HadesNL

Can report that for our return stay August when booked the Uluwatu suite,
we may enjoy a complimentary transfer to the airport upon departure,
because the Uluwatu suite is part of their specialty suites collection,
which offer this benefit.

I was told this because i wanted to book and pay for the departure airport service for our next stay (in Uluwatu suite) but was told that wasn't needed due to it being part of the specialty suite collection benefits.

HadesNL

Pssst:

Rumor had it the mask mandate will be lifted as soon as the G20 conference is done.
They enforce the usage of masks to suit the safety demands of all forgein crowned heads attending the G20 conference.

minz56

Interesting ... when I was there last month there was no real mask enforcement and I rarely wore one around the resort. The same can be said for the rest of Bali. Though that could be changing as COVID numbers increase again.

demue

Interesting, I'll keep that in mind for our stay in Bukit Suite. See whether they have varying stories depending on who you talk to, wouldn't be the first time.

HadesNL

It is at IC Bali enforced at indoor spaces and breakfast at Taman Gita during the mad rush.
Staff are wearing masks as per government rules.
In open areas or outdoors no masks needed for guests.
All Understandable.


At G20 conference hotels like Westin, Kempinski etc, masks need to be worn at all times at interaction to protect the bobo's. After G20 is done, they will drop the mask usage and return back to normal.
In Ubud though, we saw most locals still wearing a mask when interacting with customers in an indoor space.

HadesNL

At demue i understand exactly how you feel, but that make it all nevertheless charming and gives a better satisfaction if it succeeds!

I mentioned it in a different thread but will post the link here again.....
bureaucracy/administrative formalities from Asterix in the house that sends you mad:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x36574i



My advice is to ask on the second day at the Club desk when you are at the resort that you are interested to get a quote on departure transfer transport.
They would then notice you staying firmly at the Bukit Suite at a revenue rate and then be more then happy to throw in the departure transfer transport.

I might personally think of even booking via the hotel again the Joumpa VIP expedited service for departures as to have a smooth flow between checkin out, transfer, airport formalities and butt in aircraft seat to keep everyone in the family travel sane and not spoil the holiday mood.

HadesNL

Been at the resort now for 72 hours and i have heard that IC Bali management has kept all staff employed during the pandemic and island lockdown. Staff were allowed to take care of family and covid related matters and keep their jobs. Most of the unused capacity was deployed in renovations, upkeep gardens, adapting hotel services/outlets to covid safety standards and indexing complete inventory and asset items.

Fortunately this means the morning orchestra is still part of the authentic IC Bali experience:


Morning orchestra,
a true asset of IC Bali,
fortunately not enhanced away or victim of cost cutting.


The Singharaja lounge is still under refurbishment and has been relocated to building 5 at level 2
Seen from our balcony, the Singharaja lounge will get a nice outdoor balcony terrace.


Signpost directing to Singaraja lounge

Singaraja lounge written in traditional Balinese script

The black awning on the first floor is the new position of the Singaraja lounge The lower black awning on the ground floor is of the gym/salon


Featured promotions:


Jimbaran gardens promo




Bella cucina promo




Bella cucina promo

demue

Thank you for the updates.

Definitely nice that they retained staff (I had heard that from last GM) and hopefully a wise decision that now gets rewarded by having sufficient number of well trained team members to handle higher occupancies again.

Btw, any chance you happen to use the Club pool? Are they still charging for the use of the Bale (the huts around pool and on lawn)? They did before Covid though I think for named / specialty suites there was one or two slots included for free.

HadesNL

Me being far from the beachblanket babette type,
i had a stroll on the grounds while the others were on the beach and in the sea,
i like what they did in refurbishing the main pool area by replacing dark stone with bright stone.

I stumbled upon the activity schedule posted on the board:


Schedule for activities at the resort

Indeed these ladies were very active

Very jealous, i would feel bent and end up like a pretzel

HadesNL

After a relaxing day at the resort we decided to just eat at Jimbaran Gardens restaurant next to the main pool.
As we are departing tomorrow to do our tours through Yogyjakarta region, this will also be my last post with updates about the hotel.
We shall return though, after visiting Java and will report back on the Uluwatu suite for demue

Dinner started with appetizer snack of krupuk with peanut sauce and sambal:



We settled on a nice table al fresco watching the sunset....




