For my girlfriend’s birthday, we decided to take a trip to Bali. Choosing Bali as the destination was easy: it’s nearby, we love the food, and a relaxing beach holiday was perfect for a birthday trip. Choosing the accommodation was the difficult part. Bali is chock full of international and local chain luxury resorts, not to mention countless individual villas for rent. With my favourite W Bali being prohibitively expensive for our dates, we had to look elsewhere.
After much discussion and a failed attempt at a “scientific” comparison of various options spanning Nusa Dua to Seminyak and across all the major chains, we ended up splitting our trip between the Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach first and then The Apurva Kempinski Bali. After the grumblings when moving from the W Bali to the Conrad Bali the previous trip, I wanted to be sure we ended the trip at the better hotel, hence the sequence.
I’ll admit I didn’t have too high hopes for the Indigo. I had read reviews of its odd shape, the result being a lack of beach views from almost all rooms, and while it’s next to the beach it’s not quite on the beach in the way the W Bali is. Furthermore, IHG properties – at least in my experience – aren’t too generous with upgrades. Lastly, while the Indigo is undoubtedly a good brand and I’ve had relatively pleasant experiences at other Indigos in the past, such as at the Indigo in Hakone and even in Singapore, I don’t think anyone would dispute the brand is a step below W, Kempinski or Conrad.
However, the Hotel Indigo Bali turned out quite delightful. A big part of it admittedly was the massive upgrade we got. The service, post check-in, was fantastic and the hard product was fabulous. My impression would probably have been rather different without the upgrade, but I can only review what I’m given. It’s still below the calibre of W, but the prices are lower too. It’s also not quite a proper beach resort, for those who want beach access at the resort. For me, I value a comfortable room and facilities for relaxing around the resort, as well as a decent location. The Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach ticked all the boxes, and far surpassed my expectations.
Would the Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach beat out the W Bali as my favourite Bali resort? Read on to find out!
Planning, Booking and Location
We like the Seminyak area for the myriad food options and sunset beach views (which we ended up not experiencing at all this trip). Unfortunately Seminyak is surprisingly short of beachfront international hotels. The W was out, which left the Indigo or Alila. We chose the Indigo for a few reasons: the price was acceptable, location and my IHG Diamond Elite status would guarantee us some benefits such as complimentary breakfast (and as it turned out also a massive upgrade!)
The Hotel Indigo Bali is in Seminyak, albeit a short car ride from the bustling Petitenget area where the W Bali is, which is where most cafes and our favourite bebek goreng (Balinese crispy duck) place is (Warung Eropa – I highly recommend it).
For our 2-night stay, I booked a standard non-refundable rate for a 1 King Bed Standard Courtyard Access at an average of USD221 per night nett. This was a rare occasion I went against my policy of “book a room category that I’m happy to stay in”. I had absolutely zero interest in a courtyard access room. These types of rooms tend to be less private.I always prefer a higher floor so ground floor rooms are a no-no for me. At the time of booking, this was the highest room category available below a suite. I had booked it expressly with the hope of snagging a suite upgrade. It nearly didn’t happen, but I’m pretty relieved it paid off eventually. It’s not a strategy I would employ regularly or recommend though.
Arrival and check-in
The ride from Ngurah Rai airport took us a little over 30min. January is the rainy season in Bali, and some of the roads were experiencing ponding, though not badly enough to stop traffic. We passed through the usual security check at the entrance and went round the driveway. Staff were on hand to open the car door and handle our bags. We walked up a short flight of stairs to the rather unique hotel lobby. While open to the main pool and beach beyond like many Bali resorts, the design was unlike any other resort.
Like other Hotel Indigos I have stayed, the d̩cor at the Indigo Bali blends local culture and history with modern features in a stylish manner. The result is that every Hotel Indigo is unique, yet the same experience can be expected of each Indigo Рstylish, casually sophisticated layered with good service. This lifestyle approach works particularly well for a resort hotel like this one in my opinion. The lobby of the hotel showcases this design language. The rattan furniture, various art pieces and decoration items showcase the integration of local features into a modern hotel.
