Review: Fairfield by Marriott Bali Kuta Sunset Road (Deluxe Pool View)

Lowest nightly rate: 576,240 IDR (697,250 after tax)
When to book: One week in advance

Fairfield by Marriott Bali Kuta Sunset Road is a new Category 3 property under Marriott Bonvoy in Bali, Indonesia. It opened only a few weeks ago and will have 227 rooms when fully completed. I was told that rooms on the 5th floor are not ready yet.

Upon arrival, there were staff ready to assist us with our luggage. There wasn’t a Gold or Platinum line at check-in and I had to wait about 10 minutes for my turn. Someone tried to jump the queue but front office staff, Adi was alert enough to notice that I was there first. Impressive. My check-in was done by another staff, Ade. I asked if I could use my Marriott Bonvoy eGiftCard for this stay. They were not sure on how to use it but the issue was quickly rectified by her and front office manager, Wulan. I was told that the hotel was at full occupancy and I could not be upgraded to a larger room. I was also given a nice traditional welcome drink and a cold towel during the check-in process.

I was offered room 330, which is a Deluxe Pool View room. At 323 sq ft (30 sq m), the room felt small, if I am being honest. There was an area to put one luggage but not another one. You can put it on the floor but it would certainly get in your way. The next best place would be on the couch. Most of the rooms in this hotel do not have a table by the couch. It is very misleading for the property to include the same photos for Deluxe and Premium rooms on marriott.com. Sadly, I had to extend the ironing board to have my meals and work on my laptop. I will be in touch with the General Manager, Mr Christy, regarding this.

Room 330 is pretty centrally positioned in the building. I noticed that rooms at the corners may have privacy issues as guests can clearly look into your room from the corridor.

I called Ade from the front desk to ask if there are any pool access rooms available that I can move to. She managed to find one even though she didn’t have to! There was no table in room 120 for me to work and eat. I did not want to be the annoying guest who asked for a room change twice, so, I use an ironing board as a table. Ahh Fairfield life!

Breakfast

Breakfast is held at Je Ja Ton Restaurant from 0700 – 1100 hours. There are indoor and outdoor seating areas. There is a live egg station and food from the buffet are of good quality. It is better than what I had at Hilton Garden Inn Bali, which costs about 20% more on most nights. Marriott Gold members and above are offered complimentary breakfast.

The pool is large enough for a property of this size.

Shuttle service

There is complimentary one-way shuttle service to Double-six beach at 1000 and 1600 hours.

What I loved about this property

1. The amazing service staff, especially Ade and Wulan. They were always going the extra mile to make my day
2. The price
3. Huge water dispenser in the rooms
4. Plenty of large supermarkets all around this hotel
5. Turn down service. In a Fairfield?? Turn down for what! 😛
6. Delicious welcome amenity
7. Very fast WiFi

What I disliked about this property

1. Obnoxiously loud “sun dance” at the pool area for 15 whole minutes every day.
2. Drilling noise as early as 9 in the morning. As it is not fully opened, I expected some works to be done during my stay but just not that early in the morning, right outside my door.
3. The housekeepers did not use door-stoppers. They were leaving the doors to slam shut every time they go in and out of the rooms. This is similar to what I experienced in Hilton Garden Inn Bali.
4. The size of the deluxe rooms. It is very hard to have an issue with this when the nightly rates are priced this low. But this means that I would avoid this hotel if there are price increments in future, knowing that I may not get upgraded to a larger room as a Titanium member. I could pay for a larger room but there would be other higher-end hotels around at that price.
5. No table in the Deluxe Pool View room. I had to eat and work on an ironing board.

Conclusion

For nightly rates this low, this hotel is a solid option. If you plan to explore Bali most of your days here, the size of the rooms should not be an issue. The bed is comfortable and you will really enjoy the points that I have discussed above. If you are planning to achieve Marriott Gold or Platinum, this is one of your best options. If you are new to Marriott Bonvoy, you can also unlock a free stay in a luxury hotel just by staying here twice!

Ratings

Value: 9/10
Breakfast: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Location: 8/10
Room: 6/10
Facilities: 8/10
Executive lounge: –
Elite member recognition: 8/10