The menu at Jimbaran Gardens
You can ask for extra kroepoek replenishment


Drinks menu 1

Drinks menu 2



The size difference in ordering a pitcher jug versus a glass (You can pour 6/7x)




Pizza margaritha : restaurant has a dedicated corner for baking goods




Calamari




Nasi campur




Tuna sambal matah : tataki style with atomic heat sambal dressing..... Yum!




Dessert: Pisang goreng + Es Campur

Food was quite delicious and as you may have guessed those over 50 ordered the unhealthy snacks and those under the 50 had the healthier options. As the tuna tataki was quite spicey, we all had to sample it and in return we allowed to have some desserts....

No complaint about the service, all friendly and regularly checked up on us. 2nd sous chef Anand came to our table to ask if we had enjoyed our food and told us that starting August, the menu will be changed to offer more different options for a different target audience. Now you can see the menu is focused more on local favorites. He was quite aware of the changes and challenges the pandemic brought to the hotel's operation so that even the owner with his family were now staying insitu to oversee and experience it themselves. This could be why the villa / suite availability is yoyoing becayse they tend to stay and move across all room types.

We got an unexpected surprise....
Even better out of staff's own initiative, after asking to sign the bill,
staff asked me if i was staying at the hotel as an IHG-1rewards member.....
Yes, i replied,
What gives.......our bill had to be checked and after verification by reception by phone,
We got 20% discount on our bill !!

The friendly waiter told me that those staying at IC Bali under IHG-1rewards membership booking get 20% off the bill at Jimbaran Gardens and the Sunset Bar&Grill ..... I checked online and this is what he refered to: https://www.ihg.com/content/gb/en/de...892-_-PageLink



Kudos to staff ,
For bringing this to our attention :
https://www.ihg.com/content/gb/en/de...ing-privileges

We'll try the sunset bar next visit as when we walked on by , it had seemed it had already reopened for business.


Hope this bit of info will be of help for those staying at the resort in the future and want to take the hefty sting out of the bill.
If they forget to offer this discount on the bill, ask the supervisor as he will need to verify and phone with reception for your roomnumber, registered name, IHG-1rewards membership number etc.

HadesNL

Glad to help you (and others) out with updated information so you know what to expect for your stay. Holiday vacationing is an important time and should be savoured to an optimum after all the pandemic chaos. Great to be able to contribute to everyone's (better) perfect holiday stay.

Actually we never use the club pool or use club F&B presentation at the club pool, as 3 out of 4 are more focused on the beach/sea

Jimbaran beach in front of the hotel





I did walk by to have a look at those bales you mentioned.....

Are these the ones?
At 17.25 i didn't spot any notice/signs of those bales needed to be rented or are only available on a first come first use basis....


Bales vicinity to club pool at 17.25

minz56

Also at Bella Cucina even though it isn't listed as a participating restaurant. The 20% discount does not apply to alcoholic drinks.

HadesNL

One final encore courtesy of my eldest. He went to the Club Lounge to check out breakfast.


You might have guessed who is doing packing and trying to fit all clothes/beachware in the suitcases while my S/O is trying to be helpfull by giving instructions that make no sense at all. So no more time for both of us to hit breakfast in the Club Lounge.....

Here are the photos:


Cold items

Healthy bowls

Cereals / nuts

Salad

Fruit

Extras

Meat & fish

Cheeses

Cake

Breads

Bread types

Bakery items

And the à la carte menu available.


Drinks

Cook to order items

Also mentioned a calm ambiance untill the arrival of the vvvips:

Any G20 incognito ?
[confirmed: seems the hotel owner was in residence with his family and special invitées]
[there was a huge security presence but it was non-obtrusive]
[because hotel owner + entourage are staying = suite/villa availability randomly changes]

Seems that travelling with my lads we always seem to bump into persons whom wield power whilest when i travel alone i always seem to bump into Mick Jagger & Nina Hagen


So demue hope this gives you an idea what to expect as you prefer the club breakfast

HadesNL

Ah thanks for the extra information, take makes it easier to try all venues for dinner!

demue

Thank you HadesNL , hope you have a great trip and time in and around Java.

Club lounge breakfast looks similar to pre-Covid and I surely hope they keep a large assortment of the Indonesian dishes on the menu (e.g at Jimbaran Gardens) as that is what we like to eat. Fair that some people may prefer Western options, but I hope they won't overdo it and remove most local dishes like before Covid and make the ones that remain totally bland and non-spicy. Else my spouse will not be a happy camper.