After considerable and lengthy thoughts of traveling back to the W Hotel in Seminyak or the St Regis Hotel in Nusa Dua, I chose to stay somewhere more traditional and use the hotels loyalty program (discovery) to see where they stacked up against Starwood, Hyatt & Co.
My brother Kane and I stayed at the Anantara Hotel in Seminyak to attend our sisters wedding at the Bali Niksoma. (which was 5 minutes away in Legian)
The food at the wedding was delicious. The whole wedding went off without a hitch and was a huge success for my gorgeous sister Natalie and her awesome husband Jake. This was also the first time I was to meet my nephew Tyler, who is such a happy & placid little man! So much going on for the little one.
The Bali Niksoma is a very good choice for a wedding and reception, their grounds and location is perfect. The set up was spectacular. Kudos to Bali Niksoma.
The Anantara in Seminyak is a lovely getaway and retreat as such and is more suited to couples and newlyweds, not so much for twin share. The grounds are lush and there are water ponds throughout the lobby and it creates a very calming and tranquil feel as you enter the property.
About the suite..
It was a good size being 80m² and the floors consisted of wooden panels and marble with a rug in the sitting area which had 2 comfortable single wicker loungers.
The king bed was ‘floating’ on marble and was fitted with all white luxury soft sheets, cushions, pillows & quilt. The bed was top of the line and medium to plush, which is one of the most important things to me as a traveller – If I don’t get my sleep, I’m not a happy camper! The bed was super comfortable. The linens and duvet where heavenly.
We paid $USD45++ per/night for a single ensemble (large roll-away) which was set up in the lounge section with linen/duvet or you may prefer the hollywood twin (pictured above) or have the lounge set up as a bed at no additional cost.
The bathroom was huge and took up nearly a third of the total room space! However there is not one inch of privacy, no blind or privacy screen between the room and the bathroom (just a clear sliding window) and no door to the bathroom, just a large marbled entrance. Again suited and geared towards couples!
Bathroom included a large sunken marble bath with upgraded ammenities, ginger soap, bath salts, bubble bath and a massive hard cover book to read (all perched upon a wooden tray inserted over the bath)
The walk in massive shower featured a large rain system and normal extendable arm on the wall. Water pressure was fine and the water was a good temperature. Toilet was inside the bathroom (separated by a glass door laminated from the middle down) and reading materials are supplied (lifestyle and hotel magazines) A second telephone was located in the toilet.
Minibar was satisfactory with soft drinks, beers, chocolates, a juice and sparkling waters which were all easily replaceable if you travelled just a 5 minute walk to the supermarket just down the road. (at a fraction of the cost) As most of you may know, I usually like to empty the mini bar out (place it in the cupboard and not use it) and stock my own items in the fridge, as this saves money and you can have all your favourite things at hand.
The rate was inclusive of a one hour massage per person. Kane lost track of time and said that I could use his massage for organising/booking the trip. (and it took many hours – let me tell you!)
My masseuse Anik was wonderful and managed to put me into a deep state of relaxation, after melting away the knots in my neck, shoulders and back. I found the position of the spa to be relaxing. Your perched above the trees and its such a nice view. Quality essential oils and Elemis products (consistently rated at the top) are used in store and throughout the massage/treatments.
Housekeeping and room service where excellent. The room was always cleaned immaculately and replenished in such a quick time, usually while we where at breakfast. (3 people cleaned at once!)
The room service food was delicious, always arrived when stated (usually 15 – 30 minutes) and steaming hot. (tray was also collected immediately after It was placed out the front of the door – Jedi like)
I always received a follow-up call from room service to ensure that the food was to my liking and if there was anything else I required – excellent.
My privilege rate also included full buffet breakfast daily in the moonlite restaurant located on the 4th floor – with glorious views of seminyak surf beach. The crew at breakfast where awesome – they could not do enough for you! Always greeted Kane and myself by first name. Cold pressed juices where my definite go to in the morning, my ritual being the Popeye (spinach, pineapple & coconut water) and the ABC (apple, beetroot and carrot). Was the best start to a great day. Oh did I mention, as much coffee as you like here also – made to order from the barista.
The breakfast was served as a continental buffet with all the usual suspects (breads, pastries, cereals, fruit, yoghurts, croissants, cold meat cuts and cheeses, nuts, salads, Balinese cakes etc.) The best part of the package in my opinion was the ability to order off the breakfast menu. (a la carte – cooked to order) You could order anything on the menu and as much as you wanted! Just the way I like it.
The reception needs to step up its game a bit in my opinion. Upon check in, I have a habit of confirming the inclusions in my booked package (anantara.com) One being my foam pillow request and the room location (quieter spot). They confirmed the pillow and location, which was great. I then asked about the credit I was to receive according to their website and confirmation, and this was to be later adjusted at check out. (which I later found out was not included)
They kept asking for deposit off the credit card for security? I was just puzzled as to why they couldn’t just do a pre-authorisation and block the money off the card – maybe things have changed in Indonesia?
Anyhow, when I checked my account the night before departure, it hadn’t changed at all! Getting frustrated by this stage, I was then told that the inclusions where only included if you booked the ocean suite? Again, I pointed to my confirmation which confirmed my flash sale 30% credit, and I had budgeted according to this. I was not prepared to argue over this at reception, but did mention to them we have had a misunderstanding and that these problems need to be ironed out.
So, overall..
For over $USD300nett ++ per night, we were happy with our choice in Seminyak. Hopefully the reception will start to deliver on their promises instead of nodding their heads in approval, when maybe they did not understand correctly? Hotels need to train their reception staff to be completely aware of package inclusions and conditions. Hotel guests need to be advised the correct details upon check in, to avoid any nasty surprises when checking out. (one of my pet hates)
No special recognition was provided for being a privilege member with Minor Hotels, even though I was told that reception would be going through this with me on arrival, but unfortunately this didn’t happen.
Would I return to this hotel? Yes. My overall rating of this hotel is in the higher bracket simply because it ticked the majority of the boxes. One or two problems with the reception is not going to break the deal for me.
PS. Use the stairs at this hotel, as the lift is very slow and it stops on every floor. (where staff are trying to get in with trolleys!)
My rating of this hotel is 4.5 stars out of a maximum 6
I would also like to visit the Anantara Ubud property, where I’ve heard many great reports. May just have to include that in my next trip to Bali, but its back to the W Hotel when next I’m visiting Seminyak.
