Review: Viceroy Bali (Vice Regal Villa)

What to expect when you stay at Viceroy Bali as a World of Hyatt Globalist member?

Viceroy Bali opened in 2005 with just 11 villas. 29 more villas were opened from 2014 till 2020 and I was told that there are more being built. It is an all-villa property and will remain that way.

It is a Small Luxury Hotels of the World property and also a Category 7 World of Hyatt property requiring 30,000 points (worth S$600) per night. A category 7 free night can be earned by staying 60 nights a year in World of Hyatt properties.

This family-owned property has won multiple awards in recent years and was in my bucket list of Balinese hotels to stay in for a long time!

Check out photos on our Instagram page:

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SLH x World of Hyatt benefits

SLH and Hyatt formed a partnership in late 2018. Till today, standard World of Hyatt benefits are not included with stays at SLH properties. However, ALL World of Hyatt members receive the following benefits:

• 5 Base Points per eligible $1 USD spent
• Complimentary continental breakfast for two
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Early check-in at 12:00 p.m. (based on availability)
• Late checkout at 2:00 p.m. (based on availability)
• One category room upgrade (based on availability)
• Nights count toward elite tier status
• Elite members receive their standard tier Bonus Points on room rates only

World of Hyatt membership is free to apply and it’s great that anyone can receive complimentary breakfast, upgrade, early check-in and late check-out!

Unfortunately, aside from the usual bonus points on room rates, top-tier Globalist members do not qualify for guaranteed multi-category upgrades and 4pm checkout.

However, there is no harm making a friendly request at check-in! 🙂

Location

The hotel is located in Ubud. There were no shops or restaurants within walking distance from the property.

• 10 mins drive to Ubud Centre
• 1 hr 5 mins drive to Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS)
• 1 hr 10 mins drive to Seminyak Beach

Arrival

Upon arrival, we had our body temperatures taken and were assisted with our luggages before being directed to the reception.

Because of the distance to the villa, we were offered buggy service to get there.

Vice Regal Villa

Villa 60 is a whopping 320sqm / 3,444sqft in size!

It is a 2-bedroom villa with a private pool and the second bedroom (with an ensuite bathroom) on the second floor.

I was told that this is one of the newer villas in the property.

The view from the villa is fantastic! It overlooks the Petanu River gorge and you can sometimes see monkeys swinging from tree to tree in the forest in front! I did not see any monkeys within this property though, and that’s not a bad thing! 🙊

I also liked the wireless mobile phone charger on the night stand.

Here’s a video tour posted on our Instagram page:

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Breakfast

Breakfast is complimentary for all World of Hyatt members and was served at Cascades Restaurant from 7 to 11am. Food quality and presentation was fantastic! Coupled with the jungle views, it was truly a great way to start our day.

Here’s the menu for breakfast and all-day dining:

Dinner at Apéritif Restaurant

We enjoyed the 6-course Degustation Dinner Menu at Apéritif Restaurant. Service was fantastic throughout and it was a memorable culinary journey!

Here’s the 6 and 8 course degustation menu:

Swimming pool

The infinity pool is located next to Cascades Restaurant and is fairly near to the lobby and gym.

Helipad

I was told that this is the only property in Ubud that has a helipad. And yes, you can book helicopter airport transfers (for about US$1,600 per trip) and other tours directly with the hotel.

Here’s the price list for activities and tours:

Garden and green house

I was pleasantly surprised when a staff member told me that there is a garden and greenhouse that directly supply ingredients to Cascades Restaurant and Apéritif Restaurant.

Gym

The gym is a little small but acceptable for a property of this size. I was told that the hotel is building another gym near Cascades Restaurant and it looked like there will be much better views from there.

Here’s the spa menu:

My ratings

Viceroy Bali vs Alila Uluwatu

If you are looking to use a World of Hyatt Category 7 free night in Indonesia, you will find that there are just 2 properties in that category. Aside from Viceroy Bali, Alila Villas Uluwatu is the other option.

Of course, you can use the Cat 7 free night at other World of Hyatt properties in Indonesia with lower categories, but where’s the fun in that? 😛

Although both properties are from the same category, I find that Viceroy Bali typically has a higher cash rate.

Having stayed in both properties as a Globalist member recently, here’s what I feel..

It is pretty much impossible to receive an upgrade at Alila Villas Uluwatu. In this regard, Viceroy Bali will give you a better bang for your buck as there is a very good chance of you getting an upgrade to a more expensive villa!

Breakfast quality at both properties was very much equal to me.

The only Globalist member recognition that I received at Alila Villas Uluwatu was welcome snacks and another one before check out.

In-room amenities and bath accessories felt more premium at Viceroy Bali.

Service felt a little more personal at Viceroy Bali.

The views between these 2 properties are completely different, of course. I personally prefer the ocean view from Alila Villas Uluwatu but I could hardly see any ocean from my villa, which was already on the highest level.

In short, pick Viceroy Bali for overall quality, pick Alila Villas Uluwatu for the ocean view (from public areas).

Bottom line

It was an enjoyable stay in a family-owned paradise on the mountain foothills of Ubud. While this is already a solid option for World of Hyatt members in Bali, I hope that the SLH x WOH partnership goes to another level one day, to better recognize elite members from the hotel loyalty program.