The Kayana is quite frankly a compound of villas in the centre of Seminyak. The hotel is run by Santika, one of Indonesia's major players in hospitality, who also manages the Samaya hotels in Seminyak and Ubud. Together, Samaya and Kayana comprise Santika's "The Royal Collection", placed as their luxury offering. 

We booked this place the day of, for a ridiculously low £53 for one night. The hotel ordinarily (or more accurately, formerly) charges £200-£250 a night.

Check In

We arrived at the hotel late during a rainy afternoon at around 5 pm. Much unlike many hotels in Bali, the entrance to the Kayana wasn't down some narrow residential alley, but instead right next to a major road (Petitenget Street). In fact, the seemingly grandiose reception building almost looks awkwardly placed along the hotel's narrow driveway and above its small parking lot.

The hotel's driveway/entrance as seen on Google Streetview

We were greeted by a man sat at the reception table, who we later discovered worked many roles in the hotel (which made sense given the hotel's extremely low occupancy). Following a quick registration, we were requested to fill out a form for our breakfast orders. That wasn't something I expected, but it quickly made sense after he explained that the hotel's restaurant was closed and that all food was prepared by an "outside vendor". 

Interestingly, he did proactively encourage the use of online food delivery services to be delivered to the hotel. 

Following all the check-in formalities, we were taken to our villa with a golf cart.

Room

I wasn't sure if it was just the weather or the mood, but the hotel never really felt inviting. None of the villas in the compound offered a view, and they are all surrounded by a tall grey wall. The flora in the villa didn't precisely look flourishing, which perhaps contributes to the rather spartan overall look of the place.

Garden, Pool, and Cabana

Pool and lounge chairs

Pool

The room itself looked decent albeit some of its furniture did look rather outdated. Nevertheless, it was a rather comfortable room for a short stay. I did find the lack of a desk to be very noticeable. 

Bed

Chair

Living space

Nightstand

The 5 fixture bathroom was divided into two areas, the bathtub and washbasins being in the same space as the bedroom (located behind the bed, with no separating doors), and a small room behind that containing the shower and toilet. The hotel used a mix of Acca Kappa and Mandarin Tea branded toiletries.

For one, I found the placement and open concept of the bathtub to be rather awkward. As such I did not find it desirable.

Bathtub and washbasins

Washbasins

The shower's low water pressure was rather unsatisfying, and the water temperature never went past lukewarm despite being in the highest setting.

Shower

Acca Kappa and Mandarin Tea amenities

Toilet

I was very impressed by the hotel's in-room amenities not being cut back. along with the provision of a hygiene kit that included washable masks, hand sanitisers, and disposable gloves; but I was less so impressed by the excessive use of plastic to wrap nearly all linens bar the bedsheets. 

Hygiene kit

Wrapped towels

Dining

Since the restaurant is closed, all breakfasts are served in the villa. I found it very interesting that there is a small service entryway behind the bedroom used by staff to deliver the food. 

In the case of villas, I'm ordinarily not a fan of having meals delivered to the room, since they often arrive cold. This was unfortunately no exception. Understandably, the hotel has had to cut costs and operate on a very lean basis in order to survive, so do take the following comments with a grain of salt. 

The meal arrived all covered and reminded me of an inflight meal given that everything was wrapped in plastic. The breakfast was perhaps amongst the weakest I've had in Bali, or even in Asia, given the cold and bland main course, along with the very artificial juices. I'd imagine this is a necessary temporary measure, and given the price we've paid, I have no complaints in this department. Either way, I don't reckon that this matches with the hotel's ordinary offerings pre-pandemic.

Breakfast

Fruit plate

I wasn't sure if they misinterpreted my request for a cheese omelette or...

Cold and bland fried rice

Service

Every member of staff we encountered were friendly, but there's not much to add apart from that, since we did not see them very much.

Location and amenities

The hotel is located right in the centre of Seminyak, close to various attractions and restaurants. In fact, the hotel is wedged between the W Seminyak and Potato Head, both of which contain popular beach clubs. However, note that the Kayana itself lacks a beach and a beach access, so one would either have to walk to a public access or pay to use the many beach clubs in Seminyak.

Walkway to villas

There is an elevated, infinity swimming pool located in the middle of the hotel, where the hotel's (closed) restaurant is also located. Like the villas, the pool also does not have view and faces a wall and some bamboo stalks. Next to the pool is a small gym. 

Swimming Pool

Gym

Overall

Overall, the £53 we paid was undoubtedly amazing in terms of value. As such, I am very grateful to have stayed here for that sum. But disregarding that price and the hotel's food offerings, the villa offering isn't something that I would pay £200-£250. I would have to truthfully say that to me personally, the hotel is one of those places that looks nicer in pictures than it does in real life.

In terms of hardware, nothing really felt luxurious, and I would honestly be disappointed if I were to pay more than £150 a night. Nothing about the place made it seem special, and at their ordinary price range, one could stay at much nicer places like the excellent Kayumanis villas spread around Bali or the old but brilliant Tandjung Sari in Sanur.