The lobby was crowded when we arrived, so we didn’t hang around to admire the décor. Oddly, the bellhop who took our bags just parked them aside and pointed us in the direction of the front desk, but didn’t escort us there. I thought that was a little weird. The front desk area was a further reminder that I was at an Indigo, not an InterContinental, W or Conrad. The reception desks were all stand–up, and while there were seats around, all the formalities were completed at the desk. There was a small table setup with a dispenser of infused water and bottled water, though I didn’t see any guests consuming these.
The usual check-in formalities were handled. The lady checking us in noted that the rate did not include breakfast, and asked if I would select it as my welcome amenity. That proactive offering of breakfast was a stark contrast to my past experiences at IHG properties. I guess it was also a sign the hotel was used to Diamond Elites selecting that. It showed good knowledge of guests’ preferences. Halfway through, another staff member appeared with a cold towel and welcome drink.
As the formalities were almost completed, I politely enquired “no upgrade?” to the staff. She quickly replied that every category above the courtyard access we had booked was full. She then paused and said the villas were full the night before and not ready (it wasn’t even 1pm after all), but we could have one if we were willing to wait. A villa upgrade? At an IHG property? I’m not saying no to that!
This was a truly fantastic and unexpected turn of events. I had been hoping for a suite upgrade, but a villa was way better. It’s no exaggeration to say that a villa upgrade was beyond my wildest imagination. On the hotel’s website listing of room types, there’s a whopping 8 categories in between a standard courtyard access room and the one-bedroom pool villa. The merits and hierarchy of rooms categories can be debated, but there’s no doubt this was a BIG upgrade.
Since we were planning to head out immediately for lunch and café hop anyway, the wait was no big deal. Once check-in was completed, we left the for lunch feeling a mix of relief (of not having to stay in a courtyard access room) and excitement. I was definitely relishing to opportunity to see if the Indigo’s villa could challenge the W Bali’s long-held favourite status.
The Villa
We returned to the resort about 4.30pm and headed straight to front desk to check if the villa was ready. It was, and the front desk staff immediately sent for the butler and buggy to take us to the villa. Our luggage had already been taken to the villa earlier. Along the way, the butler pointed out the spa and gym. The villas are set at the back of the property, furthest away from the beach.
We soon pulled up to Wangsa 2.7 aka room 5027. The villa entrance looks a lot more “traditional” and ornate than other villas I’ve seen, with gold-coloured patterns adorning the door.
Upon entering the villa compound, I was struck by how much just how much outdoor space there was. The entrance has a porch beyond the main door, which opens up to the daybed and pool area. There was actually a tree in the middle of grounds, the centrepiece of the space between porch, daybed, and room (house?)
The butler offered to show us the features of the villa, so in we went. The interior actually reminded me more of a cottage or hunting lodge than anything Balinese, but it was really spacious. The room was longish, with the living space nearest the door, then bed and finally the massive bathroom.
Waiting for us on the table was a birthday cake and card for my girlfriend. The butler pointed these out and also wished her an early happy birthday. I had put the reason for stay as birthday, but not specified whose. So I was pleased the hotel had figured it out, and I believe the front desk had observed from our passports. You’d think getting the right person’s birthday should be easy since mine is in my IHG profile, but we once had a hotel get it wrong despite having my loyalty programme profile (not an IHG property). There were also a welcome note, cookies and fruits. The fruits were in a box that resembled ketupat.
Moving through the rest of the villa, the butler showed us the minibar, or “Punch & Munch minibar” as the hotel calls it. There’s a juicer provided, with complimentary oranges and limes available on request for a freshly squeezed start to the day.
