In May 2022, my girlfriend and I took our first trip to Bali since Indonesia reopened its bordered. We spent a total of four nights in Bali, with the first three nights at the marvelous W Bali Seminyak. For my last night, we decided to stay at the Conrad Bali. This stay wasn’t really necessary, but any opportunity to give my Hilton Honors Diamond status a runout was welcome. We also figured it might be less stressful catching our 1pm flight back to Singapore from Nusa Dua versus Seminyak.
Coming from one of my favourite resorts the W Bali Seminyak, I had no expectation that the Conrad Bali would surpass it. Sure, having HH Diamond status granted me some benefits I wouldn’t get at the W, but the two brands and resorts are world’s apart in branding and feel. Unfortunately, the Conrad Bali was really a letdown in many ways. Even Diamond status and benefits couldn’t save the experience. Objectively speaking, the Conrad Bali isn’t “bad”, but it didn’t deliver the kind of Bali holiday experience I desire.
Read on to find out why the Conrad Bali was an underwhelming experience!
Booking
At the time I booked, rates at the Conrad Bali were still fairly low as removal of quarantine requirements for Indonesia had just been announced. This was a tag on to our W Bali stay, so we only booked one night. Given the low rates, and mixed reviews of upgrades granted to Diamonds, I opted to book a King Ocean Front Suite. The base rate was IDR2.4million (SGD210 at today’s rates) but taxes and service charge pushed that to IDR2.9million (SGD255). A look at the rate calendar shows that Standard Room Rewards here go from anywhere between 47,000 to 60,000 points. Given rates here start from around IDR2.4million (at time of writing), I wouldn’t really bother using Honors points here.
Location
The Conrad Bali is located at the Benoa area of Nusa Dua. This is a slightly quieter part of Bali, compared to the crowded beaches of Kuta, Legian and Seminyak. Depending on the route – tolls or no tolls – a drive from the airport to the resort should take 20-25mins. Apart from other resorts, it doesn’t like there’s much touristy stuff around the area. There isn’t too many good food options about as well, outside of the resort. The resort faces east, so it gets sunrise rather than sunset views.
Personally, this wouldn’t really be my top choice of location for a holiday in Bali.
Arrival and check-in
We took a cab from the W Bali to the Conrad, which cost IDR146,000 plus tolls. A staff member took our bags from the cab, and we were escorted to the front desk. The lobby was extremely crowded, but we were attended to immediately. We were offered a welcome drink, which I think may have been some form of jammu (Balinese tumeric ginger drink).
My Diamond status was acknowledged, however I was told no upgrade was possible. Apparently the Conrad Suites wing was full that night. There was one Conrad Pool Suite available, but the existing guest was only checking out at 6pm. The hotel claim they would have offered this suite if not for the guest paying for late checkout. I wasn’t particularly happy about the lack of upgrade, bot for one night it wasn’t worth fretting over. There’s a saying, “pay for the room you’re willing to stay in”, and I’m glad I did.
We were also informed the Executive Lounge was closed, and still is at time of writing with no signs of reopening anytime soon. Afternoon tea and evening cocktails for Diamonds would be served in the East Lobby Lounge instead. Breakfast would be at the main restaurant, Suku.
We had arrived at the resort around 1.15pm, and our room wasn’t ready. We were told it would a 20-30min wait, and they would text/call once the room was ready, but we opted to just hang around the lobby lounge area.
The Conrad Bali is a more “traditional” resort, compared to the hip W Bali. The lobby is like a large open air Balinese pavilion, and the architecture is influenced by traditional Balinese design. Like many large resorts in Bali built in that era (the Conrad Bali opened in 2004), the resort is sort of a E-shape open to the beach. The south and central wings flanked the main pool, with a massive lagoon pool stretching from one wing to the other. A water garden sits between the central and north wings. Each wing consisted of two rows of rooms, with an open shaft separating each “arm” of rooms. The Conrad Suites wing is a separate block at the north end of the resort.
Our room was ready in 20min as promised, and a bellhop escorted us to our room together with our luggage.
The King Ocean Front Suite
Our King Ocean Front Suite was located at the southern wing of the resort, on the highest (4th) level. The Ocean Front Suites are located at the corners of each wing, ours faced the ocean and inwards toward the main pool. The bellhop who escorted us placed our bags in the walk-in wardrobe, then explained the various features of the room. While he was polite, he lacked the warmth and genuine sense of welcome, unlike our buggy driver at the W.
The King Ocean Front Suite is very spacious, measuring 90sqm. Although that probably includes the balcony space as well. Because our room was on the top floor, there was also a large terrace that had a small jacuzzi/water feature. It looked like a jacuzzi and I could jets inside, but the was no switch to turn the jets on. I don’t think guests were meant to use it, as it didn’t look well maintained, nor did the bellhop mention it when he gave us a tour of the room. The walls around the terrace were full of mould as well.
