Bali Hotel Reviews
Bali Mandira
I would recommend this hotel for all travellers, especially families.
This property is in a fantastic location in quiet pocket of Legian beach, opposite the Padma Hotel.
The hotel is more traditional style cottage accommodation. Room types include the lead in Superior rooms which are located back from the pool, to deluxe cottages, club rooms and villas. For Families there is the option of the Superior Family Room which holds two queen beds or a double and two singles and can hold maximum of 4. Otherwise there are the interconnecting cottage rooms which feature a fantastic outdoor shower. There is also 6 incredible pool villas which have a max occupancy of 2 + 1 on a rollaway. These have a private pool and are popular among honeymooners.All the rooms were lovely and modern.
There is a kids club for kids aged 3-12 , waterslides, beach pool and an adults only pool. There is a great club lounge for the club guests.
We had a lunch provided at the Azul restaurant and it was some of the best food Ive ever eaten, with a great setting overlooking the beach. The views from the rooftop bar are beautiful !
This was probably my favourite hotel out of all our inspections and defnitley the first place I would bring the kids.
Padma Hotel
I would reccomend this hotel for all travellers , especially families.
The padma is also located in a nice quiet pocket of Legian Beach. It is a large hotel with rooms ranging from the lead in Deluxe rooms, to family rooms, chalets, club rooms to suites. We inspected the family room, deluxe lagoon view room and the chalets.
For families the family rooms are perfect. Two separate rooms which have a bunk bed and trundle bed, fitting 3 children comfortably with a TV and 2 bathrooms. The room we inspected was on the ground floor leading right out to the kids pool which was great, although I’m sure it would get very noisy. The ground floor family rooms are a higher price point than 2nd storey rooms.
The deluxe lagoon view room can hold 2 + 1 on a rollaway and have interconnecting options and had a nice view over the lagoon pool.
The club chalet were nice with a masive bed and have the benefit of using the club lounge. These rooms also hold 2 + 1 on a rollaway.
The kids club is for kids aged 4-12 and there are kids pools with waterslides suitable for all ages.
There is a total of 5 pools at the property, including an adults only pool down at the beachfront. The main pool with pool bar is a really large pool also down at the beachfront of the property.
This hotel is one of my favourites for people travelling with kids, however the family rooms are quite expensive so would be best to look for deals.
Alila Seminyak
I would recommend this property for all travellers but more suitable for young travellers and couples.
The Alila is a brand new hotel located next door to Potatohead in Seminyak. Its a modern style hotel right on the beachfront. It has a beautiful lobby overlooking the beach with an amazing vertical plant wall behind the reception desk.
The superior rooms which are the lead in category were not opened as yet, they are due to open in December. They are in a separate wing of the hotel which doesnt have a pool – the guests staying in these rooms would have to come up to the Deluxe rooms or main area.
There are 35 deluxe rooms that are suitable for 2 guests. The first floor has pool access rooms, 2nd floor have garden views and the 3rd floor ocean views. There is a buggy service to take guests to the main property area from the deluxe wing.
The rooms are very bright and modern, with floor to ceiling glass doors with no frames. Once the doors are open it feels like one giant open room. The doors also block alot of noise once they are closed. The flooring I think was the biggest fault in these rooms as they are the type of floor that is so easy to mark and even the room we inspected had dirty marks all over.
The deluxe ocean view suites are 60sqm in size and can hold 2 adults and 2 children. Again these have an amazing glass door which opens to make it one room. The room we inspected was right on the beach with your own deckchairs. Very bright and modern.
The other room categories include suites and penthouse rooms.
For kids there is a kids club for 4-11years which is open from 7am to 9pm and costs $5 for the structured activities, and was well setup.
Their are a total of 5 infinity pools including family, adults only and party pool (which outside guests can use if they spend $65 on food or drinks).
The beachfront restaurant and bar is beautiful and is open 7am to 11pm, and the beach bar 11am – 11pm.
Overall the property is beautiful and modern in a great location, but on the expensive side.
Trans Resort
I recommend this property for all travellers including families
The Trans is a new resort in Seminyak on Sunset Road. The location is the main let down of this property as its not beachfront and on a busy strip.
The hotel has a nice big grand lobby with views out onto the pool and man made waterfall. There is one central pool at the hotel which has a beach area with sunlounges. ( I can see there would be a lot of fighting for pool chairs.)
We inspected the premier rooms, celebrity suites and villas. What I loved about the decor in these rooms was they were still traditional style, but with a luxurious feel. The premier rooms have a max occupancy of 2+1 on a rollaway and are interconnecting. These rooms are very nice.
