chinmoylad

Hopefully people don't do that - it's still a beautiful property. I'm sure the new GM coming in will add their own little (good) touches. But I do understand the concern sometimes with changes, and I think concern would be warranted perhaps if its a GM that maybe you haven't gotten along with (or has a poor track record in the past), but surely at least one gives it a chance instead of dismissing it entirely?
I do hope it will still be a lovely property going forward - and I think much of that will also rely on having all the key staff and 'Amankila family' coming back.

Re: Soori - I like this property a lot. It's similar in some ways to Amankila but different in others (I clearly personally prefer Amankila). I will say Soori is better for larger groups because of their larger villas that are more single accommodation rather than what you end up with at Amankila (except for their 2-bedroom suite). I've only visited, but had my colleague go stay there on my behalf.

Bulgari - not a fan at all. Had a weird experience there, never been back since. From memory, the villas look nice if a bit 'cold'.

TOMFORD

What was your weird experience at bulgari?

chinmoylad

It was only a site visit. They completely cocked up a site visit (how hard can it possibly be?!). There was what looked like tissue paper strewn along the floor near the lobby and it looked like no one had bothered to clean it up. This was way back in 2013 or 2014 or so.
I didn't like the look and feel of the place (e.g the main pool) back then though the villas themselves I'm sure are nice (if a little dark/cold) - much less the 'service' I was subjected to.

TOMFORD

Sorry but there is not a lot of details here. What was the "much less the 'service' I was subject to" about? What happened? Right now it just seems like we are discounting the bulgari as an option because there was what might have been a piece of tissue paper in the lobby 8-9 years ago. Was the "weird experience" you mentioned because of the paper, or something else?

chinmoylad

I've written about it in the past on FT - their service was very dismissive and rude and not what you would expect from a resort of that standing. Given that it was 8-9 years ago I don't want to rehash the entire thing again (feel free to find the thread though!). The service and tissue paper are/were two separate things.

I didn't like the place or what I saw of it - he service, or lack thereof, was the final nail in the coffin.

I've never been keen to go back - mostly because Bali just has far better resorts I feel.

I have visited other Bulgaris though ( e.g. Bulgari Dubai - which I wasn't a huge fan of either but not cos this particular one was bad or anything, it just didn't appeal to me).

Bear in mind that of course different people will/have had different experiences - on this site alone. I'm sure some here have stayed at Bulgari and very much enjoyed it and had a great time and think it's the best place in Bali - each experience is quite different. Often even at the same time for two different people.

This is just MY experience - very rarely have I felt so put off by a property - I'll always try to find the positives. Here, I really struggled to because their service was that jarring that it was hard for me to overlook that.
Without what happened at the service side of things, I might have given it another chance at some point but it just stuck and made it hard.

Given it was 8-9 years ago, I'm sure enough staff has changed too so perhaps it is worth going back some time.

If you've been to other Bulgaris before and had a good experience, by all means give it a shot. But even without the service issues, the only other Bulgari I visited I didn't particularly like so maybe I just don't like the overall ambiance/style of the brand for whatever reason.

SanDiego1K

Here is a thread specific to Bulgari Bali, albeit with little current information. I've linked to the post by chinmoylad; you can read up or down from the post for views by others.

Bulgari Hotel Bali - any new reviews?

Hammerklavier

We did Soori for NYE 2020 right before COVID.

Overall very enjoyable — the architecture is lovely (I like modernist, YMMV) and well-integrated into the surroundings. Service was fast and professional and the food was very good. Some weathering that you’d expect in the tropics (wood paneling starting to show wear, etc) that I’d like to see addressed I suppose.

Main drawback is the location if you are trying to visit other parts of Bali — on a rainy day it took a solid 2 hours for our transfer from the airport, and there isn’t anything super local to check out other than the resort.

One thing I’d highlight is that the hotel-provided outings were quite excellent. Usually these things seem like a rip off, but their options were well-organized and not exceedingly expensive (we did Jatiluwih and Tanah Lot) so that gave us a nice change of pace.

Lastly the beach is black sand and definitely not for swimming — even the locals won’t go in deeper than waist-deep at most. We enjoyed the uniqueness of the beach for the view, but you do need to spring for the top floor suites — the bottom floor ones were like a dungeon.

bomberman92

Hi, I'm planning a 10 night honeymoon trip to Bali later this summer and am looking for recommendations. It's our first time there and I would appreciate any insight you have!

*Ritz Phulay Bay - 3 nights (flight had a layover in HKT so thought why not extend it and check out Krabi)
Alila Ubud - 4 nights (great ~$200/night rate). Wondering if I should extend this by a night and do 3 in Alila Ubud, 2 nights elsewhere (FS Sayan? RC Mandapa? Are they worth the $700-900/night in Ubud when other 5-stars are ~$200?)
Alila Uluwatu - 3 nights
remaining 2-3 nights - not sure where to spend these before heading to DPS

• Should we make the trek to Amankila for 2 nights and then head to DPS from there? Will Amankila be too similar to Alila Uluwatu?
• Should we stay in Canggu/Seminyak to get out of the resorts/hotels and do more in-town/Bali activities?
• Should we extend previous stays and maybe spend 1-2 nights in Jakarta instead? (return flight is DPS-CGK-USA)

Thank you!

clubeurope

First, congratulations on your marriage!!

I’ve got qualms about Alila Ubud… the hotel isn’t technically located in Ubud (they are in the neighbouring district of Payangan) and the hotel’s distance from the main road is far, so a car is required if you want to explore (which I highly recommend). The service didn’t seem very warm (by Bali standards). Be aware that this Alila, along with several in SE Asia are very different from the higher-end ones in every aspect.