Rather than a small minibar counter, the Ocean Front Suite has a kitchen-like space, but of course there’s no stovetop. The sink definitely resembled a kitchen sink. The minibar fridge was not stocked. The resort provided lots of complimentary bottled water, and thoughtfully placed several of the bottles in the minibar fridge.
A dining table separates the “kitchen” from the living room. A welcome fruit platter was found here.
The living room was made up of a sofa, couple of armchairs and a low coffee table. Between the armchairs was a tow-piece, two-tier side table. The TV was wall-mounted, though there was console cabinet beneath it. Another coffee table had a phone and lamp. To be honest, the amount of furniture made the living room feel a bit cramped. Some of the furniture was also showing signs of wear and tear, with various chips and dents.
The living room opened out to an ocean-facing, lagoon-overlooking balcony. We Gojek-ed in a late lunch and ate here. Sunrise light is really strong, so I’d recommend closing the curtains for this balcony as well, as the strong light can leak into the bedroom.
Speaking of pool, the resort also helpfully provides a couple of pool towels in the suite. These were conveniently located near the room entrance on a side table.
The bedroom was decent, though not overly spacious. There was work desk, and a TV in here as well. The bed was alright, not as comfortable as the W.
Regular readers of my Conrad reviews will know I make it a point to collect Conrad stuffed animals. The Conrad Bali gives a monkey, dressed in a traditional outfit of sorts. I believe the Conrad Bali also gives turtles, though we didn’t get one.
As seen on the bedroom TV above, the QR code could be scanned to access the resort information such as pillow menu, and ongoing special offers. This menu can be found here. The resort also communicated via WhatsApp shortly after we got to the room, welcoming us to the resort. Any requests or enquiries could be done through WhatsApp.
The suite has a walk-in wardrobe and space for luggage, but it’s not really the biggest. It might be a challenge for long stayers or families. In fact, the luggage rack couldn’t fit my 24in suitcase and my girlfriend’s carry-on sized bag together. Yes, I use a bigger suitcase than my girlfriend lol.
The master bathroom is equipped with a bathtub and separate shower. The shower and toilet are in individual glass-enclosed stalls. The shower glass door isn’t frosted though, so if privacy is necessary the blinds at the window separating bedroom from bathroom should be pulled down. The Conrad Bali had yet to switch Byredo bathroom amenities when I stayed, with Shanghai Tang Mandarin Tea still present.
Apart from the main bathroom, the suite also has a powder room near the room entryway.
Overall I’d say there’s nothing spectacular about the suite. It’s not the most flashy suite, but it’ll the job for most people looking for a big, comfortable space. It’s sufficiently spacious, even for small families. The view is certainly one of the best in the resort. The décor does have a modernish resort feel, with the heavy use of wood furniture. The light colours try to create a sense of tranquility and relaxation. The big balcony doors allow a lot natural light in, which helps the room ambience.
However, it’s clear more thorough upkeeping is required. The outdoor terrace with the jacuzzi is a weird one too. To this day, I have no idea if it’s meant for guest use. Given the state of the jacuzzi and the terrace in general, I wouldn’t really use that space though. The resort probably can’t block it off, but to leave it in that space is unacceptable.
For the price I paid for this suite, I can’t really complain. Other than the view, there’s nothing that will entice to stay in this suite again though.
Food & Beverage
During this stay, we only dined at the all-day restaurant Suku for breakfast, and the East Lobby Lounge for evening cocktails. Besides these, the hotel also has a poolside bar Azure, a seafood restaurant Eight Degrees South and Rin for Japanese, located at the Conrad Suites wing. Rin also serves breakfast, but it was further for us so we went to Suku.
East Lobby Lounge
My thoughts on the East Lobby Lounge pertain to its function as an Executive Lounge alternative. I’ll get straight to the point by saying that it is a very poor alternative. The service, at least what we experience, was poor. The food offerings were also rather miserly. Being in close proximity of the lobby of a very busy resort, it felt neither relaxing nor exclusive.
Interestingly, while Conrad Suite guests would previously get access to the Conrad Suites lounge when it was open, they did not get afternoon tea and evening cocktails benefit at the East Lobby Lounge. I saw a fellow guest who got declined. I heard them say they were Honors Gold and staying the Conrad Suites wing, but nope they didn’t get evening cocktails. Therefore, regardless of Honors status, until the Conrad Suites lounge reopens, there is no point in booking a Conrad Suites wing suite, unless you really want to be in that wing.
