Nightly rate: IDR 2.9m nett (S$266)
Package inclusions: USD 100 (S$133) credit per stay (Virtuoso)
Nightly rate after 15% off Marriott eGiftCard and Virtuoso 3rd night free: IDR 1.7m nett (S$156)
Length of stay: 3 nights
Date of stay: Mar 2021
Membership level: Titanium Elite
W Bali – Seminyak opened in 2011 with 237 rooms/villas in 5 floors. As the main building is now closed (presumably to save power), the hotel is upgrading everyone, member or not, booked directly or not, to a Marvelous Villa! The hotel has 65 Marvelous Villas, 10 Wow Villas and 4 EWow Villas.
It gets better! You may book a Virtuoso rate for this hotel to receive USD 100 in hotel credit (per stay) and 3rd night free. I booked a 3-nights stay via classictravel.com and emailed the hotel to add my Marriott Bonvoy membership number to the booking to receive elite nights and points.
The lowest Virtuoso rate that I saw in recent weeks was IDR 2.42m nett (S$222). For this reason, a 1-night stay with USD 100 credit is the obvious sweet spot as that is enough credit for a full-board stay. Especially when you can use your Marriott eGiftCard to pay for the stay!
After taking the discounted eGiftCard into consideration, a 1-night stay would only cost S$189 and it would come with a villa upgrade, complimentary breakfast and S$133 in credits. Incredible.
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Location
The hotel is located in the Seminyak area. There is a very long driveway to exit the property (about 5 mins’ walk).
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8 mins drive to Seminyak Square
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30 mins drive to Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS)
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1 hr 5 mins drive to Ubud Town
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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 Marvelous Villa 1 week before arrival.
The Director of Rooms greeted me at check-in and casually offered a late upgrade beyond what I am used to. He asked, “Do you want a late check-out sir? 4? 5? 6pm?”. 👏
Platinum members and above get to choose a welcome gift of 1,000 points (worth S$10) or a local gift per stay. As I do not have any more space in my luggage, I chose the points as my welcome gift.
The room (Marvelous VIlla)
Villa 52 is 225sqm / 2,421sqft in size.
It is located very close to the entrance to the spa which is connected to other public areas of the hotel.
The villa was still in great condition for a property that is turning 10 this year.
The hotel is able to send external food orders straight to the villa, which is great for guests staying in villas far away from the lobby.
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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).
As the main building is closed, request for a villa as near as possible to the spa for easy access to the gym, pool and beach.
The hotel credit can be used for in-room dining but would not qualify for 20% discount if you are a Platinum member or above.
Breakfast
Breakfast is complimentary for Virtuoso rates and is held at Fire Restaurant. The restaurant had an à la carte menu to choose from as well as an assisted buffet.
Food quality was great!
Bites at Woobar
Woobar is located near the pool and the beach. Be sure to reserve a table in advance if you would like to catch the sunset from here.
I spent part of my hotel credit here and was able to apply a 20% discount on the final bill as a Titanium member.
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Dinner at Fire restaurant
We had local dishes for dinner and they tasted great. The restaurant is running a 50% off deal on Chope for stays on Mondays and Tuesdays at the moment. I wonder if this can be stacked with the hotel credit if I charge my bill to the room.
I’ll try it out when I get the chance.
Other facilities
The swimming pool area is located close to the beach and right next to Woobar. Unlike in most resorts, there are many tall palm trees around the pool area to provide more shaded areas and a little added privacy.
The resort offers direct access to the beach.
Wired & Words is a quiet space that also serves as a business center.
W Lounge is located right by the lobby and offers a great view of the pool and beach area.
The gym is pretty small and felt cramped. I can only imagine how it used to be like at full occupancy.
Ratings
Breakfast: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Location: 9/10
Room: 9/10
Facilities: 9/10
Elite member recognition: 10/10
Value (for what I paid): 10/10
Bottom line
Paying S$189 and getting a villa upgrade, breakfast and S$133 credit in a Category 7 Marriott Bonvoy property is a ridiculous deal, if you are flexible enough to stay on dates with the lowest rate. If anyone’s up for some risk-free speculative bookings, I see fairly low rates in Dec 2021 as low as S$241 nett (if paid with a 15% off eGiftCard). Although, villa upgrades wouldn’t be guaranteed when the main building re-opens.
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