Accommodation-wise, my recent 2-week family trip to Bali breaks down as: 50% Bonvoy, 7% IHG, and 43% local hotels (all in parts of Bali leagues from Marriott's footprint). This is a bit different from last year when it was a nearly 50/50 split between the two chains.
For the purposes of this thread: 3/n at Aloft Seminyak, 1/n at Laguna Nusa Dua, 3/n at Courtyard Nusa Dua.
All of these hotels hit exactly as I was hoping, and I would return.
But, the one I would not attach any caveats to is the island's Luxury Collection.
The Laguna is just a stunner of a property, one that's retained all that was great about it from the Starwood days and kept running with it. A renovation completed about a year ago really shines. Am I saying it's the most mind-blowing elite recognition in the system? No. When I stayed in 2018 as an SPG Plat, I didn't get a suite upgrade; rather one of those fun lagoon access rooms where you can dive into one of a dozen or so pools from your terrace. This time around, I applied an SNA (cough, NUA) and ended up in one the villas, which was an experience to rival any of the luxury-end stays I've had in Bali (references: The Bale Nusa Dua, FS Jimabaran, Bvlgari). This is a hotel that, should one choose to make it their regular in Bali, I'm sure everyone would remember your name and greet you with a warm smile.
- Courtyard Nusa Dua was probably the biggest surprise. I did not expect to like this property, to be honest. And while I didn't much care for the 'deluxe' room they upgraded us into the first night; thankfully, they were able to move us to a suite for the remaining 2 nights, which made a world of difference. The hotel grounds -- conjoined to a Marriott Vacation Club time-share -- are exceptional and big fun for families. The location actually gives me pause for thought about not-otherwise-that-awesome Nusa Dua as a place to spend more time in. If nothing else, I feel that here Marriott established a firm footprint of very good to exceptional spots (well, I don't know about Ren) all within one planned resort development and while it may not be the 'real' Bali it is also a welcome escape from the really awful traffic situation outside. It took us nearly 90mins to get from Brawa to Nusa Dua on a Friday afternoon.
- Aloft Seminyak gave us a delightful breakfast for three straight days that was actually -- IMHO -- better than anything we got in Nusa Dusa. Eggs Benedict (w/ pork or beef bacon, or none, but no salmon) are actually tasted better than the LC Eggs Royale Super staff, they went so above and beyond on each request that'd I'd consider this a full service property. Obviously no suite upgrade but we did get a 'pool access' king and it was perfect -- shudder to think what some of the room assignments for non-elites are, however, as many rooms either face the noisy street below or seem to have not much a view at all. My only gripe was not the fault of the property: the location in Brawa has basically become an alternate route to/from Canggu and the traffic gets awful beyond belief, even menacing pedestrians as the lorries and cars clog the roads while the motorbikes go up on the sidewalks to get around them. Even a short walk to the Circle K or to Watercress restaurant for an excellent Bloody Mary (oh yea, the cocktails at Aloft are kinda crap, sweet and not strong enough), can be a a bit unnerving due to the amount of bikes turning the walkways into their thoroughfares. I should be used to this spending a lot of time in Vietnam, but no, it's next level and kind of reinforces my desire to spend less time in south-central Bali, something I always say every year and, every year, end up back in Seminyak