emailed several times with questions about the reservations and never got a reply. When we arrived, the staff said we had no reservation, even though I had a confirmation email. For nearly an hour I asked to speak with the manager or owner and was repeatedly told they weren't there and couldn't talk. I'd flown all the way from Utah, and I'm a public school teacher with a modest income. Other hotels were booked or too expensive for me. It was getting dark, and I didn't know where we could stay. Frustrated that nobody could explain what had happened to the reservation, I hit the coffee table and told my sick wife, “they lost our reservation and they don’t care”. I was angry and a bit overdramatic. Then a staff member went upstairs and brought down the owner or manager they'd said wasn't on site. He found us a different room and apologized, saying the booking system was old and needed replacing. Within the week, the owner called to say it was all our fault because his IT guy had found that I'd deleted the booking. He said we were lucky he was nice enough to give us a room after I'd “scared his staff” and “acted so disrespectfully”, though on the first night he'd admitted there were problems with their booking system. He yelled at us over the hotel phone the front desk attendant handed us, loudly enough for other guests to hear. He also made a snide remark about us being American and suggested our complaint came from a sense of entitlement. Sir, we hadn't flown all the way to Bali and spent thousands of dollars hoping to scam your hotel into a discounted stay. We were shocked our reservation was gone. The owner never gave us the benefit of the doubt and was rude at every interaction. At checkout, we told the front desk we were leaving. Staff politely helped with our luggage and transportation. An hour and a half down the road, the owner messaged that we hadn't paid and threatened to report us to immigration, saying we might not be able to leave Indonesia unless we returned. On our way out, we'd picked up the booking papers left on the front desk because our credit card and other personal details were exposed for anyone to take. Apparently those papers were their only record of our card, so they had no way to charge us. I offered to pay through the website or another digital method, but they refused. The owner again called and yelled instead of accepting their disorganization and clerical mistakes. In the end, I had to pay cash to a hotel staff member at our new hotel in a way that felt like a drug deal. The staff were friendly and kind, but the booking system is a mess and they seem poorly trained. Construction shut off our water several times without anyone notifying us. The pool chairs smelled of car urine, the Wi-Fi was terrible, and the bungalows are close together with glass windows facing each other, so there isn't much privacy. You'll hear anyone making noise at night anywhere on the grounds. Try La Jolla down the street for a nicer hotel at Balangan Beach. This place isn't worth dealing with the narcissistic owner, who apparently hates Americans.

Asier, his lovely family, and the whole team made our stay unforgettable by taking care of every detail with real care and professionalism. The hospitality here is in a league of its own, and we felt like part of the family. Couldn't have asked for a better stay, and we can't wait to return!