The bathroom was huge. It had separate his-and-hers vanities, a dressing table and two wardrobes. A black marble table subtly segmented the bathroom into four sections. The freestanding tub was located right at the back, fitting neatly between the toilet and shower. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hotel bathroom as large as this. The hotel describes it as “spa-inspired”. I can’t say I disagree.
The toilet was surprisingly basic, for a room of this level. There was no bidet or other fancy features here.
The shower could be opened for direct access to the outdoor space. I thought this was smart design. Easy to rinse before a dip into the pool, and no need to drip water around the room when coming in from the pool. The glass walls made it a unique from a typical shower. The shower had both a hand shower and rain shower. There was a bowl and ladle for bathing more traditional style, should that tickles one’s fancy. If privacy was needed, electronically controlled blinds could be lowered. The high walls should keep prying eyes out anyway.
The dressing table perhaps looked more like a side table, and the small round lighted mirror looked a little weak for an otherwise well equipped bathroom.
One wardrobe contained the safe, and was mostly free of shelves and drawers. This made it more suitable for longer clothing such as dresses.
The other wardrobe had a bench/luggage rack. It was possible to hang clothes here too, but was more suitable for items such as tops. There were a couple of beach/pool bags, and a basket for guests to place shoes to be polished.
The bathroom amenities were Sava Spa branded, which is the hotel’s in-house spa. Some of the amenities were packed in elegant pouches, similar to an amenity kit. There were a couple of such pouches with dental and hygiene items, and another pouch at the bathtub containing bath items such as a loofah scrub.
Although the bathroom was a pleasant and well-equipped space, I did notice a couple of small upkeeping issues. Some of the wood panels looked like they were peeling, though it may have been just how the wood looks. The vanity top also had some marks that simply wouldn’t go away. The hotels puts the bathroom amenities in large stone holders, so I suspect those had been left sitting in the same spot for too long, resulting in the marks.
Back in the bedroom, there’s a long work desk that stretches the full width of the king-size bed. There were both Type-G and universal outlets, as well USB-A ports.
The bedside tables similarly had a universal power outlet and USB-A charging ports.
There’s a TV in the villa of course, beside the room entry. This was a 49in smart TV, and personal devices could cast to it.
Various art pieces dotted the room. These were in traditional Balinese style, albeit a little modernised. They added colour and flair to the room. Had to be careful not to damage any though!
There’s no doubt the room was well-appointed and extremely spacious. The bed was extremely comfortable as well. The décor was a nice mix of traditional designs with modern fixtures. It was perhaps neither distinctly modern nor obviously traditional styling, but for me it worked to give a relaxing, resort-feel environment.
The most important features of a hotel villa for me however, is the outdoor space. On this front, the Indigo’s villa truly impressed. There was a decent-sized pool, with an attached jetted tub. There was an outdoor shower, always a nice, if slightly impractical, touch. The day bed was great for relaxing in the shade, and we ate here one afternoon after ordering in babi guling from the famous Pak Malen through GoFood.
Besides the shower and front door, there were also a couple of French doors that could be opened, in the living room and the bathroom. I’d be careful with the living room doors – and the hotel does put a warning – as when opened, the doors cover almost the full width of the narrow path outside. It’s not inconceivable to accidentally walk straight into the pool if not careful. I would still recommend leaving them unlocked when in the villa though, if you don’t have little ones around. The front door requires keycard access, so if a guest forgets the keycard when using the pool or day bed, they’re stuck outside if the French doors or shower door aren’t unlocked.
When the butler was showing us around the villa, I was already suitably impressed by the size and room features. What really bowled me over was the private kitchen behind the day bed. This was a feature I’d not seen in any hotel villa. The kitchen was fitted with an induction stove, microwave and full size fridge. The butler actually recommended storing drinks here if wanted them really cold, rather than the minibar.
By having the private kitchen separate to the main room, it kept the smells away. Also, if meant if your cooking was done by hired help, the hired help wouldn’t need to step into the room.
