Nightly rate: IDR 772k nett (S$71)
Nightly rate after Citi Prestige 4NF rebate: IDR 613k nett (S$56)
Length of stay: 4 nights
Date of stay: Mar 2021
Membership level: Titanium Elite
Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa opened in 2018 with 208 rooms in 5 floors. I picked this hotel as my first in Bali as it was reasonably-priced, new and quite out of the way, location-wise.
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Location
The hotel is located in Uluwatu, South of Bali island. It is fairly near to Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK), which is one of the tallest statues in the world. There were no shops within 10 mins’ walk from the main entrance. This property has quite an elevation which gives it a lovely view northwards.
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30 mins drive to Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS)
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40 mins drive to Seminyak Beach
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1 hr 15 mins drive to Ubud Town
Arrival
Upon arrival, we had our temperatures taken and were assisted with our luggages before being directed to the reception.
I had booked the base room and was pre-upgraded to the Executive Suite 2 days before arrival.
Platinum members and above get free breakfast and 1,000 welcome points (worth S$10).
The room (Executive Suite)
Room 3427 is 78sqm / 839sqft in size. It is located in Wing 3, on level 4. To get to the room from the lobby, I had to take the lift down to the pool, walk past it and take another lift down to level 4.
The design of the room was beautiful! View from the room was great too. Although, I missed having a work desk and it was uncomfortable sitting on the stool for more than an hour.
Having external food delivery to the hotel was inconvenient because of the distance from the room to the lobby. Delivery riders were not allowed to park near the lobby and had to walk up a steep hill to meet me.
The housekeeping team made a lot of noise while cleaning the rooms near me on all 4 days. I could hear them shouting, singing loudly and slamming the doors open and shut. It was very unpleasant to experience their lack of professionalism.
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Best rooms
In general, I always request for a room on the highest floor possible and it must not be a connecting room (for less noise).
Request for a room in Wing 3 (like mine) for the best view and close access to the gym.
Activities
The hotel offers complimentary resort activities for staying guests according to the schedule. Bookings have to be made at least 1 day prior.
Breakfast
Breakfast is complimentary for Platinum members and above and was served at Clay Craft restaurant. It was served via an à la carte menu for my first breakfast and buffet for the other 3 days. Food quality from the a la carte were better in quality, as expected.
We skipped the buffet spread and only ordered eggs from the live egg station and made-to-order french toasts, which tasted very good!
Other facilities
The swimming pool is huge and offers a fantastic view of the forest, the sea and even the mountain on a clear day.
The gym is well-equipped and offers a fantastic view too.
There is a shuttle service that goes to Roosterfish Beach Club at Pandawa Beach but the hotel wasn’t able to provide the schedule.
There was also a Kids Club and a garden on the lower floor.
Ratings
Breakfast: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Location: 8/10
Room: 9/10
Facilities: 9/10
Elite member recognition: 9/10
Value (for what I paid): 10/10
Bottom line
My experience was mixed. Something could be done about the behaviour of the housekeeping team but I’m not sure if anything can be done about the lack of work desks in most rooms and distance from the rooms to the lobby. It’s not a business hotel after all. Personally, it’s impossible to consider staying in this property long-term because of these 2 factors.
Despite the shortfalls, I received outstanding value for what I paid!
