Jaysonb22

I am looking to go next March (17th - 24th) for my honeymoon. My fiance is worried about the weather in March. Is it going to be cloudy the whole time?

Thanks

DC777Fan

We arrive next week and I'm beyond excited. One question I have is about the butler service. Do you have one main POC for the whole time you're there or is it a collaborative butler type deal?

If it's a single person (or if it's multiple people) is a tip expected, and if so what's the general range for a 6 night stay?

ariyo15

Technically you have one butler (depending on how many days you're there). But since the team there is SO INCREDIBLE, all butlers/ staff will be able/willing to help.

One example from my last visit: I had gone SCUBA diving and asked for a favor from my butler. Then, the next day (after it was all done and the butler had helped out) I had gone to my room to grab a hat. It happened to be the cleaning staff was in the room at the time. They say, "Mr. ariyo15, how did you enjoy the diving yesterday?"

Unreal - I have nothing but great things to say!

mrpickles

It is a collaborative effort amongst all the Butler's. They have a central butler desk in the lobby. The Butler's work various shifts and share notes on you.

One butler may cover up to 16 rooms. Don't go crazy tipping.

jasonsun

What can you ask the butler do? Or maybe can't is a shorter list?

ma91pmh

how is the scuba diving near here?

jmgriffin

Just wanted confirm what others are saying on here about redeeming points for stays at this property. I was hoping to stay here for 4/5 nights during my honeymoon December 2013. Here are selected pieces of the chat with Starwood about booking this property:

REP: Thank you for holding, for your dates they have available a King St. Regis Suite for 126,000 Starpoints.
JEFFREY: That is for 4 nights? So 31,500 points/night?
REP: Yes, correct.
JEFFREY: Next question, I have one of the certificates of 35% award redemption for earning Platinum...if I use this would the redemption be 126,000 minus 35%?
REP: Yes, correct.
REP: Are you still there please?
JEFFREY: Yes
JEFFREY: Just to clarify further, I have only 106,000 starpoints available, this means I could book those 4 nights for 81,900 using the 35% coupon?
REP: Do you mind holding while I check on this for you?
JEFFREY: Yes, thanks
REP: Yes, this is correct, you can.
JEFFREY: Great, and final question....if I make a booing using points and the coupon, can I cancel if needed? If so, I would like to proceed with booking
REP: Yes, you can cancel.
JEFFREY: And the coupon would be able to still be used in the future?
REP: I just spoke with my supervisor and they said the 35% coupon can only be used for standard rooms.
REP: So, due to the only room being available being a suite it is not eligible for the coupon.
JEFFREY: Oh, I thought you just said that it was possible to book?
REP: Yes, I did and this is my mistake.

TL;DR: They want 31,500 points/night and you can't use the 35% off an award coupons

pelapela

The 35% only works for C1- C6. It can't even be applied to a C7 standard room, not to mention a suite room.

jmgriffin

FYI--

I reached out to the St. Regis Bali to see if it's possible to confirm an upgrade to a preferred room before arrival--sounds like it's not. Interesting because all the other Starwood properties in the area will quote you a confirmed upgrade by agreeing to pay extra cash.

jpripcord

I've got a stay booked in late May at the St Regis for 5 nights. Cost me about 130,000 SPG points. I have a Pool Suite booked currently, but hoping for an upgrade. Interesting hearing mixed reviews on FT, as all the other places gave it glowing feedback.

slariz

I think it depends on what you are hoping to get out of the stay. Middle of the bustling tourist area? Don't stay here. Want to stay in a beautiful, secluded property where nobody will bother you? Stay here. Was there for 5 nights last December and loved every minute of it - one of the (if not THE) best hotel stays I've ever had.

Dr. HFH

The U.S. DOS site still has some fairly ominous warnings posted about travel to Indonesia. How did people who have visited StR feel regarding security? At the hotel? Around the island? At the airport?

rdlmitedu

I work in security (mainly computer, but also physical -- ranging from DOD work to when I had a security team in Iraq and drove around to a bunch of sites, drove an old BMW sedan around the country, have been to random clinics in Afghanistan in the back of a Tercel without a weapon, etc.).

State warnings do err on the side of caution (they are often ignored for this reason). There is clearly more visible security at the Starwood properties I've seen in Bali than at the properties in Java, but it's essentially the same as in Thailand -- designed to meet standards for the prevention of car bombs, mostly.

It's mainly reactive -- they have checkpoints and access control set up so that if there is a bombing at one location, they can rapidly improve security at the other properties. In all of the major tourist destinations, local security services do keep the international hotels apprised of the security situation.

That said, there's very little in place which would prevent a Kenyan mall or Mumbai hotel style situation (multiple well-trained attackers), and really, outside of (some) airports, government facilities, and short-term heightened security at some civilian facilities, there's not much which would.

During APEC, they had dramatically better security -- I heard a bit about the preparations, and it was done very professionally. However, that's only for a limited time.

Bali does seem to be a much bigger target than the rest of Indonesia, since it's more popular with foreign tourists. On the other hand, it's very likely attackers would not be Balinese, even if Indonesian, so they wouldn't be able to blend in with the population as well, and security services would have a better chance of detecting them before an attack. There's also not much (if any) real domestic political violence in Bali, which tends to be a much bigger problem (witness the issues in Thailand during the red/yellow war around the Dusit Thani!)

I don't think there is a particular threat now -- I'm vacationing in Java and Bali, after all -- but I probably wouldn't have gone in the weeks following the US invasion of Iraq or possibly during a short term heightened risk period like the Danish cartoons. (Egypt is still on my personal no-go list, as well as Pakistan, but I'm probably going to visit Myanmar, even though there was a recent bombing, and a critical lack of Starwood properties.)

On balance one's risk inside a hotel is probably less than the risk of driving in the US during a comparable period. The real risks outside the hotel are traffic, regular street crime (minor, but real), accidents, etc. I think a reasonable level of precaution is to have a cellphone at all times, know the local emergency services numbers, have a reasonable amount of cash with you to be able to quickly hire a taxi or other means of escape if something bad happens, and keep someone apprised of your plans with 12-24h granularity. Things might be a bit different for female solo travelers or those with children. Absent any specific heightened threat of terrorism, it wouldn't be a major factor in my planning.

Dr. HFH

Thanks for your detailed report. Both informative and helpful.

ariyo15

Very cool!

Of note, I saw a mola-mola and a few small rays. What I did not see (unfortunately) was a manta - despite spending 30 min at depth at Manta Point.

Definitely worth the dive though!