In Reply to: GVC, BGH or MBR posted by audinary on Sunday, 9. March 2008 at 09:47 Bali Time:
Hi Auds, can't comment on the other two but we have stayed at the GVC 5 times since 2000 and find it fantastic budget accommodation. It is on Jl Padma Utara and is one road back from the beach which is about a 5 minute walk. We were there again for 16 days in Jan/Feb 2008 and stayed in a Superior cottage, (renovated/refurbished cottage.) The "old" Standard cottage rooms are very basic, tiled floor, bed, wardrobe, small table, bed side tables and fridge. Shower over bath, loo inside bathroom, hand basin in main room. There are no fancy curtains/bedspreads etc but who needs them anyway. Each cottage new or old , has its own little verandah with table and 2 chairs. The room in the "new" Superior cottages are the same size as the "old" but they have made the bathrooms bigger. They have had the roofs re tiled, all insides gutted and repainted, retiled, new bathroom with the hand basin in the bathroom, new modern windows, curtains/bedspreads, pictures on the wall, new furniture, new lighting , new aircons (and ours worked brilliantly), TV, DVD player and fridge. The newly built family rooms looked lovely and spacious. There are now also new double story apartments just behind the security station to the left of the reception area. We met a few people who stayed in them and they said they were great and that they have their own kitchen. The food at the restaurant is quite good especially the Sunday roast for about $6. They have revamped the menu and now have a good pizza selection and if you like chicken try the chicken crepe!! Yummy!! The breakfast is ok, toast, eggs, bacon or ham, juice or Indonesian breakfast. But you can pick up cheap breakfasts out on the street if you wanted something a bit bigger or different. They have a lovely "beauty parlour", hairdresser, nails, braids, massage, etc. The "old" pool was out of action whiel we were ther in Jan while it is being repaired. We watched the new pools being built over the last 2 years and they are fantastic!!! The temperature is just divine for those who like warm water. Some people found the water a bit too warm but most loved it. The "pools" are side by side and are all the same temperature as they share the same water. The main pool is the same depth all over which from memory is about 1.6, then there is one that is waist high on me, then there is a really shallow one that is about calf hight for the little ones.
There is a 24 hour bar that is away from the cottages at the front of the hotel where there is a variety of live bands that are really good too, particularly the Yellow Band, that play every night until about 11pm, after the band leaves they put on music DVD's on the big screen. If you don't want the hassle of finding transport out on the street they even have drivers who will take you anywhere quite cheaply. I have photos if you want I can email them to you? Hope this helps and have a great holiday.