Staying in a villa comes with 24/7 butler service. It was not really explained what services the butler could provide, but they seemed a jack-of-all-trades, single point of fulfilment for any requests. Their most obvious responsibility was to drive villa guests around on the buggies.
We had a pool float with us which needed inflating. I called guest services and the duty butler showed up to collect it for inflating, then returned with it a few minutes later. When we checked out, the same butler was on duty to collect our bags. He remembered we had a float and asked if we needed his help to deflate it. I didn’t, but it showed good memory (I guess a large float in the shape of French fries is memorable) and a great service mentality that he immediately recalled the float and wanted to assist. Given he supposedly hand pumped it, I wouldn’t blame him for not wanting to handle that float ever again.
I was honestly extremely impressed the villa. It was massive and well-equipped. The total size of the villa is 300sqm. To put that into context, that’s far bigger than most homes in Singapore (including mine!). Even many landed properties here nowadays have smaller plots. Perhaps the only minor gripe would be that upkeeping was a little poorer than it should be. It’s also not helped by the choice of materials, which looked more worn and aged than the roughly 5.5 years that the hotel has been open. These were just cosmetic though, and everything in the villa worked well.
The sheer size of the villa, and the depth of features, means it might well have usurped the W Bali as my favourite hotel villa. Admittedly I prefer the W’s styling over this. But it’s hard to argue with the generous space. This villa is also more suited to longer stays, with the private kitchen. Another factor is the hotel’s grounds around the villas feels more like a resort, in contrast to the W which while nicely manicured, feels just like rows and rows of villas cramped together. After 5 years, I might have found a new hotel villa to top my list.
Dining
Despite it’s relatively compact size, the Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach has a number F&B outlets. Arguably only a couple could count as full restaurants, and even then SugarSand is more of a beach club than restaurant.
During our stay, we only ate breakfast in the resort. We also had drinks at SugarSand one early afternoon, while waiting for housekeeping to be done with our villa. As an IHG One Rewards member, I got 20% of our bill at SugarSand as part of the IHG One Rewards Dining Privileges. Although SugarSand is only outlet listed as participating, we got the discount at the Pottery Cafe too when getting a takeaway drink. It would have been good if the front desk had mentioned the dining discount during check-in.
For our two mornings, we had breakfast once each at the main restaurant Makase, and SugarSand.
Makase
Makase is located one floor down from the lobby. It’s open all day, with breakfast running from 6.30 to 11am. The menus can be found here.
We went down for breakfast just before 1030am on our first morning there. It was pretty crowded, but we were seated quickly once they finished clearing a table. The staff at the entrance asked if I had breakfast vouchers, but I replied that the front desk didn’t give me any. They didn’t fuss about it, and I obviously was never charged for breakfast.
Breakfast was an ample buffet, plus a small ala carte menu. The ala carte menu was necessary though, as the hot options at the buffet were a little lacking. The ala carte menu was a mix of local and international breakfast options.
We tried the c(h)awanmushi from the ala carte menu. It came full of ingredients, but it oddly had what tasted like roasted grated coconut on top. This added an unwelcome and weird sweetness to the dish. Almost ruined it entirely.
The buffet was a standard hotel breakfast buffet, with all the usual suspects. It was split into two areas, most of the food and the live stations being in the main restaurant. There was a side room that had additional Asian options such as dim sum, sushi rolls and Indian dishes, plus bacon. Besides the usual noodle and egg stations, there was a fried rice station as well. This was something uncommon.
There were some more unusual options. In the cold cuts, there was slices of maguro tuna and black cod that had been turned into fish ham. The bread selection had some focaccia, which was nice to see. Some of the hot food choices seemed a bit random, with pizza and beef goulash appearing.
The side room was a lot quieter compared to the hectic main area. There was pizza, local soup, sushi rolls and dim sum here. This area was closed off after breakfast, so possibly it’s not really part of the restaurant. Compared to the intricate traditional patterns around the main restaurant, this area was more modern and looked more fine dining.
