355F1

Will be there in a few days; I will report my findings.

demue

I'm with IAN-UK on this 100%. Execution of even simple things can be a fail and the accumulation of those turns from nuisance to annoyance. Pair that with an ambivalent or maybe rather ineffective management that think they are wonderful and you have a rather unsatisfactory experience when paying 400-500USD a night for a Club room. There are many options at that price level.

travelinmanS

AAExPlat

1) Still distinct wings
2) Hotel is using Singaraja wing as Club Wing while Club Wing is getting renovated.
3) Beach is clean in the summer due to swell, but dirtier in the winter.
4) Kids under 12 not permitted in Club at happy hour. Has always been that way.
5) Incorrect. Taman Gita has been completely revamped including extra outdoor seating, and they have remodeled some of the common areas.

All in all, I still think this property is a pass nowadays, especially given some of the extra changes listed above. I do think however that Jimbaran Gardens is not a bad place to eat although I will concede there are so many better ones. On our most recent stay (June/July), we stayed elsewhere in Jimbaran and apart from one dinner at KO and one at JG, we ate mostly at Nalayan and the Four Seasons. Pricy? Yes...but amazingly good.

binman

demue

Lovely advice regarding Sunset Bar, that sounds just like the GM. Always focused on value add and excellence in guest experience . Personally, we were never keen on having the drinks there, but that is besides the point.

travelinmanS

355F1

Well....just completed my 6th stay here in the last 2 years.

4 nights and 5 Stars....A++++.

I realize that all of us FT'ers can sometimes be a whiny bunch (including myself!), but I had NOTHING BUT AN AMAZING TIME HERE.

I booked the cheapest room, I spend almost no money on F&B, and have had nothing but a perfect stay every time!!!

It seems that a lot of the complaints are about people who are paying $500/night for their Club Rooms.....

The Club experience here is not worth it when you have such amazing and inexpensive food and beverage options within a literal 3- minute walk from the resort.

I was upgraded 2 levels to a Duplex Suite.

I have also been given a complimentary ride to the airport on each of my last 3 stays without asking.

My person who always takes care of me (has worked there almost 30 years) did an amazing job making sure everything was taken care of (I always get a little extra somethings in my room on each stay, for example).

They are hoping to open the bottom 2 floors of the 6xxx wing by Christmas.

80% of the staff there have been with the resort for 20+ years......I find that incredible.

Upon checkout I did overhear a guest who DID have complaints. Apparently, they booked a 4-night stay in a Club Room but after 2 nights couldn't take the construction noises anymore so they asked to be downgraded to a non-club room for the final 2 nights and did not have to pay for the Club Rates for those 2 final nights.

This hotel is still my favorite (affordable) hotel in the world. (I stayed at the HKG Ritz-Carlton last year for one night in a massive Club Level Suite and was blown away but could not afford an entire week there!).

I've already booked 2 trips back here over the next year.

Love LOVE LOVE THE IC BALI!!!!!!!!!!!! ������

travelinmanS

Just finished our stay at this place. There is some good and some bad about the changes they have made since I was last there 2 years ago. We always stay in the club and noticed that the club benefits have been cut a bit in some ways but also improved in others. The lawn/pool huts used to be first come first served but now are reservation only. Not bad but you can only reserve for 4 hours not the whole day. As mentioned in posts above, the club benefits of using sunset lounge for afternoon cocktails have been eliminated. Instead they have a similar setup overlooking the beach near the club pool. Two issues with this are, you can’t order food at the same time as you used to be able to do at sunset bar and the space they use now means they removed many beachside bales so there are fewer of them to go around. If you’re not up at 6 or 7am you won’t get a beachside bale.

Changing from 3 hours of evening cocktails to 2 hours was a big disappointment since when the beachside lounge is packed, it takes 45 mins to get a drink.

Some new things I noticed were the club servers/beach servers were constantly offering water/sparkling water throughout the day free of charge. This was a very nice touch. They also upgraded the club towels from last time and they were set up nicely over the chairs by the club pool employees every day. The breakfast choices in the lounge were also better than I remember before. It seems they are making an effort to revamp their menus at sunset bar and the Jimbaran Gardens restaurants but its still a better deal to eat outside the hotel.

All in all the location cant be beat, the beach was awesome as usual and the water was not filled with flotsam this time which made swimming a pleasure. The staff are always wonderful and if you slip them some rupiah they are even more attentive throughout the day. The price is creeping up and we talked about trying the Belmond next time but I’ve got a suspicion that even if we try Belmond or 4S we’ll eventually return to the IC. The grounds/location are just too nice.

HadesNL

I must admit i'm a regular at this IC too, i can understand the complaints but untill now my personal experiences have all been good.
we've stayed in balinese suite refurbished and non refurbished uluwatu suite, imperial villa and jivanna villa. The difference is notable but i see the hotel is improving the hardware on that front.

Most important i found all the staff very friendly and engaging; always greeting and with a smile. But also sincerely wanting to help, as in my less mobile parents. For me what is absolutely amazing is that the club staff can find and secure such A-typical non touristy objet d'arts that otherwise prove inaccesible for an outsider. As an example; the mask of Jeroh Luh and Jero Gede of barong landung lanang, a pawukon tika calender or pelelintangan or diverse lontar documents. The fact that the club ladies know these classic cultural essentials gives them and the hotel more credibility as a Balinese destination then a stay at the W Seminyak

For outside eating we stop by at the coco supermarket, left of the resort. There is also restaurant cuca by the canadian chef in north jimabaran. There are the dinner beach huts left of Jimbaran beach. So there is choice for those that whine about being trapped at the resort and being forced to pay for overpriced food

OnePassLover

Hi, I'll stay at this property by the end of the year. I have booked several rooms using points. So naturally they are at the lowest category - Jimbaran Deluxe. Are these non-renovated room? Should I at least upgrade the rooms into Singaraja Premium in advance? Thanks for the input.

demue

Base level rooms called "Jimbaran Deluxe" are refurbished. The Classic Rooms were the old ones, but I don't think there should be any left of those.

HadesNL

can confirm Pecatu suite is located on level 4 next to the Imperial Villa, it has beach and sea views, oddly enough a big balcony but no sun loungers, just 2 sets of chairs & tables
- also two bathrooms with each a toilet
- coffee machine from Illy
- extra water at turndown service
- international electric plugs everywhere
- usb at headboard bed
- toiletries are Harnn Mystique (Lavender & Bergamot)

For reference:

HadesNL

Teppanyaki night all you can eat: only certain select days

HadesNL

an indication what the prices are for non alcoholic drinks