When I was in Aston Benoa, I drove my rented Toyota Avanza 2004 SUV( this is cool, as only 200.000 rup per 24 hours I got a new released Toyota ) up along jalan Pratama , when we noticed the Conrad hotel on the left side about 1 kilometer away from Aston. Boys, let's take a look.The first glance on the front-yard produced a vague notion that it was a huge brandnew bald building with elephant grass on its front-garden.
Passed by the security check, just in front of the lobby, we were immediately approached by a hotel staff wearing white T shirt, collarless white robe, sarong and sandals asking my car. I was a bit nervous to give up my car, then I did and she drove it out of my sight. I realized later that it was a free vallet parking.
The lobby packed with orientale-faces people. I didn't know their nationality, but some children were shouting in strong American English accent.
The bell-boy escorted us to a second floor de-luxe room, Wow, this soft-opened chain-hotel was spectacular.The lobby, the corridors, restaurants, all were exeptional in its architecture. Deviating from the norm as Bali-hotel, you could hardly see any Balinese culture touch on every part of the property. It had contemporary Western interior design in all aspect of its details.
The lift cabin walls had mirror-glasses on its corners, alleviating my claustrophobia
The hotel's W-shaped 3-4 storeys building has all its rooms facing toward the beach, depending on which segment of the W-shaped it located, the rooms has 45 or 90 degrees angled balconies glass door.So if you'll book, please mention which one you prefer to.
As everybody could expect, the furnitures were made in conform with the room shape and size, so I saw triangular sofa, cornered bathroom, and so on , all were marvelous though.
The brand-new AC-system was too cold for me. By opening the balcony-door it's automatically turn off. They seemed like put the sensor on the doors.
TV set was a Jumbo 34 inches Toshiba, I couldn't tell its quality, as I didn't asked him to switch it on, but I was pretty sure that this one was good. I have experienced a bad audiovisual quality of in-room TV in Inna Grand Bali Beach some days before..
I had pissed on its water-closet and failed to find the flusher lever. The staff helped me. Damnit ! It was a touch button on the left side of the tank and had the same color with the tank.
The lift cabin wall were mirror-glasses on its corners, alleviating my claustrophobia.
Some rooms and all villas were lagoon side. You could jump straight from the balcony into it, literally.
The newly grown up trees were apparent and overwhelming the beautifully trimmed Japanese grassed garden. There were 2 type of gazebos by the pools and on the beach. The difference between them was on its mattresses. The good one has its blue mattresses more interwoven than the other and has it signed : RESERVED on its pillar, though no people seen lying on it, perhaps they had not yet come or that's why nobody dared to touch it ?
The tennis court was fabulous too. There were two playing areas all provided with artificial ( they said ) green concrete floors. Rackets, balls, shoes, playing mate/ instructors were available. I didn't know if they included in its 40.000 rupiahs per hour rate.
In that morning, I saw people in the pool area were attending fitness exercise course lead by a young black-brown well-built Balinese man completed with a portable sound-system, in contrast with its managers of duty, young courteous poker-faced westerners. I hate those faces .
A young blonde child was accompanied by a hotelstaff who where looked so friendly and spoke English fluently, while his mum went exercising with her lower half still-slender body was dipped into the water.
Well, notwithstanding a forumite previously said that Aston and Conrad are like chalk and cheese , I would say that both are cheese. Aston bathroom was superior and more breeze in its garden than in Conrad.
Maybe next two years, when the trees has fully grown up, thus more shades in Conrad garden, the reverse will happen.