While the variety was decent, the quality was mostly average. As mentioned earlier, the chawanmushi was a little weird. The fresh fruits and juices, as I find tends to be the case at most resorts in Bali, was rather poor. I had the maguro tuna and black cod ham, which were interesting. We didn’t eat too much since we wanted to have lunch, and we had a big dinner coming up at Locavore – an amazing experience by the way. We would have liked to try more of the ala carte options, given the buffet options didn’t really appeal to us. Overall, the breakfast buffet was decent, though not spectacular. It’s a decent way to start the morning, but I wouldn’t really fill up on it.
SugarSand
For our second morning, we decided to check out SugarSand instead. SugarSand is the hotel’s beach club. It’s not truly on the beach, with a small track separating it from the beach.
Breakfast at SugarSand is ala carte only. It runs till 11am, but starts later than Makase, at 7am if memory serves me right. I recommend having breakfast at SugarSand instead of Makase. It’s a lot quieter, there’s beach views, and most importantly, the food is better.
Here’s the ala carte menu we could choose from:
Hotel guests with breakfast included in their rate and IHG Diamond Elites who select breakfast as a welcome amenity can order unlimited servings from the ala carte menu.
We ordered the fruit platter to start, which sadly wasn’t any better than the fruits at Makase. Though there was a wider variety of fruits such as passionfruit. We also had the pitaya bowl and the chifa fried rice. These were much, much better. The pitaya was nicely chilled, sweet, and a beautiful mix of flavours and textures. The chifa fried rice was also outstanding, tasty without being too heavy on the palate. If I were to return to the resort, SugarSand would be my breakfast venue every morning.
Service at SugarSand was pretty good. Being less crowded, the staff were more attentive and some took time to chat with guests.
We had actually gone to SugarSand on the first day after breakfast at Makase for drinks. It’s not a bad place for chilling out, but it somehow lacks the feel of a true beach club/bar like the W’s Woobar, or Potato Head. The lousy weather definitely didn’t help. The drinks menu is fairly extensive and contains a few interesting cocktails and infused G&T mixes. Indonesian coconuts though, really can’t be compared to Thai coconuts. SugarSand’s menus can be found here.
It should be noted that while SugarSand is part of the resort, the resort is actually walled off from the beach. Guests can freely exit to SugarSand, but a keycard is required to re-enter the resort grounds. I thought this was good security to prevent non-guests from randomly wandering into the resort off the beach areas.
Pottery Cafe
Next to Makase is the Pottery Cafe. This is more a coffee shop, with some light bites such as sandwiches and cakes. It also showcases the Kevala Ceramics used by the hotel, and coffee products are retailed here too. We didn’t dine here, but did pick up a takeaway iced tea. The tea was meticulously prepared fresh by the staff. Instead of just dumping the hot brew into a cup of ice, the staff painstakingly stirred it to cool it down before pouring it on the ice. This resulted in a long wait for the drink, but it’s wonderful see the care and effort the staff put into their craft.
Others
Besides these outlets, the resort also has the Tree Bar and the Cave Pool Lounge. The former is so named because it has a massive tree in the middle of the space. We didn’t try either of these outlets. The drinks list at the Tree Bar features a collection of unique mixed drinks, crafted by the so-called Balixologist.. The menu can be found here.
The Cave Pool Bar is a typical resort poolside bar, with a large drinks menu, and food such as hotdog, burger, wraps, pizza and small bites. It’s nice to see that each F&B outlet has it’s own set of unique mixed drinks, rather than just a standard set of drinks across the resort. This also entices guests to visit the each venue to sample the different drinks on offer.
Facilities and Amenities
The Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach isn’t the biggest resort around, so don’t expect too much in the way of facilities. It’s got the basics of course: pool(s), gym and a spa.
