The hard product of the hotel is stunning. For one day we used a suite night award (we are Marriott titaniums and platinums) to get the beach villa with the private infinity pool with a beautiful view of the sunset. Some of the furniture showed some stains from sun damage though but the rooms were beautifully decorated with tasteful art. The panoramic suite is humongous and luxe with great views of the property. The hotel grounds are incredibly beautiful as this hotel was originally modeled after its sister at the St Regis in Bali but unfortunately the comparisons of intention stop there.

While the art of the hotel and its structural composition are 5 star, the food unfortunately was not. We only ate at the l’orangerie for both breakfast and dinner, and the food leaves much to be desired. On Tuesday there was a French styled buffet but much of the food had been sitting out for a long time and was overcooked. What was under the heat lamps turned cold quickly and the overall offerings were limited. For the price, 270 MYR per person, there was very little that was premium about the meal for its cost. We also ordered a la carte items a different evening and the seafood was borderline going bad (think mealy shrimp in the pineapple curry and questionable freshness of the seafood from the premium 180 MYR wok fried scallops and shrimp in XO sauce). We did not try the western offerings that evening but judging by the French buffet the subsequent night I can’t imagine it was that great. The breakfast if you’ve never had the St Regis in Bali river prawn omelette may seem amazing but I have a feeling that they don’t actually give you river prawn meat in it — the pieces are so small that it looks like regular shrimp and the giant head is there just for appearances. That said, the sauce is complex and delicious but it really isn’t complimenting the river prawn; it’s better off being a non-seafood omelette if you ask me. The St Regis in Bali actually gives you the giant prawn meat and the prawn bisque sauce. The bread however is really great here and also both at the Pantai Grill — kudos to the baker. They also make great fish Tacos at the grill. The proximity of the Pantai beach grill to the pool can be problematic as the exhaust wafts over, potentially complicating the safety of patrons who have severe asthma. We were disappointed generally with the food and cost that we did not try the fine dining Kayuputi restaurant but perhaps that might have changed our minds.

We expressed our concern to the restaurant manager who took our comments constructively (we really were trying not to be miserable complainers). Our overall sentiment however is that we likely won’t be returning here unless there’s a marked shift in improvement. The service however is great; the staff is proactive in trying to help and everyone is exceedingly nice. This hotel while branded appears very much like a St Regis does not live up to the high standards of the brand.