Hi All. I am in a bit of a dilemma because after 6 trips to Bali we have stayed at the Hotel Jayakarta 5 times.
Although the rooms are a little tired and it is a biiiig hotel our reasons for choosing it every time are mainly because we love the gardens and grounds, the 3 huge pools, especially the main one next to the beach with the huge stage in the middle for the barong & dance performances etc. The other thing I really love is the way they have the live gamelan playing in the foyer and around the grounds and I love being right on the beach.
We are going again mid next year but this trip will be different from the last 6 because we will have our 4 year old with us. We really want to try something different so have booked at the Tegal Sari in Ubud for 5 days and are also looking at 2 nights on Nusa Lembongan. That leaves the first 10 nights unbooked and for those we wanted to stay at our old fave, the Jayakarta but I'm not sure if I can get that booking at this stage so am looking at alternatives.
I am trying to find a similar hotel to Jayakarta that would suit our 4 year old (playgrounds etc), is right on the beach, has beautiful balinese gardens and lots of balinese culture - live gamelan playing, barong performances and, most importantly a stunning pool (or 3). So, as you can see I'm not asking for much :)
I have looked at the puri raja online but cant get a good look at its pool in photos - just wondering if anyone has stayed at both and can tell me whether they think Puri Raja would be good for us given all that we love about the Jayakarta, as described above.
Alternatively are there any hotels that anyone would recommend that i should look at that have all teh features i want, similar to Jayakarta? Obviously I am looking for a similar price range so have ruled out Dynasty because it is a lot more expensive and I think it may just be a *bit* too big for us and not enough of that "balinese" feel, if you know what I mean. Would really appreciate any alternative hotel suggestions and also any comments on whether I am probably barking up the wrong tree with looking at the puri raja.
many Thanks for any advice :)