I’ve stayed at FS Sayan and thought the architecture is stunning, but the rooms are starting to get old. Most rooms do not get much of a view due to the way the hotel is set up, so I would highly recommend getting a riverside Villa. Mandapa is a much newer hotel. I’ve not stayed there, but it looks very nice, and the staff were warm and polished.

In Ubud, I personally love Tanah Gajah (formerly Chedi Club Tanah Gajah). I found the villas, cleanliness, attention to detail, and food to be excellent. The hotel’s GM, Deasy is also a delight.

—

Alila Uluwatu is absolutely beautiful, and I loved the food at the hotel. The hotel feels pretty isolated and thus seemed like a haven. During my stay, I was the spared any day trippers other users had concerns about upthread, but I don’t expect them coming back very soon. The hotel doesn’t have much an accessible beach though, if that’s your thing.

​​​​​​—
Re: Seminyak/Canggu—I honestly can’t recommend the area, particularly if you’re after relaxation. They are more of a nightlife area. Seminyak is a shell of what it has been, and the food-scene there has never been excellent (overpriced poor food). Canggu has been the expat hub over the pandemic, and is now home to many of the trendier places. The beaches at both places aren’t by any means beautiful.

Amankila is a wonderful, wonderful hotel. The food is excellent and the setting is beautiful. Transfers are included in the rate, so they can conveniently drop you off at DPS. The hotel has a very different feel to Alila Villas, so it won’t remotely feel the same. My only gripe would be the rising number of influencers or wannabes…

Finally, as an alternative closer to DPS, I really love Tandjung Sari (in fact, I’m writing this from my room there). It’s a very quaint, small and historic hotel in Sanur. The food and service is unbelievably good, and was said to be the precursor for Aman Resorts.

P.s. I don’t think you should spend a night in Jakarta. There’s nothing nice enough to see or do there (it’s the land of shopping malls).

bomberman92

Thank you for the detailed insights! Great tip on Jakarta, will skip that and get an extra night in Bali instead.

I'm glad that Amankila will be different than Alila Villas, that was one of my primary concerns. Do you think 2 nights would be enough there?

Re: Ubud, good to know - I was expecting a bit of a difference than the high-end Alila's but I didn't realize it was that different. Will check the other options out.

Assuming we do Amankila for just 2 nights, I'd need to find one night to spend elsewhere - would you recommend doing Ubud for 5 days instead? I don't think Canggu/Seminyak makes sense just for a night.

Thanks

FlyerEC

Congratulations on your marriage !

Plus what a high it will be for choosing AMANs , at least one , to stay on your honeymoon ( assuming one does want to make it extra special )

In Ubud , Amandari .
Always stay longest at Kila & then Aman Nusa Villa before flight back , best be nearer airport as Bali traffic is pretty bad again .

clubeurope

Staying longer would obviously be more ideal () but I think Amankila is definitely great enough of a hotel to go out of one's way, even for two nights. It's a very special place, as FlyerEC mentioned

Alternatively, being in Ubud for 5 days is frankly not a bad idea. Ubud is essentially in the centre of Bali, so many interesting sights are within better reach when in Ubud compared to other areas in the south. Ubud is one of those places that unquestionably feels like Bali, and definitely not to be missed.

Smiley90

Which of the Bali resorts would you argue for if the higher-category rooms at Amankila aren't in the budget? Entry-level Kila still the best or are there other beach-hotels with activities in the area that are more attractive at that price point? Or - a couple days at the beach and a couple days more "interior" Bali? We're looking at probably ~a week and a half next April.

ajca

Amankila is really off on its own on the east coast, which for me is part of its appeal. AFAIK there are no luxury properties anywhere nearby.

I don't think you will be disappointed in the entry-level Kila experience and anyway if you book through Virtuoso or Amex you'll get at least one category upgrade, and with Aman generosity possibly more.

I would spend a few days at Amankila and a few days at Amandari in Ubud. There are more modern places you can stay, and more luxurious, but for my money the Kila / Dari beach/jungle combo is the very best of Bali.

Well, in Bali especially there are "five stars" and there are five stars and given there can be a 5-10x price difference between the two you want to do some careful comparison.

Alila Ubud is not bad for what it is, but nowhere near in the same league as the true luxury properties in Ubud.

I did not particularly like Mandapa. It's kind of a sterile American interpretation of a Bali jungle resort, and while an extraordinary amount of money was spent on its construction unless you're going to drop $2k / night on the villas by the river it's not worth the $ imo.

I quite like FS Sayan, and love Amandari and what is now called Tanah Gajah. I also really like Uma by Como's Pool Villas which overlook the spectacular Tjampuhan Valley, although that is probably not considered quite a luxury hotel per this forum.

clubeurope

I fully agree with ajca, particularly on this. There are many hotels classified as 5-stars by the local government, but they are aeons away from becoming true luxury hotels. The Alilas (bar Alila Villas Uluwatu, and until 2016, Alila Villas Soori) is great example of this. For instance, there's the Alila Manggis near Amankila, but it was built as a 3-star hotel by AZ , so definitely not a luxury property as correctly mentioned by ajca (particularly not by this forum's standards). Then there's the Alila Villas Uluwatu, which is definitely quite high up as far as Balinese hotels go.

Aside from Dari, I again would recommend getting a villa at the phenomenal Tanah Gajah for a place near Ubud. I absolutely loved COMO Shambhala Estate in Payangan, although that hotel isn't very ideal as a base if one tends to go out and explore.