In Reply to: Accommodation suggestions posted by nel on Saturday, 31. December 2005 at 10:21 Bali Time:
here is my recent review of Indah Beach and Masa Inn, which Tuberose mentioned. I have rebooked Masa Inn for March. Also a review for Secret Garden Inn:
JBR - Indah Beach Hotel
Just a quick report on Indah Beach Hotel in Poppies 2.
Please let me start my saying this is my opinion only, based on a recent six night stay in October. I realise and agree that other people may have had a different experience at this hotel.
GOOD POINTS:
Location - great location for those who want to me in the middle of Kuta. Located in the "dog-leg" near the beach end of Poppies 2.
Price - reasonable for this standard of hotel - I paid $27AUD per night, single. Incl b/fast.
Breakfast - basic/limited but adequate (for me).
BAD POINTS:
Most of the things I am about to list would not normally worry me if it were the only thing wrong and they sound quite petty, but the accumulative effect of everything gave the place a bit of a grotty feeling.
Bathroom - the bathroom in my room was terrible (of course they may not all be like that though), very "tired", very stained roof and walls, broken shower head, broken shower head holder.
Room visibly swarming with mosquitos.
Sun lounges very "tired".
Swim-up pool bar not operating.
No saucer for coffee/tea cups at breakfast. Some chipped cups.
Poor lighting - room very dark, even by Bali standards.
Room privacy - the blind on the window was a sheer bamboo blind, and with the light on at night time, you could see quite clearly into the room - not good for a female travelling alone in my opinion. (I had to hang my sarong at the window for privacy)
TV in the room was so fuzzy it was not watchable at all.
Grounds not well maintained. Would come back from dinner or get up early in the morning and often there would be dirty pool towels from the day before still on the sunbeds, dirty plates from lunch/snacks/dinner still on tables by the pool. (Plenty of staff, but often lazing around on sunbeds or watching tv)
Hotel staff trying to sell massages, manicures, dvd's - I'm afraid that personally, I like to be free of the "sales" stuff when I am in my hotel grounds.
Never had a drink there - not particularly well priced given the standard of hotel it is. No happy hour.
I read an old post on the forum saying that this hotel seems to be run by a lot of young people who are trying, but perhaps aren't as focused on customer service as much as they should be. All in all, this seems fairly accurate. I only saw the actual manager once in a 6 night stay.
It wasn't until I checked into the next hotel that I realised how relieved I was to leave - the Indah wasn't horrendous, just that like I said before, all those little things gave it a bit of a grotty feel.
I am used to going budget and think I am very realistic about getting what you pay for, but I don't think I would go back there, or recommend it to others, unless I heard it was under new management.
Shame - great potential.
JBR - Masa Inn & Secret Garden Inn
Masa Inn - This is the place I stayed at last time (Oct 05), and will do so again in March 2006. Website: www.masainn.com
I loved this place, but it may not suit everyone.
The good and the bad in my opinion:
GOOD
Cheap - single Rp150,000 and double Rp200,000 (inc tax and b/fast)
Well kept grounds
To me, it had a light, open feel to the grounds - lots of lawn.
2 (clean) pools - small pool at the front, large pool at the back
Rooms cleaned daily - always smelled fresh when I came in.
Linen clean (sometimes white, sometimes grey, but always clean)
Bathrooms good for this standard of hotel
Air-con, good sized fridge, hot water, TV, combined shower/bath
Balconies on all rooms
Cheap laundry service
2 bath towels provided daily (one for shower, one for pool)
Location (suits me) - walk to the beach, Legian St, Kuta Squ
Lots of cheap restaurants nearby in Poppies 1
Mini-mart and internet place next door
BAD
Personally, I didn't think there was anything "bad" about this place, but I am aware that some things may not suit other people:
BYO soap
No restaurant operating in the hotel apart from breakfast - this did not bother me as restaurants in Poppies 1 (just across the road) will do take-away or even deliver. They do sell soft drink, water and beer though, and all cheap.
Breakfast basic/limited - again, didn't worry me. From memory I think the choice was an omelette, a pancake, a jaffle, or a toasted sandwich. Could also have a fruit plate, or a juice, or tea or coffee. Of course you can pay and have extra. One day I lashed out (ha, ha) and had tea as well as juice - the tea cost me Rp2000 !!
Not available through an agent from Australia as far as I know - I book direct with them via the internet - pay on arrival, no deposit requested.
During my stay I had time in two rooms - one with twin beds, one with a queen bed. The room with the queen bed had nowhere to store your luggage, and only a small wardrobe (I live out of my suitcase, so again, no problem for me). The twin room had a larger robe and a suitcase rack.
No safe, but a locked drawer in the wardrobe. They told me the only 2 keys were the one I had, and a spare held by the manager. (I felt safe here - nothing taken)
Check out the website, although one or two pictures seem a bit dated. The outside of the rooms look nicer than on the website. Let me know if you want to see the photo's I took, and if I can work out how to load them on to my computer, I will email them to you.
Secret Garden Inn - I also had one night here. I have a few photo's of this one too.
This is a new hotel, also in Poppies 1. I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived.
Small, compact hotel, but very well done. Rooms are very closely set around the pool, but lots of garden beds between the rooms and the pool, so lots of greenery.
Nice, free-form pool, not large, but adequate.
Bathroom small, but because it is new, it felt fresh and clean.
TV, Air-con, hot water, fridge (not in all rooms though apparently)
Quilt in my room was very tired, but the rest of the linen was okay.
Nice bath towels (2)
Single was Rp150,000
Basic/limited breakfast included in the price.
No food or drinks available within the hotel at other times, but can be brought in from the restaurant outside.
It was extremely quiet while I was there (one week after the bomb) so I am not sure if I would here stay for a long period on my own. I don't need to throw myself at other people, but having other people around the pool, sitting on balconies, etc does give a hotel a little bit of atmosphere. In fairness though, I was only there for one night, post-bombing, so it might well be busier at a different time.