Overall

This was leg 2 of our trip to Southeast Asia, and the three nights that my girlfriend and I stayed at the Westin was probably the highlight of our trip. As typically expected of Balinese hospitality, the service level at the Westin was top notched – all the way from the airport pick up and check in process, to planning for our activities while we were there. Furthermore, if you are a SPG member, you’ll be pleased that whatever status you have there will be fully recognized accordingly.

Check In

Let’s just begin from the outstanding check-in process. We had been in touch with what they call the “Westin Experience” team before our trip, mentioned to them our flight times, and made a reservation for a car to pick us up. Immediately after we checked out of immigration, there was a huge crowd at the arrival hall that was waiting to pick up what I assume to be hotel guests.

Look out for a guy holding a Westin card and approach him. It looks like he has a list of guests he was going to pick up that day, and after he’s rectified that you are on his list he will walk you to your car. It was a smooth process, and we couldn’t be happier that we made the reservation in advance because the queue for taxis were outrageously long at the airport given the holiday season.

Furthermore, because it was Christmas break, everyone was there with their screaming kids, which would make it very uncomfortable waiting in that 50 family deep line. Hot tip for anyone going to Bali in a festive period: arrange for a car to pick you up in advance!

The car ride was around 30 minutes to the hotel, and I would note that there are multiple car options you could have booked. We picked the cheapest sedan option which was a Toyota 4 seater. It wasn’t expensive at all, and came up to I think 16 USD. You also had the option for something better, like a Mercedes or a BMW, but we didn’t really need them and they were double the price.

Arriving at the front porch of the hotel, there was a small security area – with a metal detector and a security guard, where I guess they try to do some screening for firearms and such. I didn’t think it was necessary, but hey, I guess it doesn’t hurt to be careful.

Immediately after, we were met by Tika (Westin Experience Specialist) in the hotel lobby, who greeted us warmly and we didn’t even have to go to the check-in counter! I’m not sure if this because we were SPG Platinum members, or because we had made car arrangements, but Tika walked us straightaway to our room, had our keys ready, and walked us through some of the perks we will have while we’re staying there. I thought that was pretty sweet as our check-in was literally in our room. Thanks Tika!

SPG Platinum Perks

In the room, Tika mentioned to us that as SPG Platinum members we were usually entitled to be upgraded to a suite, but because it was the holiday seasons the hotel was fully booked, they could only upgrade us one level to a Premium room. Clearly, because it was literally Christmas, we knew we weren’t going to be upgraded, but were still pleasantly surprised that they found some sort of upgrade for us.

If you look online, a Premium room is one level above the Standard room that we booked, and it was around 100-200 sq ft larger on average. She also mentioned that as SPG Platinum, we’ll have free breakfast for the 2 days we’ll be there which we took full advantage of while we were there. Afternoon tea was also opened to SPG elite members, and the spread was really great with an assortment of pastries.

Room

The room itself was good, but nothing spectacular. The Westin Heavenly Bed, as usual, was awesome, while the bathroom area was in a separate room that was probably 2/3 the size of the bedroom itself, and came with a large shower area, and a separate bathtub. The room itself looked clean and organized, and we had a wonderful time with the room – no complains!

Service

Service-wise, you probably can’t get any better than the service we received at the Westin Nusa Dua. Most of the employees looked like they enjoyed working there and exude a genuine warmth. It could just be the Balinese people themselves, but I’ll give Westin credit for the warm hospitality.

At one point during Afternoon Tea (a SPG Platinum free perk), Eka (Westin Destination Experience Specialist) even came up to us and introduced herself, thanked us for being SPG Platinum members, and asked if there’s feedback we have for the hotel or anything she can do for us. I’m not sure I’ve had such a level of attention as an elite member frim any hotel chain. We’ve never even met before, so I can only assume that the manager at Kite’s restaurant had informed her that a Platinum member was dining there – that level of attention to detail is just mind-blowing.

Dining

Dining at the hotel though, was a little hit and miss. The breakfast buffet at the Seasonal Tastes restaurant was hands down the best buffet I’ve ever had at any hotel. There was a huge variety of food, from local Indonesian specials, to basic American breakfast items like muesli and omelets. It’s also got all sorts of fruits and a huge selection of pastries. Wherever you come from, I can assure you that there is something you like that. What’s more, it’s free for SPG platinum members, simply outstanding!

Dining at the other restaurants though was slightly of a letdown. Italian food at Prego was underwhelming, and coming from someone who lived in the Bronx on Arthur Avenue, the Italian selection was perhaps not the best Italian meal I’ve ever had. Same with the Japanese restaurant. I wouldn’t blame them though, I’m not sure where they would hire an Italian or Japanese chef to cook at a resort all the way in Bali. The upside though, is that all meals are 15% off for SPG members at any level, even if you just did a free sign up at the desk.

Location

Location-wise, the Westin is located in the resort area of Nusa Dua, which is a little way away (30-45 min car ride) away from some of the other attractions like Ubud or Kuta. Activities-wise though, the hotel did a great job coordinating with third party vendors to send hotel guests literally everywhere around the island – no matter what you’re interested in.

My girlfriend and I are big water-sports fans, and even though we were on the Nusa Dua beach, most of the water activities were further away from that area. Some of the water activities you can arrange for, include: Jet skis, parasailing, banana boats, wake boarding, kayaking, diving (you don’t have to be PADI certified), snorkeling.

If you’re more interested in the natural sights, there are plenty of tours around volcanos and tropical rainforests that you can arrange for too. All in all – we had plenty of activities to do in the 3 days we were there, and could easily have stayed there for more than 5 days.