projectmaximus

I've not stayed at the GH Bali, but the lounge is supposed to be quite good and I'm quite certain it would be open for breakfast, a bit of snacks and drinks during the day, and then a fairly extensive appetizer and alcohol offering in the evening. So in this case, club access will be mostly superior to bed and breakfast, however the restaurant breakfast (that would presumably be included with bed and breakfast rate) is probably a decent bit better. Which is why they're charging more for it.

Again these are simply assumptions

krystle920

We are also trying to decide between Hyatt Regency Bali and Grand Hyatt Bali. We like the idea of being near local restaurants and shops, but the beach and the grounds at the GH seem nicer. HR being newly renovated is a plus but the rooms don't seem to fit 4 people (2 adults + 2 kids). For those who have been to both - how would you describe the overall feel and vibe of each hotel? Both places keep reminding me of Hawaii based on pictures. Is the GH like those mega resorts in the Big Island where it always feels empty and deserted? Is it more like the GH in Kauai? We really enjoy Aulani for example where it feels atmospheric, transporting, and upscale. For reference, we are coming from Los Angeles but will be spending time in Boracay right before Bali.

TRANSWORLDMARINE

Take GH Bali. you will love the Beach and ambiance.we were there for 10 Days and planning to stay again for a couple of weeks.

goodgirl

At GH Bali, if you have globalist breakfast included, you may go to any restaurant that is open for breakfast, I asked.
You are not restricted to the Grand Club Lounge breakfast. However I find the offerings at the Club Lounge breakfast to be perfectly fine while the atmosphere is nice amidst the lake and there is a Quiet Zone. Service at Grand Club Lounge has been lacking a bit, it has been busy over Easter. Egg station was overwhelmed at times and slow to take orders, etc. It was better before Easter so I don't think this is a constant issue. Can't really complain since I received a suite upgrade to a suite that even includes a full kitchen with stove, microwave, toaster, freezer and full size fridge which is pretty neat considering the cheap rate I booked and it's a stay longer than 7 days without having to use a SUA.

Can confirm that the suite initially had a bit of a moldy, damp smell that I perceived to originate from the aircon. I saw staff in the hallway carrying an electric essential oil diffuser so I assume that if you complain they can bring you one. The first two days I tried to air the suite by opening the doors and it helped. It has improved after the first to days. The humidity is simply high here. If you handwash clothes, the Grand Hyatt Bali provides a clothes rack for the balcony which is useful. Clothes hardly dry overnigh though. It takes more like 2 days for swimwear and exercise clothes to fully dry so pack accordingly.

SeeTheLights

what did you think of salsa verde and the Japanese restaurant? Thanks

soy

Both GH and HR have tons of rooms for sale for cash in August, but neither accepting points for the week I am looking to stay. Anyone know if these are properties that have a trend of opening up more award stays closer to the time?

goodgirl

Stayed at Hyatt Regency Bali and can not recommend this property at all. I would go as far as saying it may well be a prison, not a hotel, due to the layout of the buildings, the tiny rooms, even the higher category rooms are still not spacious at all and worst of all the thin walls / noise level.

You can hear every word spoken in adjacent cells, and I mean not just hear, you understand everything, arguing, marital problems, the lot. Of course that applies to any other potential source of noise as well. Housekeeping cart pushed past your cell door, you will know. People walking past, count them. If the person in the cell next to yours vomits from 5am to 6am with alternating toilet flushes, you will be well aware. If the children are being left alone in the room in the evening and decide to scream from the top of their lungs, ... it's like they are in your room. If the father in the adjacent cell screams at his children every morning and afternoon, you will know, if the children then cry and scream, you will hear them exclaim "ouch dad, mom ow ...". You might start to feel sad.

If you are in a cell on the ground floor, the patios are not covered, so when it rains the outdoor furniture and / or anything you might have on a clothes rack to dry outside will get wet. But worse than that is the fact that the ground floor cells only have blackout curtains. So if you would like to prevent people from looking into your room from the garden, the blackout curtains are your only option. It will be darkness with nothing but the dim room lights, during daytime. You might start to feel more sad.

Even the premium rooms are small and feel cramped. For example, there is hardly any wardrobe space. Imagine you have a suitcase and you would like to leave it open flat during your stay (due to lack of wardrobe space), the luggage storage section is inside the wardrobe and with the suitcase open flat, you can no longer close the doors of the wardrobe. This not only causes the hallway to be very narrow (a sufficiently obese person could no longer enter the room), it also causes the light inside the wardrobe to remain on permanently.

The only good thing I found at this property is the canteen, j/k pizzeria, the food was very good, especially the pizza and the tiramisu.

Recovering now and won't be back.


Here you can see the space you have left when entering the room and walking past the wardrobe doors that you can not close if you have an open suitcase in there. Photo taken during a ~1 hour repair session for a non-working door lock after I was locked out of the room and none of the new keys I had made worked.



Grand Hyatt only from now on.

The Andaz has it's own weaknesses but the room was very beautiful. Still would not return to the Andaz either due to breakfast being too noisy, waiting time for a free table, no quiet zone, a la carte only means that you don't have the option to make healthy choices in terms of food and portion sizes at the Andaz, no buffet at all. The walkway to the gym / spa at the Regency that is shared with the Andaz is not covered, so you get wet if you come from the Andaz and it rains, which tends to happen often before sunrise. The pathway was not lit before sunrise. During heavy rain there are sections with water deep enough to cause your shoes to be submerged in water on the way to the gym.

SeeTheLights

Thanks for the heads up about the Hyatt Regency. Have you been to the restaurants at the Grand Hyatt? Any recommendations?

demue

I'd suggest you check the HR Bali thread as well and don't just rely on one account above. Each to their own and preferences differ, but you can get unlucky with neighbors/ inconsiderate people and all that and the walls aren't that "flimsy" to my recollection. At least we haven't had issues so far with noise from TVs or conversations from other rooms (aside from people's apparent need to drag / rearrange furniture in the room ever so often).

Sure I have only stayed in Regency Suites at the HR myself, but had friends in regular rooms and those were fine also size wise though the ground floor ones can be darkish and I'd not want one either.

There is definitely more to do (restaurants, spas, etc.) outside the hotel in Sanur where the HR is while the GH is in the tourist enclave of Nusa Dua at the very southern end and rather shielded. This may suit some people and turn off others, it depends. It will be a fair trip time wise from the GH if you want to go anywhere other than the immediate vicinity and more happening places like Seminyak, Canggu or Ubud need a lot of time to get to as traffic in Bali can be quite bad. It is easier/ closer from Sanur where the HR is located.

The HR is definitely a pretty good hotel at its level (good 4* I'd say), but it may not work for everyone. We stay at HR over GH, but that's fine, tastes differ.

goodgirl

Yes, Nampu is great for teppanyaki at Grand Hyatt Bali.