ZEN Rooms S Resorts Hidden Valley Bali

The spa was tranquil and lovely, and I had a great massage at prices competitive with the local area. Breakfast had an extensive selection, the room was spacious and clean with good air conditioning and a comfy bed, and the Indonesian staff were genuinely welcoming and kind. Still, the resort’s overall feel didn’t connect with Bali for me. It’s run by white Australians, and checking in honestly felt like being in Australia. The in-room booklet describing Balinese people as “humble and eager to please” gave me strong colonial orientalist vibes and seemed to reflect the place’s general tone. The design felt like a Jet2 package resort rather than somewhere tied to its culture or setting. The restaurant caters heavily to Aussie tastes with Western dishes like parmi and a BBQ bacon egg roll. Prices are high compared with nearby local places, and even the Indonesian options were at Western prices and cooked to Western tastes. All four pools looked much smaller than in the photos, with a couple more like small ponds, and the loungers were worn, old, and looked dirty. Bathrooms were small and dated, with old shower curtains and a bad sewage smell masked by an automatic air freshener every few minutes. There’s so much choice in Bali. It should be easy to find another resort or villa with a more authentic, cohesive, local feel and without these problems.

We were given a free upgrade, which was a nice surprise. The bungalow and the pool area in front of it were excellent, and the staff made us feel welcome and were very helpful, though there were some language barriers with a few of them. The AC stopped working one day. It took a little while to get someone to fix it, but staff did eventually sort it out.

We’ve been to Hidden Valley three times now, and the relaxed, friendly atmosphere keeps bringing us back. It’s easy to get to Uluwatu, the beaches, and restaurants, either by renting a scooter at Hidden Valley or taking a car into town. The location is just far enough from the bustle for peaceful nights, while keeping everything within reach. We loved waking up to birds, then walking through the gardens to breakfast, especially the smashed avo, green machine smoothie, and yoghurt fruit parfait. Everyone we met was warm and kind, from the front desk and restaurant to housekeeping and people we passed around the grounds. The staff went above and beyond when we needed help arranging onward travel. The couple who run the hotel were lovely, shared their knowledge of Bali, and gave us great beach recommendations. Winnie’s yoga classes were amazing, and I’d recommend a spa massage too. Wedi at the spa has magic hands. Thanks to her and everyone whose names we didn’t catch. A friend first told us about the place, and we’ve since recommended it to other friends. We’ll keep recommending it, and we’ll remember this latest stay fondly.

The restaurant food and drinks were really nice and fairly priced for a resort. The pools were great, and staff were prompt and provided excellent service. It’s a pretty, peaceful place tucked off the main road, with a free shuttle and about a 20-minute drive to the beach farthest away. Our room was generally comfortable, but the bathroom cleanliness was disappointing. They tried to fix it, though it never got quite clean enough, and we saw the same problem in a couple of other rooms.