Bali Hotel

We stopped by today to ask about a room, and the receptionist was so rude. She was sitting among her colleagues. It’s sad, because it’s a beautiful place, but it felt like the staff didn’t want people to stay.

I was doubtful after seeing low ratings on some websites, but my first stay went very well. The room was spacious, it felt like 35qm, clean, and had a very comfortable bed. The relaxing surroundings were a nice place to unwind after work, and I especially liked having a big room. I was there on business and knew what I was getting into: it’s far from the center, and I didn’t want to spend two hours in a car during peak traffic. The pool and garden looked lovely, though I didn’t have time to use them. Breakfast wasn’t as fancy as at the city boutiques, but there was plenty of food.

The room itself is beautiful, with a large bathroom and plenty of fluffy towels, shampoo, and other things you might need. There’s no tub, but the big glass shower has lots of hot water. The canopied double bed might be the most comfortable I’ve ever slept in, great for couples. The minibar also had some goodies. One problem: my room was advertised as having a window with a garden view, but all I could see was a brick wall. The Wi-Fi is at about half power, and the advertised shuttle to the airport, which is 10 minutes away, costs $10.

The Bali Resort has a lovely tropical setting, close to the airport. The room and its surroundings were delightful enough that I didn’t mind paying $60 instead of my usual $25. But the stay was full of small problems, which I think point to poor low-level management. A lovely setting can’t make up for that. The bathroom had no hot water. I ran the tap for 10 minutes and got only tepid water, which is unforgivable in an upscale hotel. There was also a sign for "Umbrellas" with none there, though it was rainy season. The umbrellas were actually 10 meters away, somewhere without a sign. Why not move the sign or the umbrellas? Breakfast was another hassle. The buffet was in one room, but the omelette station was outside, far from the rest of the food. Guests had to walk up and down stairs, through a door, and past other people to get there. I can’t see what benefit that brings the resort. Other upscale resorts have managed to arrange this more conveniently. The management should fix it too. My advice is to stay away until, say, September of 2024, to give them time to sort these things out. If the problems were still there after that, forgettaboutit. All these little issues make the resort poor value for its relatively high price, despite the lovely setting.