minimiso

I just got back from a 3 night stay there and really enjoyed it. They currently only have the deluxe king rooms available, so no upgrade. The rooms are bright and well-appointed. I would describe it as a Nordic decor theme. Lots of light wood and muted colour palette. I think every room has a balcony which overlooks the pool area. No stocked mini-bar, but there is a fridge. The staff are incredibly friendly. My only point of comparison for the Element is the one in KL and I thought the one in Ubud is just as good. The only thing that might put people off is its location, but it's a trade off I gladly accepted, especially with all the different ways you can get into town.

lorribarnes

I am here now at the Element. The hotel is pretty quiet right now. All the rooms are not in service as of today. No finished suites yet. Upon check-in, no upgrade was offered and when I requested an upgrade they advised that the suites etc were not finished yet. The staff are the highlight of this hotel. Wonderful caring people. The service people from high management to restaurant workers truly want to make your stay memorable. The hotel does have a Service Manager that visited with us today at breakfast asking out thoughts on the hotel. This hotel is probably equal to a 4-star hotel in the USA. Certainly not a level 1 hotel as it is rated in SPG. It is a minimalist style hotel but still comfortable. VERY clean. Does have comforts such as hair dryers etc. The ability to book this hotel for either 2,000 or 3,000 spg is incredible. One last thought is.. they offer two times daily free Yoga with good instructors. The hotel also offers free frequent transport into town to several different areas.
On Saturday we are moving to the other SPG Ubud property Shala Tribute. I will post about that also.

PrivatePilot

Been reading through this thread and got some very useful info. However, I am still confused. My wife and I, who are in our 30's, are looking to visit Bali in December. Points are not a concern but looking for a SPG/ Marriott hotel and the following:

- Decent beach lounging experience (wont be swimming but nice to go into the shallow parts of the water for a bit).
- Good vibe at hotel (don't mind the partying as long as its not spring break'ish).
- Proximity (up to 10-15 drive) to restaurants/ bars.
- Decent proximity to the top 3-4 attractions (temples, etc.).

Based on that, any recommendations? Seems like its between W and STR but still curious especially with the new Marriott/ SPG options. Thanks!

Tokyoite

The hotels south of the airport in the Nusa Dua simply won't fit your needs. No "sandy beach", far from restaurants/ bars, and definitely far from the northern 4 attractions (temples, etc.). go to SPG.com, look up Bali, bring up the map view, and then you'll see which ones they are.

Tokyoite

gummibar

lingua101

Sheraton Kuta should meet all your requirement. Likewise the Stones

minimiso

The shuttle leaves every two hours starting at 9AM. You can get picked up. When I took the shuttle to the Monkey Forest, the driver asked whether I needed a pick up on the way back. I didn't use it, but would guess that the location and time would be arranged then.

lingua101

I stayed in Sthala last year. As Platinum member, I was only upgraded to Deluxe River View. The hotel was rather empty. I did ask if there is a suite room. I do not really remember the exact answer by the staff, but I did not even bother to probe further.

In general the room is ok, but the bath room is quite small and especially the bassinet area. You will hardly able to put your amenities bag there.

Location is also not great. It is in the middle of no where. Ubud is still 30 minutes way. The river view is nice though.

lingua101

Well the timing should follow the drop off timing. So the pick ujp should be like 930am onward every 2 hours. I did requsted pick up at 1530.

CJKatl

OT: RE: Monkey Park... One of my favorite travel stories. Just inside Monkey Park is a sign warning of things you should not do, like feed the monkeys or get the monkeys to crawl on you. I was behind a mid-twenties Aussie couple reading the sign when he turned to her and said, "See, there is no rule against spanking the monkey in the park so I guess it's allowed." She turned bright red and was close enough to hear me chuckle. She turned to me and explained he wasn't really going to hit a monkey but "spanking the monkey" was an expression in their country. I explained we have the same expression in ours at which point she turned to her husband (they were on their honeymoon) playfully slaps him and yells out, "I can't believe you have me talking about m**********n to a complete stranger in public" only to turn even redder when she realized everyone within a block heard her say that word. I left them to walk along the paths, didn't see them in the park again and still wonder to this day if their marriage survived the honeymoon.

lorribarnes

We were just there. Good stay. Hotel is kinda basic but still quite nice. Transport into town. They even took us all the way in town to the market. Very inexpensive hotel and wonderful staff. Even cheaper with awards..

ShortTrip

Can someone, please, share information about breakfast and evening reception at the Element Ubud?

lorribarnes

The breakfast is simple but ok. It has an egg station
for omelets etc. A small section for asian food. Then your basic breakfast foods. They do have one dish like stir fried chicken etc. I am starwood gold and they do not give free breakfast for golds on free nights. Most regular room rates include breakfast. There was no evening reception that I am aware of. I think they did have half price happy hour on a few drinks for an hour or two daily.

ShortTrip

Thank you, lorribarnes. Elements in US have evening receptions with some food and drinks, a few days a week. Element Ubud lists "Relax: Evening Reception" in services and amenities.