Pools
The main pool and kids’ pool run along the spine of the resort, between the arrival courtyard and the beach area. The pools aren’t the biggest, and seemed pretty crowded when we walked by both mornings. Even the wet weather on the first morning didn’t put off guests, with most cabanas and pool chairs around the main pool occupied.
If the crowd around the main pool isn’t for you, there’s the “Secret Garden Pool” as well. This pool is tucked away closer to the main building, not far from the Tree Bar. It’s surrounded by greenery, hence the name. The poolside furniture also looks more “natural”, rather than the typical cabana or sun chair. There were a handful of guests at the pool when we walked by, but definitely less crowded than the main pool.
Gym
The gym is located near the villas, below ground level. It’s a bit of an odd location for most guests, but good for those in villas. It’s not very big, but was well-equipped with the usual cardio and resistance machines, free wights and other fitness equipment. There were also bicycles for rental.
Sava Spa
The Sava Spa is located near the villas as well. The spa entrance is directly opposite the arrival courtyard. We didn’t try the spa. The spa menu can be found here.
Service
The only slightly negative service interaction was on arrival and during check-in. I felt the front desk could have been more proactive with information, such as on the IHG One Rewards dining discount, F&B venues and timings. It would also have been good if staff could escort guests to check-in, since it’s not immediately obvious where the front desk is.
Besides these very minor things, the rest of our interactions were great. The butlers in particular were wonderful, especially the one who assisted with the float and checkout – Pras I believe his name was. He first introduced himself in the morning as we were walking back to the villa, even though he was in the midst of loading other guests’ bags onto a buggy. He was friendly, always cheerful and proactive, as I had described earlier.
The staff at the F&B outlets were generally excellent too, particularly at SugarSand. On the morning we had breakfast there, another couple came in a few minutes after 11am looking for breakfast. The staff informed them it was slightly past breakfast time, but they would check with the kitchen if they could still prepare some dishes. I didn’t hear the outcome as they ended up sitting a distance away, but it nice to see the staff be flexible. A less accommodating and more stingy staff would have told the couple they had to order – and pay – from the all-day menu.
Everywhere we walked, the staff would greet us. I’m sure they were trained and instructed to do so, but they at least pulled it off cheerfully. When we were waiting for our Gojek one evening to go for dinner, a bellhop chatted with us about our evening plans. Later that same evening when I stopped by the front desk to enquire on something, the front desk staff made it point to ask how our evening went, and one of them even mentioned his favourite dishes at the restaurant we had dinner at. Overall, the staff were wonderfully professional, yet could maintain a casual friendliness.
Conclusion
This stay at the Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach was outstanding. Getting the villa upgrade is without doubt the biggest contributor to the positive experience. To be clear, the experience would definitely have been vastly different if we had not been upgraded. But that’s the case in almost any hotel, the experience in a standard room will always being different to getting a suite. A wonderful room has to be backed up with a solid product throughout the rest of the resort. The Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach delivered on that. It wasn’t the perfect, but I daresay it surpassed our experience at the Conrad Bali on our previous trip.
Perhaps the biggest criticism I have of the resort is that it’s not truly a beach resort. Being set back from the beach, it just doesn’t work as a beach resort. The lack of beach access and full ocean views is its main Achilles’ heel. If lying on a conveniently accessible in-resort beach is your plans, it’s definitely not the place. However, it worked fine for me with the villa, since I prefer to relax in private if possible. Furthermore, with the lack of beach views, staying in a villa doesn’t mean sacrificing ocean views as with most other resorts.
Onto to the big question, has this resort edged out the W Bali as my favourite Bali resort? Villa vs villa, it’s an emphatic yes. It pains me to say it, but I felt this villa was superior to the W’s in every way. As an overall package though, the W’s direct beach access and views still makes it the superior resort. That said, the Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach surpassed all my expectations, and delivered a thoroughly outstanding and delightful stay.