The celebrity suites were my favourite, very luxurious, spacious and the room we inspected had direct access out to the pool from the living area, with a jacuzzi in the pool. These rooms would be great for a little privacy as the main pool area would get quite busy I can imagine. The suites can fit 5 and can provide a gate to close off the pool if you have young kids. The celebrity suites can also interconnect with a premier room.
The villas are absolutely amazing with private pools and features like bidet toilet, and buggy service to take you to the main area of the resort.
The property has a fantastic kids club (which also has an ice cream shop inside, not sure that’s a great idea, imagine the tantrums for ice cream all day!)which looks out onto the manmade waterfall and is very well set out and modern.
The restaurant is by the pool , which I just think makes the whole area too crowded and the manmade waterfall , while lovely, is quite loud.
Overall I did really like this property, but the location is a turn off for me. It would be a fantastic hotel for kids aswell as couples.
Maya Sanur
I recommend this property for mature travellers and couples.
The Maya Sanur is another new property just recently opened in 2015. It is a very modern, minimalist design. The architecture in this property was amazing and the location is great.
We inspected the Deluxe Rooms, Deluxe lagoon rooms, and beachfront pool suite.
The deluxe rooms held a maximum of 2 + 1 on a rollaway or on the daybed provided. There are 8 interconnecting rooms on the first floor. These rooms were AMAZING. Definitely my favourite décor and design of all the hotels . They have a great balcony with a lovely daybed overlooking the garden. The bathroom in these rooms are incredible, with a motorised blind that comes down.
The deluxe lagoon rooms were similar but overlooked the lagoon pool and again hold 2 adults and 1 child or 3 adults.
The beachfront pool suite was a whole new level of luxury – 106sqms with a king size bed and generous daybed. My favourite feature was the glass wall behind the bed filled with plants. Added a nice touch to the room ! This room holds 2 adults, has a private plunge pool and views of the beach.
There is one main large pool down near the beach , and the small long lagoon pools which you can access from the lagoon rooms. There is also a beautiful function room overlooking the beach , which would be fantastic for birthdays or weddings. A rooftop cooking class is another great feature of this property.
Overall the property is very beautiful, modern with amazing architecture throughout. It is definitely suited for mature travellers or couples as its very quiet and not as kid friendly.
Sanur Plaza Suites
I recommend this property for families
The biggest letdown of this property for me was the location, it isn’t beachfront and on quite a busy road. However if your looking for a property where the kids can run amuck then its perfect.
We inspected the 3 bedroom loft suite and the 1 bedroom suite . The 3 bedroom suites, while a little on the dark side, are amazing. Very spacious with full kitchen facilities and a balcony. There is one master bedroom upstairs, one master downstairs and one twin family bedroom. There are 3 bathrooms, and an additional space upstairs for an extra bed. Can easily accommodate 6 or 7 people with the additional bed.
The 1 bedroom also had a kitchenette with living room and master bedroom. These rooms are quite dark due to the location of them.
The main pool is a great size with kids pool and basketball net. There are magicians which entertain the kids pool side in the afternoon etc. The kids waterslides and pool area is on the other side of the kids club and is great for kids of all ages.
There is a giant Camp Splash Kids Club area with pool tables, table tennis, air hockey etc aswell as a toy area for the younger ones. Children under 6 must be accompanied by an adult as its more of a play area than a child care facility.
There is one restaurant and a bar at the property and happy hour is from 4-6pm. There is also a laundromat for those who wish to wash their clothes.
Overall its a great resort for kids with fantastic accommodation at a good price.
Fairmont Sanur
I recommend this property for families aswell as couples and mature travellers.
The Fairmont is a beautiful property in a great location in Sanur. It is soon going to be under the ACCOR brand. One thing I like in hotels is a nice grand lobby with a great view and this property sure has that, with fantastic views over the pool to the beach, and a great bar.
We inspected the Fairmont Suite and the Signature Spa Suite.
The garden view suite is a fantastic size at 90sqm and can hold 2 adults and 1 extra bed. It has a 30sqm private outdoor terrace with daybed and mini bar with views over the garden or ocean. The bathroom is very spacious and luxurious.
The signature spa suite can occupy 2 + 1 and is between 150-180sqm with its own spa treatment room with massage table and separate door. Like the Fairmont suite it has a private outdoor terrace and lounge area.
There are also 1,2 and 3 bedroom villas which we didn’t get a chance to inspect. These go up to 940sqm and boast private pools, living areas and butler services.
