Asia - Ritz-Carlton Bali (Jimbaran)

Need some advice on this hotel. Thinking of heading there for 5 nights in August. With the Amex PLT, it seems I can get an upgrade for one class of room.

Reviewing the hotel website and TripAdvisor, the place looks excellent, and the reviews are great. For some reason which I can't understand, the hotel just seems really reasonably priced, when compared to the Aman- resorts. Is the hotel really so different from these Aman- resorts? The Ritz rooms start at around $200, and the Amankila, for instance, they start at $675.

Does anyone have any experience with this Ritz. It really looks nice.

Thanks! :)
-BJ

Hi BJ,

I stayed here (and at the FS) with family last year on a mini-vacation from Singapore. It is a very nice hotel, in terms of facilities, but the difference between it, and, for example, the Four Seasons, is palpable.

First, it is a rather large hotel compared to the others, and often has tour groups staying in the main building. This can lead to crowding at the pools, and in the morning at the (otherwise very good) breakfast buffet. A bit of a "cheaper" feeling comes with the territory -- the FS felt far more exclusive, and catered more to the individual family/couple.

Service was much better at the FS -- at the RC, the staff was aware that most people staying were with a group, and I didn't feel that the service was particularly personalized.

That all being said, $200 is a good rate - it's really up to you how much value to place on the "exclusive atmosphere" in a resort. I would advise taking a detached room (not in the main building) if your budget will allow it. They provide somewhat of a compromise between the two -- more privacy and personalization than the main part of the hotel.

(I haven't stayed at the Aman, so can't speak to that one).

Enjoy!
744




Need some advice on this hotel. Thinking of heading there for 5 nights in August. With the Amex PLT, it seems I can get an upgrade for one class of room.

Reviewing the hotel website and TripAdvisor, the place looks excellent, and the reviews are great. For some reason which I can't understand, the hotel just seems really reasonably priced, when compared to the Aman- resorts. Is the hotel really so different from these Aman- resorts? The Ritz rooms start at around $200, and the Amankila, for instance, they start at $675.

Does anyone have any experience with this Ritz. It really looks nice.

Thanks! :)
-BJ

Have stayed at this hotel twice.......it is owned by the Japanese and is targetted for high end quick turn Japanese package tours. If you want the better rooms stay in the club or get one of the villas. I have always found the service to be quite good and even the standard rooms where in good shape. The breakfast buffet was clearly superior to any other "Bali" 5 * hotel. I also like the beach club and outdoor bar to watch the sunset.

This hotel is not an ultra-deluxe like the FS(over-rated) or any of the Amans. If you are going to choose the Aman beware that they are not all the same with the best one being near Candidassa, followed by the one in Ubud. The one in Nusa Dua is not great.

I think you can find many villa type acommodations in 3-500 dollar range at any of the big resorts or private boutique resorts.

Might I also suggest the Meridian (for golfers and sporty types) and the new Sofitel (formerly the Imperial). I personally would stay away from Nusa Dua at all costs.

August in Bali the weather is near perfect, but beware of many tourists near the middle of the month.

We stayed here several years ago, so I don't know if things have changed since then. We started in a fairly standard room which was good, but then we saw the villas and fell instantly in love. Moved to a 1 bedroom villa with pool for the rest of our stay (and it was very reasonable for the room and service) and never looked back. At the time it was just me and my two daughters, and we spent many mornings and late afternoons relaxing in our bale and dipping in the pool. I found the hotel quite lovely, and the service in the villas was fantastic.

Robin

Mr. Megatop and I stayed at the RC-Bali for five nights one year ago on our first trip to Bali. The hotel facilities were very nice, undoubtedly many times better than almost anything in the Caribbean. The room itself, a partial sea view in one wing of the main hotel building, was quite nice, with a pleasant balcony overlooking the grounds and the sea visible through the palm trees and frangiapanni. The breakfast buffet was decent. Service was okay-to-good but certainly not stellar, as others have indicated, and not particularly personal. The spa was excellent, especially the massive therapeutic pool. There were indeed lots of Japanese, which didn't bother us in the least (nor should it), and we saw no particular indication that they were mostly associated with tour groups. One thing to be aware of is the additional charge for use of certain facilities, such as the putt-putt golf course. The beach is a tiny wave-battered cove, nothing like the beaches of Kuta-Legian-Seminyak. We were definitely comfortable and enjoyed our stay but we weren't blown away by it. The resort is not on or very near Jimbaran Bay itself but perched on a picturesque cliff 10-15 minutes away from the bay. Like Nusa Dua on the opposite side of the Bukit Peninsula, the RC's location is somewhat remote if you want to tour the ricefields, temples, villages of central Bali or the mountain regions north of there--a good 75 minute ride.

