travelswithmyself

Comments from me...

1. The resort is like a little condo. A friend who stayed in the Intercon a few years ago told me he couldn't believe they managed to squeeze a hotel into the little strip of land that the LeM is built on. But I belive the GM has commented on Tripadvisor that they are going for the boutique hotel feel.

2. Because it's small, everything is a little less private. You can see into everyone's balcony, and part of the rooms, even from ground to 2nd level. The hotel was quiet while I was there, but I'm not sure how it will be when it's busier.

3. The gym and spa are likewise small - the gym was in a room about the size of a Lagoon View room.

4. The hotel is in it's soft-opening phase - so there is a lot of stuff that isn't up to scrach. Tiles have fallen off or are not glued. Pool lights are not functional. Rooms are missing small things - mine had no downlights in the bathroom shelves - just a piece of cardboard covering the hole. There was no hot water in the sink (but plenty in the shower). And if you walk around a bit you can see that quite a number of rooms are still being built. But none of that actually detracts from the stay, and the hotel is fine to stay in as-is.

5. I thought the wifi was very patchy though travelling companions had no issues. LeMJ has decided to go with access points with different IDs at different locations eg Lobby, Bedroom, Pool, and I found that switching from one to the next was not always seamless - there would be overlap of signal and the devices would not automatically switch to the stronger signal. They could have gone with one Wireless ID and just had repeaters in the whole resort. Worst part - zero signal in the toilet area - how am I supposed to update FB and FT that way! :P

6. The food was great IMO. I rank it better than the W (which has dropped in standard). Service was excellent too. We recognised quite a few staff who were from the W so perhaps that's why everything felt very much like W-lite.

7. There isn't all that much to see, do and eat in Jimbaran, and I wasn't impressed with the beach. There is mini-shopping mall about 3 mins out, but it only has an expensive Japanese restaurant, a moderately priced Balinese restaurant, and a branch of Grocer and Grind which I'm told is an excellent place to eat. There was a Le Occitane spa, and little else of real interest. Circle K (minimart, and a place to top up your phone card) is about 5-7 mins walk out. Jenggala pottery factory is about 5mins away by car, and is a place to eat and paint your own pottery.

I'd come back again, but not at the drop of a hat. And it would be really to just chill in the resort. With that in mind, I'd go for the lagoon access units - so convenient to just walk into the pool.

Oh yes. Price. It was reaching USD200 when I last looked (though I got it for less). A bit more gets you to the W where as a Plat you will certainly get an upgrade to a Spectacular Room with the fantastic sunsets. So if it's low season for the W, you should really compare prices.