The main infinity pool is in a great location and for dining options there is a beach bar grill, lobby lounge and main restaurant. We were lucky enough to have lunch here and the food was absolutely amazing !
There is also 2 kids pools and a kids club on the property, making it a great choice for families.
Overall this property was one of my favourites and suitable for all travellers including families.
Segara Village Sanur
The Segara is in a great location in Sanur right on the beach and has been family owned since the 1950s. It has a very Bali bungalow feel which I really liked, and the gardens were beautiful.
We inspected the deluxe family room, Bungalow 1st and 2nd configuration and the club rooms.
The deluxe family rooms interconnect and can hold up to 5 people, with the 5th on a rollaway. They have an outdoor sitting area with a small shallow pond. The rooms were on the smaller size but still suitable for a family of 4-5.
The bungalow rooms are very bright and modern and have a either a bedroom upstairs with a terrace area downstairs, or a bedroom and terrace on the same level. These occupy 2+ 1 extra on a rollaway. There is a family bungalow which is also 2 storey and has two bedrooms with an outdoor terrace area.
The club rooms are in a separate area of the property and have the benefits of the club pool and no children. The rooms are a thatched bungalow style on the outside however very modern on the inside.
There is a separate small pool/Jacuzzi with a pool bar with 5-7pm happy hour, aswell as the main pool down near the beach. There is no kids club however there is babysitting and a childrens outdoor playground.
The restaurants on the beach are fantastic, and there are watersports available also.
This property has a great, intimate feel and is defnitley one of my top choices.
I recommend this hotel for all travellers including families.
Double Six Seminyak
I recommend this property for young travellers and mature travellers.
The double six is a very much a luxury suite hotel located right on the beach in Seminyak. We were lucky enough to be treated to an amazing dinner here after our inspection.
The only room we inspected here was the 2 bedroom Deluxe Ocean view suite as they were at full capacity. This room is over 160sqms with the most incredible views over the ocean and Seminyak, 2 bedrooms, the most incredible bathroom and a butler service.
The other rooms range from leisure suites, to private plunge pool suites and vary in price.
The spa and hair salon here was very modern and almost space like, with state of the art treatments including a 45min walk through treatment with different phases including mist, and detoxification ( I can’t remember what the treatment is called but it looks very interesting!) .
The Plantation Grill restaurant is a throwback to the glamour of the 1920s style luxury and also boasts a mirrored “selfie room” for guests to touch up their makeup. So amazing !
The Seminyak Italian Food restaurant where we had our host dinner overlooks the pool and beach, and the food was amazing.
The pool is one of the longest pools in Bali and stretches out along the beachfront.
Overall this property is very luxurious and in a fantastic location. Its not somewhere I would come with the kids but would be great for young travellers and mature couples.
The Breezes Seminyak
I recommend this property for all travellers including families.
The Breezes is the sister property to the double six (but quite a different concept) in Seminyak. It has a great atmosphere and is in a great location!
We only inspected the Deluxe ground floor rooms as again they were running at full occupancy. The rooms were very bright and cheerful and great for families with interconnecting options. These rooms also feature a semi private outdoor area with sun lounges and direct pool access. They can accommodate 2 + 1 rollaway or cot in each room.
Other room options are superior rooms and junior suites which also accommodate 2+1 rollaway or cot.
For kids there is a kids club open from 9am and a movie theatre where little ones can watch a movie to chill out (adults can also use the cinema to watch their own dvd by reservation).
The pool is two tiered and includes a white sandy beach and sunken pool bar and pool basketball. The sandy beach is perfect for those with little ones!
Breakfast here is 24/7 meaning you can stumble in after a late night out and order some breakfast if you please !
Overall this hotel had a great atmosphere and is fantastic for kids, would definitely be a top choice of mine.
Puri Santrian Sanur
I recommend the Puri Santrian for all travellers but more suitable for mature travellers and couples.
We stayed at the Puri Santrian in Sanur for the first 2 nights of our stay in a club room. These rooms are located in the separate club area with a fantastic pool area and includes afternoon tea. Our rooms were ground floor right opposite the pool, and like a little cottage style with 4 poster bed, bathroom and large wardrobe area.
Other accommodation options are superior rooms, bungalow (traditional Balinese style) and santrian rooms. The newest accommodation is the premier deluxe rooms which are located again in a separate wing for adults only and features an infinity edge swimming pool. These rooms can hold 2 + 1 rollaway.
The property is right on the beach and has 4 pools spread out in different locations. There is a sunken pool bar in the main pool which is near the restaurant, and the breakfast here was incredible – with seating available right on the beach.
I really enjoyed my stay here and would defnitley come again.