This year we returned to Bali, splitting our time at two GHM properties: The Chedi Club at Tanah Gajah near Ubud and The Legian in Seminyak. The rates were higher than the RC last year, but the service and overall experience were at least 4 times better. The Chedi is on a sprawling private estate with just 20 large villas--all described as suites of one sort or another. Service, mostly provided by a wonderful personal butler who greeted us upon arrival and saw us off to The Legian, was out of this world. The overall experience was the ultimate in relaxation. The many inclusions in the standard package made it an exceptional value. The Legian had a different feel--much more activity on the beachfront--yet provided extraordinary luxury in a different way, with one of the largest hotel rooms (classified as a studio suite) we've enjoyed. The service was less personal but still superior. On balance, we would return to the Chedi in a heartbeat and definitely the Legian too if we wanted the beach experience. With rates 30+% lower than the FS properties, the Chedi and Legian provide what I presume is a similar experience but much better than the RC.

While in Bali I stayed at the Sheraton Lugana Nusa Dua and loved it. We did eat at the Ritz in Bali and the grounds were amazing. I would love to stay there!

Mr. Megatop and I stayed at the RC-Bali for five nights one year ago on our first trip to Bali. The hotel facilities were very nice, undoubtedly many times better than almost anything in the Caribbean. ...Agree with you re the property ^ Some of the comments you had shared with us following BaliDo last year influenced our decision on where to stay/not stay this year (it was one of the properties we strongly considered)

Even though it's "high season", it's definitely going to be possible for the OP to find better than $200 rates at the RC Bali -- assuming that is the lower end of room rates he's looking at. Also, based on what we were shown last year, there's a difference between the club & regular rooms that extends beyond the club access (i.e., furnishings, etc)

assuming that is the lower end of room rates he's looking at

Incorrect assumption.

Looking to book a villa. They have something called a Ocean View Villa for $550 a night. Does anyone know if that's the "newer" villas?

Incorrect assumption.

Looking to book a villa. They have something called a Ocean View Villa for $550 a night. Does anyone know if that's the "newer" villas?
Going back to your original post...you mention that room rates start at $200. Perhaps if you had included in your OP that you were looking at villas...

Going back to your original post...you mention that room rates start at $200. Perhaps if you had included in your OP that you were looking at villas...

Now you know.

Looking to book a villa. They have something called a Ocean View Villa for $550 a night. Does anyone know if that's the "newer" villas?

The Ocean View Villas should be the new ones that opened about a year and a half ago. They're all freestanding structured arrayed on a section of the resort grounds apart from the main buildings with the standard guestrooms. I'm not aware of any villas that are not the newer ones. If I were looking at $550ish a night, unless I needed to accommodate a family in multiple bedrooms, I'd be looking at properties more dedicated to delivering personalized service to guests at that end of the market, such as the Amans, the Four Seasonses, GHM properties like The Legian and The Chedi Club (which do have multiple-bedroom suites and villas), or maybe the VSOE's. Of those, I've only stayed at the GHM's but I would highly recommend them and rate them as at least three times better than the Ritz-Carlton.

cawhite: Having now stayed at the GHM's, I'm not looking back at the RC and glad you stayed away during Bali Do 2006. While the property and grounds were beautiful, the service at the RC was very production-line and not really personalized at all (except at that fabulous dinner on the jetty). For the small difference in price, and compared as a function of overall quality, the GHMs were a much better value proposition. If we go back to Bali again next year, it will almost certainly be to The Chedi Club and perhaps The Legian too, though the majority of time would be at the The Chedi.

