Bali & Resort Saya No Kaze

We had a lovely weekend. The place was clean, and the staff were friendly and helpful, especially the waitress from Nepal. The food was delicious, even though it wasn’t Balinese. For breakfast, a pot of jam at the buffet would be nice, and the ping-pong rackets could use replacing.

The drinks are available through breakfast, and checkout isn’t until 11 AM, which made the stay feel unhurried. We were on a breakfast-only plan, but the all-inclusive extras sounded great: beer and other alcohol, snacks, private baths, a hot stone sauna, and video games, all included. The late-night green curry is worth trying, too. The Balinese-inspired rooms and hotel are carefully put together, and the view is lovely for sitting back with a drink. We’d just come back from Bali, so the atmosphere stood out, and the stay was especially memorable. Book the sauna and private baths as soon as you check in. We waited and found they were full. The private baths are indoors, so sunset bathing didn’t work out as we’d hoped. Strong wind also made the sky-deck sauna unusable. This is a quiet, relaxing place for spending time at the hotel.

The sashimi at dinner looked beautiful and tasted great. The rest of the meal was average, though breakfast curry and the acai drink were both delicious. Staff were lovely and smiling, and it was handy to have the drink bar available at any time. The room had a very pretty view, partly obscured by the Confucius pattern on the window. I also felt the view outside the public bath could be nicer with a little tidying. The facilities are old, though designed with a Balinese feel. Reaching the open-air bath means walking outside and going up and down a steep slope, which could be hard for older people.

The breakfast looked lovely, and I especially liked the mascarpone cheese sandwich. I don’t usually drink, but the house plum liqueur at dinner was delicious. The free drinks, karaoke, and rock sauna were fun, as was the cold open-air bath in a separate building down the stairs. The place had a Bali-like tropical feel even though we were still in Japan, and the foreign staff at the front desk and restaurant spoke Japanese clearly and politely. After checkout I sat for a while enjoying the view. A Japanese staff member told me they were about to clean up, but the tone felt harsh, which was disappointing. I wish they’d been as gentle and polite as the foreign staff.