Thank you very much for the confirmation.

I will go ahead and do it... Although, it is about 11 months away, my stay, do you think I should wait? Do you think the rate will come down?

I wouldn't worry about the rate too much. You can always make a new booking and ask them them to transfer your current booking over to that and cancel your old one. I had that happen once but that was when I booked 3 nights on a BOGO cert rate and then got the hotel to adjust the last night to a rate that I booked on their advance purchase rate. They were happy to do that.

Do you know what room it is that you want?

I was hoping for a Duplex, and as I understand it, if I book a King Club room, then I should get upgraded to a Club Duplex as a "standard" RA upgrade?

The e-mail reply I got from the reservations manager said that as an RA, I would be upgraded to either a Classic Duplex or King Club room if I booked a Resort Classic as my free upgrade. I then replied stating that I wished to pay the rate for the Club King.

Did I do the right thing?

Yeah they are very stingy with upgrades there and only offer a one tier for both RA and a normal Ambassador.

In my case I booked a club Duplex and got upgraded to one of their suites. I forgot the name but it was worth it.

But just email them and tell them what room you want and book a base room via the voucher and they will do the needful at their end and advise what rate they will charge.

Lovely, thank you very much for your help. The resort looks brilliant... I am not much of a "sit around and relax near to or on a beach" type person, but I really do like the look of this place...

Thanks again for your help.

Neither am I. Great place! Go for club access rooms though, makes quite a bit of difference. The club pool and bar are much quieter.

Unless it's a honeymoon :eek: I wouldn't build up your stay at the IC Bali too much: it's a nice enough hotel, but it's not the Oberoi.

Remember it carrries a twenty-something percent tax and service charge!

Well, I am sure it will be nicer than anywhere I have ever stayed before in my life...

I haven't tried the Oberoi yet but been to Bali a few times and this is one of my favorite resorts there.

Well... You know what... Everyone has different ideas about what they like and what makes a good/bad place to stay.

It really does get on my moobs when people start to try and bring down peoples expectations, just because they don't think it is anything special. People need to remember, that for some, they don't stay in places like this, ever in their life. Yes, it may not be your idea of a luxury resort, and the service may fail your expectations, but for others, it is just right. Same happened when I was planning my AA flying last year, everyone was telling me not to expect anything, dumbing down the service and the crew, telling me the experience was going to be poor... But I had a great time.

So, as much as this is a forum and everyone is free to share, just remember that you may be putting a dampener on someone else's high.

You won't be disappointed. I would go back again.

I've tried both the Club and the Singaraja rooms, and while I really did enjoy the Club and the snacks offered in the lounge, I found the Singaraja Duplex room with breakfast to be the best compromise between luxury and expense. The Singaraja wing comes with its own small sitting area with drinks, fruits and limited snacks (which I definitely don't want to miss), and while the Club lounge was much better, for me it was not a value of $100/day.

But people's preferences will differ.

HTB.

I've stayed here twice and loved it both times. I too am not a beachy person but still long to go back again. I am not a "luxury traveler" and I found the place lovely. Especially with your attitude, BBB, I think you'll love it!

The spa was great, staff wonderful. You will enjoy your stay!

Interesting, and it really does show that we all have different priorities. :D. I couldn't imagine staying here and not being in a club room, although now that they've scaled the club offering back a bit i can see how/why some would. Maybe I am not a lux traveler, but perhaps I am a club snob. ;)

Really, I didn't want to upset your moobs - and had no intention of one-upping myself as a luxury-obsessed traveller. Like you, I splashed my own hard-earned cash on a stay at the IC, and I found it disappointing: I was pleased I hadn't been persuaded to spend more than the minimum on accommodation. My Oberoi stay was a freeby, so perhaps that predisposed me to prefer it.

The "classic" room at the IC was perfectly fine: just something about the hotel I found unsettling. I know my view is contrarian, so take it with a pinch of salt! I don't believe club access would have made much difference - it could have spoiled my appetite for the beach huts' evening offer :eek:

Bali is wonderful, and has so much to offer. Sadly, little of that is close to the IC: but I hope you have the chance to get around the island.