In any case, after a staff member confirmed our eligibility for evening cocktails, we were a brought a drinks menu. Unfortunately I didn’t take a photo of the menu. We each ordered an alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink, and the staff taking our orders look disturbed, like we had exceeded our entitlement. Of course there was no limit, but the staff made us feel like we were pushing it. She didn’t say anything, and we did our drinks, but it was very unpolished and unfriendly service. No mention of food was made, though a small plate of canapes were eventually brought out.
While it’s a positive thing that the resort did and still is providing an alternative for Diamond members, in my opinion there is no real substitute for a proper lounge. The service staff made us feel rather unwelcome there. While the view from lobby was probably better than the lounge, the openness of the area was less pleasant. The crowd around the lobby made it seem the Diamond guests were goldfish in a bowl (just no glass around). Guests also passed through the area, mostly to step out onto the terrace for photos. I’m not saying the resort should segregate a section of the lobby, these disturbances are unavoidable in a lobby. But in my opinion it goes against the purpose of an executive lounge. which is to provide a quiet, relaxing private space for eligible guests to enjoy.
Suku
For breakfast we headed to Suku, located below the lobby. Breakfast features a rather extensive buffet, even bigger than the W Bali. There were egg and noodle stations at the buffet. The cold items consisted of juices, cereals, yoghurt, various breads and pastries. There were cold cuts, salad and sushi rolls as well. The juices were not great though, looking and tasting like they were made from concentrate.
There was an impressive selection of different types of honey to choose from.
The hot dishes seemed a little more local-focused, though there were all the usual Western staples such as bacon and hashbrowns.
The Conrad is rather family-oriented, with Suku featuring a children’s corner, including a small buffet for young ones.
While the variety was good, the quality was average at best. Nothing stood out in particular. The buffet also seemed to lack organisation, as the hot food items were scattered all around the buffet. It’s not a reason to avoid the resort, but I’d say the food standard falls short of what I would expect from a Conrad. Compared to the W with its ala carte selection, the variety felt a bit run-of-the-mill as well.
Facilities
With a rather large footprint, the Conrad Bali has an array of facilities and amenities.
Swimming Pool
As mentioned earlier in the review, the hotel has a large main pool, and an even bigger lagoon pool. during the stay, I saw many guests floating lazily around the lagoon pool. The size of the pools meant they never looked crowded.
Besides these main pools, the Conrad Suites also has had its own private pool. I say had, because it appears to open to all now, based on recent experiences I’ve heard. Certainly when we stayed, there didn’t seem to be any staff controlling access to the pool. In theory, it’s supposed to be a more private and quieter enclave. When we walked by, it was pretty crowded though. I didn’t want to look like a creep taking photos, so here’s a photo from the hotel’s website:
Gym
The gym is located between the north and central wings. It had the usual assortment of cardio and resistance machines, as well as free weights. The gym windows face west, so it gets a full blast of afternoon sun. If you’re planning to hit the treadmills in the late afternoon, a hat or sunglasses may actually be necessary. The equipment were from Life Fitness. Water and towels were available at the gym.
Tennis Courts
The Conrad Bali also has a couple of tennis courts. These are located roughly in the same area as the gym, but a couple of levels up.
Spa
The resort has a spa of course. It’s also located in the same general area as the gym and tennis courts. Since this was a quick stay, we didn’t visit the spa. The menu and prices for treatments can be found here. Given the family-friendly nature of the resort, they have treatments specially catered to families and children.
Wedding chapel
A wedding chapel isn’t typically the kind of thing I’d include in my reviews, but these are big deal in many Bali beach resorts. There’s probably none more famous than Conrad Bali’s Infinity Chapel. In fact on social media, the Conrad Bali may be known more for than the chapel than the accommodations.
I couldn’t resist walking by for a look. There was a cordon blocking access to the chapel, but I went past it for a quick photo. Social media does a good job of showcasing the chapel though. The surrounds didn’t feel as impressive and secluded as seen on Instagram. In fact, it seemed rather close to both the north wing and Conrad Suites wing.
Conclusion
The Conrad Bali wasn’t poor in any particular aspect, but it certainly wasn’t fantastic. There’s factors it can’t control, such as the location and lack of nearby amenities. On the other hand, there’s things it can control such as service, which was average to say the least. The staff lacked the warm, friendly demeanor I expect from a high end resort, that puts guests at ease and in a beach holiday mood. Perhaps as with the W Bali Seminyak, it’s just that intangible feeling that one gets when in a resort. It has a lot to do with level of service though, and on that front the Conrad wasn’t really top notch.
The Conrad Bali, despite my current loyalty to Hilton Honors, is far from my top choice of Bali resorts. It might work for others who just want a comfortable room and quiet surrounds. Personally, I may have only stayed there one night, but that one night was enough to show me I wouldn’t get the type of resort holiday I desired.