The Ocean View Villas should be the new ones that opened about a year and a half ago. They're all freestanding structured arrayed on a section of the resort grounds apart from the main buildings with the standard guestrooms. I'm not aware of any villas that are not the newer ones. If I were looking at $550ish a night, unless I needed to accommodate a family in multiple bedrooms, I'd be looking at properties more dedicated to delivering personalized service to guests at that end of the market, such as the Amans, the Four Seasonses, GHM properties like The Legian and The Chedi Club (which do have multiple-bedroom suites and villas), or maybe the VSOE's. Of those, I've only stayed at the GHM's but I would highly recommend them and rate them as at least three times better than the Ritz-Carlton.

cawhite: Having now stayed at the GHM's, I'm not looking back at the RC and glad you stayed away during Bali Do 2006. While the property and grounds were beautiful, the service at the RC was very production-line and not really personalized at all (except at that fabulous dinner on the jetty). For the small difference in price, and compared as a function of overall quality, the GHMs were a much better value proposition. If we go back to Bali again next year, it will almost certainly be to The Chedi Club and perhaps The Legian too, though the majority of time would be at the The Chedi.

Thank you. Very helpful (again)!

The Amans seem to start at a price point much higher than $550. Do you know if all Aman rooms are villas?

...cawhite: Having now stayed at the GHM's, I'm not looking back at the RC and glad you stayed away during Bali Do 2006. While the property and grounds were beautiful, the service at the RC was very production-line and not really personalized at all (except at that fabulous dinner on the jetty). For the small difference in price, and compared as a function of overall quality, the GHMs were a much better value proposition. If we go back to Bali again next year, it will almost certainly be to The Chedi Club and perhaps The Legian too, though the majority of time would be at the The Chedi.
Glad you were happy with the different properties this year. I definitely recall the "inconsistencies" :o in treatment that y'all received last year at the RC, which was a key factor in our decision (and we have a friend who has stayed in the Ocean Villas so between that & another inside angle, we did look at booking those too). Glad you & Mr MTL had a great bday trip :) Look forward to seeing you again & comparing notes on this year's properties!

After reviewing the description of the Ocean View Villa on the RC website, I am certain that this is the exact villa we had back in about 1999/2000. Ours was set back from the cliff, with a nice view of the wedding chapel and the sea beyond. I do specifically remember the "gong" mentioned in the description. It's a shame if the service in the villas has deteriorated so much, our butler was one of the most gracious, kind, and helpful people I have ever met. I thought traveling to Bali alone with two young children would be a bit intimidating, but by the time we left the RC, I felt perfectly at home, and enjoyed the rest of our visit around the island (at other hotels), but not nearly as much as the first week based at the RC.

Robin

Glad you & Mr MTL had a great bday trip :) Look forward to seeing you again & comparing notes on this year's properties!

Oh, yes, it was wonderful, and so nice to receive a birthday card from some terribly thoughtful flyertalkers. :blush:

BenjaminNYC: I'm on somewhat shaky ground when it comes to Amans in Bali because I have stayed at one, just checked 'em out online when deciding where to stay, so the amanjunkies here will have better information. Nevertheless, it appears from www.amanresorts.com that all Bali properties are exclusively suites in freestanding villas. You might be able to get a discount by negotiating directly with the particular Aman resorts if you're going in the low season or another time when occupancy looks to be low. FS does the same, I believe.

LOVED the Ritz Carlton Bali when I stayed in 2003, during a quiet period.

Had a standard Ocean View Room - rates were reasonable, but dining was on the steep side and remember there are local taxes to pay on top of the room rate.

The best thing about this resort is the awesome infinity pool which looks out over a sea filled with bobbing dhows to Indonesian Volcanoes rising majestically in the distance.

The sweet scented gardens are perfectly maintained.

The crowning glory is the Thalasso Spa - a football sized maze of therapy pools which takes an hour to travers and leaves you feeling utterly relaxed. Best to book this well ahead to ensure you get a sunset slot, and end up under the pagoda near the oil flame lamps as the rustic light sets into the sea.

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/resorts/bali/spa/default.asp

I have stayed in several high end properties and this one beat them all - for the price it gives Aman a run for its money, although obviously I visited post bombings/Iraq War when it was quiet and therefore service and personal attention were top notch.

As I noted earlier it is near impossible to compare the large resorts with the smaller boutique style resorts. If you are concerned about villa and service then I wouldn't reccomend the "chain" boutique resorts but some of the other non chain ones. You might also look into any of the villas for rent in Seminyak or Legian of which many come with chefs , maids, drivers and cars!!!!!